Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham entered Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets averaging 28.7 points, 8.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals with a 28.7% usage rate and a 62.1% true shooting percentage in his previous 10 games. The Pistons, who have one win since Oct. 28, were down by only two points against the defending champs when Cunningham exited with what the team called a left knee strain halfway through the second quarter. The Nuggets almost immediately broke the game open after that, and Detroit trailed by as many as 24 points in the 131-114 loss.
“It’s pretty clear: He’s important. Franchise player. So when a guy like that can’t play, it has a trickle-down effect across the board,” Pistons coach Monty Williams told reporters. “You have different guys stepping up in the pecking order and having to handle the ball and make plays and that kind of thing, so pretty clear how important Cade is to our program.”
Williams said he had “nothing right now” to share about the injury. “We don’t have anything official. Just has a bit of a left knee issue, so we’ll give an update once we have an official report.”
The Pistons are 3-33 and set the all-time record for consecutive losses in a season prior to a Dec. 30 victory against the Toronto Raptors. For the past few weeks, though, Cunningham’s individual brilliance has kept them competitive in the majority of their games. Since Dec. 16, they’ve had an above-average offense (117.6 points per 100 possessions) with Cunningham on the court and an absolutely abysmal offense (106.8 per 100) without him.
Individually, Cunningham has quieted early season concerns about inefficiency and turnovers. Some of this is because he’s been playing in a more functional offensive environment since the returns of Bojan Bogdanovic (on Dec. 2) and Jalen Duren (Dec. 26). If he misses time, though, things will likely get even uglier for a Detroit team that, besides a timely matchup against the shorthanded Raptors, cannot seem to catch a break.
The Pistons will host the Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets this week. If Cunningham is not in the lineup against Sacramento on Tuesday, will Killian Hayes return to the starting five? This is the likeliest scenario — Hayes started the second half against Denver — but Detroit does have other options. Veteran Alec Burks has rediscovered his 3-point shot lately (17-for-31 in his last five games), and Williams has started Kevin Knox II on five occasions this season.
Regardless of who might start, a potential Cunningham absence would shift some of the playmaking burden to Bogdanovic and second-year guard Jaden Ivey. It would also clear the way for rookie Marcus Sasser, who logged 11 second-half minutes on Sunday, to return to the rotation.
Cunningham has appeared in all 36 of Detroit’s games in 2023-24. He missed all but 12 games last season because of a stress fracture in his shin that required surgery. The Pistons, with a .083 winning percentage, are on pace to finish 7-75, which would be the worst record in NBA history.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns look to bounce back from losses on Sunday as they match up on Monday night in Los Angeles. The Clippers (22-13) fell to the Lakers, 106-103, while the Suns (19-17) lost at home to the Grizzlies, 121-115. These two teams met in Phoenix last Wednesday, a 131-122 Los Angeles victory. The Clippers are 18-17 against the spread, while the Suns are 13-22-1 ATS in 2023-24.
Tipoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles is favored by 6.5 points in the latest Suns vs. Clippers odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 229.5 points. Before entering any Clippers vs. Suns picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Suns vs. Clippers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Clippers vs. Suns:
Clippers vs. Suns spread: Clippers -6.5 Clippers vs. Suns over/under: 229.5 points Clippers vs. Suns money line: Clippers -242, Suns +197 Clippers vs. Suns picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Suns can cover Less than a week after a nine point home loss to the Clippers, the Suns play a back-to-back in Los Angeles after falling to Memphis on Sunday night. Despite the team’s new ‘Big 3’ playing together, the combination of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal failed to beat the Grizzlies, who were without star guard Ja Morant. The Suns were outscored 35-18 in the fourth quarter and will need to turn around the momentum quickly heading into Monday night’s contest.
Booker led the team on Sunday night with 24 points and eight assists while center Jusuf Nurkic grabbed 19 rebounds to go along with his 18 points in the losing effort. Durant produced a 23-10-5 line and Beal added 12-6-5 against Memphis. Phoenix reserves contributed only 22 of the team’s 115 points on Sunday night and will have to play a far bigger role if the Suns are to knock off Los Angeles on Monday night. See which team to pick here.
Why the Clippers can cover Los Angeles had won five straight games before falling on Sunday night to the Lakers. It leads the Pacific Division by one game over Sacramento and looks to add another game on the Suns who are 3.5 back. The Clippers’ ‘Big 3’ of their own, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden combined for only 57 points in the team’s defeat on Sunday night. Center Ivica Zubac was the star against his old team, scoring 22 points with 19 rebounds in the loss.
