Latest news with #NBA
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Knicks assistant unlikely to become next head coach
As the New York Knicks continue their search for a new head coach, their options have become clearer. So far, they have formally interviewed both Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown while also expressing interest in other candidates. Johnnie Bryant is unlikely to become the next Knicks head coach However, one potential candidate seems to be essentially ruled out. According to SNY's Ian Begley, it is not likely that former Knicks associate head coach and current Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant will become the next head coach for New York. Johnnie Bryant, New York Knicks 'I just heard last week that with Johnnie it was more of a longer shot there,' Begley said. 'When you talk about the coaches who have been in, or will be in, for interviews, I think those are the guys that have much higher odds at landing this thing than Johnnie Bryant.' Advertisement Bryant was heavily rumored as a candidate shortly after Tom Thibodeau was fired, thanks to his ties with the organization. Bryant was the Knicks' associate head coach under Thibodeau from 2020-24 and held the same role under Kenny Atkinson with the Cavaliers this past season. The Knicks are looking for an experienced coach Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images The Knicks are eyeing experienced coaches who can lead them to a potential NBA title. They are coming off their best season in over 25 years and are ready to take the next step towards becoming a championship team. While it is not completely ruled out that Bryant will become the next head coach, it is highly unlikely that they will turn to him unless the options become thin. Advertisement Related Headlines
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ESPN report reveals how 'miserly' Lakers have been under Jeanie Buss
The ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers is changing hands. On Wednesday, the Buss family, which has owned the team since 1979, reportedly agreed to sell a majority share of it to Mark Walter, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, for a valuation of $10 billion. While the Lakers have become one of the most prestigious sports franchises and brands under the Buss family's ownership, most of their success during that time came when the late Dr. Jerry Buss was their owner from 1979 to 2013. When Dr. Buss passed away in 2013, control was passed down to his children, and the Lakers have gone through many peaks and valleys since, with the valleys becoming more numerous than the peaks. Advertisement A lot of the criticism of how the franchise has been run has centered around the perception that it has operated like a mom-and-pop small business, especially since the Buss family isn't particularly cash-rich. In fact, an ESPN report on Wednesday's sale outlined several concerning ways in which the team has pinched pennies. Many remember how it failed to hire Tyronn Lue to be its head coach in 2019 after Lue wanted a little more money and a longer contract. But the other examples of what ESPN called its "miserly traits" don't reflect well on how it has been run. One instance had to do with one of its assistant coaches. "An assistant coach was not approved to stay at the same hotel as the player he was traveling to work out with in the offseason because the room was too expensive," wrote Tim Bontemps and Dave McMenamin. Prior to the NBA lockout in 2011, a sizable number of team staffers and employees were laid off, including one longtime member of the front office. "Former assistant GM Ronnie Lester's contract was not renewed during the NBA lockout in 2011, a financial decision and one of many in a rash of layoffs or nonrenewals." Advertisement Plus, in one move that resulted in lots of criticism, the Lakers asked for financial help from the government during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic through a program that was designed to help small businesses, not world-class sports franchises. "The team applied for federal relief through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 hiatus. After considerable backlash, they later returned the $4.6 million to the government." As NBA teams started to utilize analytics more and more in recent years, the Lakers lagged behind. They were the only team in the league that wasn't represented at the Sloan Analytics Conference in 2013. That did start to change, however, last offseason, when they hired coach JJ Redick and Redick urged them to become more data-driven. Walter has owned a sizable chunk of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2012. At the time, the Dodgers were a franchise that enjoyed plenty of success in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s but had fallen on hard times for roughly the previous 20 years. Under his ownership, they have won the National League West in 11 of the last 12 seasons, and they have won the World Series championship in 2020 and 2024. Walter built up the team's analytics department, hired standout front office people such as Andrew Friedman and spared no expense in acquiring former MVPs in their primes, such as Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani. Advertisement Lakers fans, by and large, are now optimistic that similar results could lie ahead for the Purple and Gold. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: ESPN report reveals how 'miserly' Lakers have been under Jeanie Buss