Against the Suns last week, George scored 33 points and Leonard 30 in Los Angeles’ nine point road win. The Clippers won the rebounding and turnover battle each by four contributing to their success. Another key element is home court advantage for the Clippers, who are 14-4 when playing as the hosts as Crypto.com Arena. See which team to pick here.
How to make Suns vs. Clippers picks The model has simulated Suns vs. Clippers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
We’ve got another exciting Eastern Conference matchup on Monday’s NBA schedule as the Charlotte Hornets will host the Chicago Bulls. Charlotte is 8-25 overall and 4-11 at home, while Chicago is 16-21 overall and 4-12 on the road. The Bulls have won the last four matchups, including a 104-91 victory on Friday. The Hornets are 13-19-1 against the spread in the 2023-24 NBA season, while the Bulls are 18-18-1 versus the number.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Chicago is favored by 6.5 points in the latest Hornets vs. Bulls odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 216 points. Before entering any Bulls vs. Hornets picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Chicago vs. Charlotte. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Bulls vs. Hornets:
Hornets vs. Bulls spread: Hornets +6.5 Hornets vs. Bulls over/under: 216 points Hornets vs. Bulls money line: Hornets: +214, Bulls: -265 Hornets vs. Bulls picks: See picks at SportsLine What to know about the Hornets It’s hard to win when your shooting is a whole 13.6% worse than the opposition, a fact the Hornets found out the hard way on Friday. They fell 104-91 to Chicago, and the Hornets have not had much luck with the Bulls recently, as the team’s come up short the last three times they’ve met.
Despite the loss, the Hornets got a solid performance out of Miles Bridges, who scored 28 points to go along with five rebounds. Charlotte is severely shorthanded at the moment as it’s missing leading scorer LaMelo Ball (ankle), as well as three other double-digit scorers in Gordon Hayward (calf), PJ Washington (foot) and Mark Williams (back). Thus, the team will have to rely more on No. 2 overall pick, Brandon Miller, who is averaging 14.7 points but is doing it inefficiently, knocking down just 39.1% of his field-goal attempts over his last 15 games. See which team to pick here.
What to know about the Bulls In Friday’s win over Charlotte, Coby White led the Bulls with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan added 17 points. White has taken his game to another level since Zach LaVine was sidelined as he’s averaging 21.8 points over his last 23 games. LaVine returned to the floor against Charlotte after missing 17 games and scored 15 points in 30 minutes.
Nikola Vucevic also returned on Friday after missing five games, and he had 11 points and seven rebounds, so this Bulls team is close to being whole. Perhaps now it can make some strides on the offensive end as Chicago ranks in the bottom eight in both points per game and offensive rating. However, the defense is stout and is allowing the sixth-fewest points per game in the NBA. See which team to pick here.
How to make Hornets vs. Bulls picks The model has simulated Hornets vs. Bulls 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Washington Wizards in a Western Conference matchup on Monday. Washington is 6-29 overall and 3-12 at home, while Oklahoma City is 23-11 overall and 9-6 on the road. The Thunder won both of their meetings last season by an average of nine points.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Oklahoma City is a 12-point favorite in the latest Wizards vs. Thunder odds, according to the SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 246.5 points. Before entering any Thunder vs. Wizards picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Oklahoma City vs. Washington. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Thunder vs. Wizards:
Wizards vs. Thunder spread: Thunder -12 Wizards vs. Thunder over/under: 246.5 points Wizards vs. Thunder money line: Wizards: +479, Thunder: -667 OKC: The Thunder are 23-10-1 against the spread WAS: The Wizards are 4-3 ATS in their last seven contests when underdogs by at least 10 points Wizards vs. Thunder picks: See picks at SportsLine What to know about the Wizards The Wizards have lost four straight and seven of their last eight contests entering Monday. Kyle Kuzma leads Washington in scoring at 22.6 points per game while adding 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest. He’s coming off scoring 27 points, including making 4 of 10 3-pointers, in a 121-105 loss to the Knicks on Saturday.
Small forward Deni Avdija added 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while shooting 69.2% from the field on Saturday. He’s posting 11.9 points and six rebounds per game this season, while Daniel Gafford is averaging 10.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest this year. See which team to pick here.
What to know about the Thunder The Thunder enter off back-to-back losses following a five-game winning streak. Oklahoma City (23-11) has the third-best record in the Western Conference, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 31.5 points, six rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.4 steals per contest this season. The 25-year-old is shooting 54.7% from the field, the best clip in the NBA for a guard, as his efficiency is one of the strongest aspects of his scoring ability. He’s shot at least 50% in six of his last eight contests.