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Brian Windhorst warns rest of NBA after sale of Lakers
No one can say with any certainty how much success the Los Angeles Lakers will have in the coming years now that a majority share of the franchise will be sold by the Buss family to Mark Walter. Walter, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, has been the primary owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2012, and under his leadership, the Dodgers have consistently enjoyed a high level of success that includes 11 National League West titles and two World Series championships. If nothing else, it is projected that the Lakers will not spare any expenses when going after the best men and women to fill numerous roles within the organization. For years, they have been criticized for being run like a mom-and-pop small business that has consistently pinched pennies. That approach has worked against them, most notably when super sub and fan favorite Alex Caruso left in free agency in 2021 and Tyronn Lue turned down their offer to be their head coach in 2019. Advertisement NBA reporter Brian Windhorst said that this new ownership is good news for the Lakers — and bad news for the rest of the league. "If I were another team, I would not think this is a great development," Windhorst said. "I think the Lakers are only gonna get more dangerous as an organization with the more resources that are theoretically here about to be poured into it." Historically, the Lakers have been a big draw for some of basketball's greatest titans, including Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and they have always seemingly been able to trade for a Hall of Famer just when it has seemed that they were down and out. But now, presumably at least, money will not be an issue when looking to upgrade the roster or the rest of the organization. How exactly this apparent influx of capital will translate to personnel moves remains to be seen, but one has to reasonably expect a positive development in that regard. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Brian Windhorst warns rest of NBA after sale of Lakers
Indianapolis Star
33 minutes ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Pacers down the Thunder: Here's how to buy NBA Finals tickets for Game 7 in Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma City Thunder's attempt to clinch an NBA title fell short as the Indiana Pacers topped OKC 108-91 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Tyrese Haliburton proved to be the Pacers' tone-setter despite a lingering calf injury as he scored 14 points en route to a blowout victory. Now the series is tied 3-3 with a Game 7 matchup determining the winner. Game 7 is sure to be a thriller as the series shifts one more time to Oklahoma City. Game 7 will take place on Sunday, June 22. Here's everything you need to know in order to buy Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals Game 7 tickets. As of this writing, the cheapest available tickets to Game 7 of the NBA Finals cost $1,181. If you want a better view at Paycom Center, lower level NBA Finals Game 7 tickets start at $2,079. The NBA Finals concludes in Oklahoma City on Sunday, June 22. Tickets are on sale for Game 7. See below for the NBA Finals schedule.
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals: Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana once again rise to the challenge to thwart OKC's coronation
INDIANAPOLIS — The ultimate game. That's what coach Rick Carlisle kept saying following the Indiana Pacers' somewhat improbable Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, sending the Finals to a decisive Game 7 for the first time since 2016. Advertisement It feels like a window into the Pacers' collective psyche, that all they had to do was take care of business Thursday night and in front of them would be the opportunity of a lifetime. 'One game,' Carlisle said. 'I mean, this is what it's all about. I mean, this is … this is what you dream about growing up, this kind of opportunity.' The notion is simplified, but if you look at the Pacers as a team that has grown in confidence since the NBA Finals have begun, a team that didn't feel it threw away its best chance at an upset two games ago with the Game 4 collapse, this makes sense. There was no stopping the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) They aren't supposed to be here, but they don't know that. Advertisement But they knew something we didn't, something our eyes wouldn't allow us to. If they had a reasonably healthy Tyrese Haliburton — who went through round-the-clock treatment and consultation over the last 72 hours — they could do more than make this elimination game respectable. Haliburton didn't come out of the tunnel like Willis Reed. He wasn't limping around like Isiah Thomas on a bad ankle. It was hard to tell just how hurt Haliburton was, although it surely seemed like he was ailing walking out of Game 5 in Oklahoma City. He had what he called an 'honest conversation' with Carlisle, given how ineffective he was in Game 5 when the Pacers clawed back from a big deficit only to let it slip away with five disastrous minutes, to make sure he wasn't dragging his teammates down. Advertisement But not going out there for Game 6 was not an option. 'I just look at it as I want to be out there to compete with my brothers,' Haliburton said. 'These are guys that I'm willing to go to war with, and we've had such a special year, and we have a special bond as a group, and you know, I think I'd beat myself up if I didn't give it a chance.' But the chance turned to confidence, perhaps buoyed by the healing powers provided by Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and the Pacers rolled to a dominant 108-91 win to send the series back to Oklahoma City. Haliburton's 14 points and five assists don't jump off the page, but the first time he hit a shot he almost looked to the heavens to say, 'Finally ...' after going bucket-less in Game 5. Advertisement 'We've got one game. One game,' Haliburton said. 'It's nothing that's happened before matters, and nothing that's going to happen after matters. It's all about that one game. Just trying to approach it the right way for the next couple days.' Now, they believe. Perhaps the signal was Carlisle not messing around with Haliburton's status, coming right out in pregame and saying Haliburton was ready to go and that his injured calf could handle the rigors of the biggest game in franchise history. "What's the point? I mean, this time of year playing games isn't going to get you anywhere,' Carlisle said 90 minutes before game time. 'We got a job to do tonight. We've got to get ready to battle a team that has been the best team in the league all year long. It's a tough game. It's an elimination game. There's a lot going on.' The Indiana Pacers cannot be trifled with. They cannot be broken. If they buckled, they quickly came back to their feet before any knockout punch could be delivered. Advertisement The Pacers put themselves into the Thunder's luggage, stalling a victory celebration many expected before the night began. The Pacers led by as many as 30 at the end of the third quarter, and the Thunder played their reserves for the final 12 minutes, thus making the score look more respectable than it was. The Thunder are kings in waiting and perhaps will emerge victorious in this series to validate their favored status. But there is no intimidation factor across the way. They don't win the game before walking into the building — at least not yet. The Pacers are almost defiant about looking at the Thunder as some unbeatable juggernaut, claiming with certainty their confidence hasn't grown from the start — but through six games one cannot deny how comfortable the Pacers have gotten. If the Thunder thought they graduated by beating Nikola Jokić and the beaten-up Denver Nuggets, they've found out they're a few credits short of completion and headed to summer school. Advertisement 'I think that's just always been us. I don't think that changed,' Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said. 'We continue to be us, no matter what, and I think that's what makes us who we are.' They morphed into the best of what Oklahoma City has done in this series, providing their own 40 minutes of hell — targeting the league's Most Valuable Player all night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in his own personal purgatory, with eight of the Thunder's 21 turnovers that got the Pacers into the open floor when the set offense was taking its time. Every time he turned his back, there was a Pacer, scrapping, reaching, getting in his space to make him think and throw off whatever rhythm the Thunder believed they gained. The Pacers have stymied Gilgeous-Alexander as well as anyone has this postseason, bringing his assist-to-turnover ratio to 27-to-23 in the Finals. For reference, he's a three-to-one performer the past two seasons, but Andrew Nembhard isn't giving him much space and is tireless in making him work. Advertisement One exhausts himself when he knows a championship is close, when it feels likely, when it no longer feels like a dream that is unattainable. Jalen Williams, the Thunder's co-star who's blooming every game, went from putting up 40 in Game 5 to being a ghastly minus-40 in 26 minutes. In the middle two quarters, the Pacers outscored the Thunder by a whopping 62-35 margin, and it wasn't long before the Thunder packed up their things, living to fight a Game 7 on their home floor. And if the Thunder think that will bring them solace, they're in for another rude awakening. 'It's so, so, exciting. As a basketball fan, there's nothing like a Game 7,' Haliburton said. 'There's nothing like a Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Dreamed of being in this situation my whole life. What happened in the past doesn't matter. What happened today doesn't matter. It's all about one game and approaching that the right way.' The Thunder have created a storm they cannot contain, with a seventh game that feels like an opportunity for all kinds of history. The ultimate game.