The Thunder have the best record ATS (23-10-1) in the NBA this season. They have covered the spread in eight of their last 11 contests and are 3-0 ATS this season when favored by at least 10 points. The Wizards have the worst scoring defense (126.1 ppg) in the NBA, while OKC has the fourth-best scoring offense (121.8 ppg). The Thunder have the second-best field goal percentage (50.2%) and could possess a tough unit for the struggling Washington defense to contain. See which team to pick here.
How to make Wizards vs. Thunder picks The model has simulated Thunder vs. Wizards 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The Milwaukee Bucks will face off against the Utah Jazz in an NBA interconference matchup on Monday. Milwaukee is 25-11 overall and 16-3 at home, while Utah is 17-20 overall and 6-15 on the road. The Bucks won both of their matchups last season by at least 26 points in each contest.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The Bucks are 8.5-point favorites in the latest Jazz vs. Bucks odds, according to the SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 242 points. Before entering any Bucks vs. Jazz picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Utah vs. Milwaukee. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Jazz vs. Bucks:
Bucks vs. Jazz spread: Bucks -8.5 Bucks vs. Jazz over/under: 242 points Bucks vs. Jazz money line: Bucks: -380, Jazz: +300 UTA: The Jazz are 7-2 against the spread over their last nine games MIL: The Bucks are 3-0 in their last three games against the Jazz Bucks vs. Jazz picks: See picks at SportsLine What to know about the Jazz The Jazz are coming off a 120-109 victory over the 76ers on Saturday, winning their fourth game over their last five contests. Utah is also 7-2 over its last nine games, climbing up the Western Conference standings with the ninth-best record (17-20) in the West. Lauri Markkanen has led Utah in scoring in back-to-back contests, including having 33 points and 13 rebounds against the 76ers. The 26-year-old, 7-foot power forward is averaging 23.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on the season.
Collin Sexton has played well in an expanded role over the last month, averaging 20.2 points over his last 18 contests since December 2. He shot 50.3% from the field in December and had 22 points and 10 assists while shooting 64.3% from the field against the 76ers. Fellow guard Jordan Clarkson is averaging 17.2 ppg this year while reaching the 30-point mark in two of his last eight games. See which team to pick here.
What to know about the Bucks The Bucks will be without star guard Damian Lillard, who is out for personal reasons. Milwaukee is coming off a 112-108 loss to the Rockets on Saturday, even with Giannis Antetokounmpo posting 48 points and 17 rebounds. The Bucks needed a huge fourth quarter, outscoring the Rockets, 35-23, in the final period to nearly pull out the comeback victory.
Antetokounmpo is having another MVP-worthy season, averaging 31.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists. His ppg is a career-high after averaging a career-best 31.1 ppg last year. The seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA MVP had 24 points and 11 assists in his most recent game against Utah after scoring 30 points with 15 rebounds the matchup before against the Jazz. The Bucks will likely need another huge performance from Antetokounmpo along with role players such as Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to play well with Lillard out. See which team to pick here.
How to make Bucks vs. Jazz picks The model has simulated Jazz vs. Bucks 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Draymond Green told Adam Silver that he was going to retire, and the NBA commissioner talked him out of it, the Golden State Warriors forward said on an episode his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.” Green, who was suspended indefinitely on Dec. 13 after hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face, said he was “lucky” to get guidance from Silver, NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars and ex-Warriors president Bob Myers.
“I had a conversation with Adam Silver, the commissioner of our league,” Green said in the episode that was released Monday morning. “And I just told him, ‘Adam, it’s too much for me. Like, it’s too much. This is too much. It’s all becoming too much for me. And i’m going to retire.'”
“And Adam said, ‘You’re making a very rash decision, and I won’t let you do that.’ And I’m like, ‘No, Adam, I’m not really sure it’s a rash decision. It’s all too much.’ And we had a long, great conversation, very helpful to me. Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam, who’s more about helping you than hurting you. Or helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”
“I told him ‘I’m going to retire’”
—@Money23Green opens up about his conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after the Jusuf Nurkić incident pic.twitter.com/kgJrnJzBS7
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) January 8, 2024 Green’s suspension was lifted over the weekend. He was on the bench during Golden State’s 133-118 loss against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday and is ramping up for his return to the court. Here’s what else stood out in Green’s first public comments since the suspension.
Green apologizes for incidents, vows to stop ‘antics’ In the first episode of the podcast since July Green apologized for the Nurkic incident and for grabbing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert around the neck on Nov. 14.
“For starters, let’s go back to Dec. 12. That date will be ingrained in my mind for a while,” Green said. “Let’s go back to Dec. 12 in Phoenix, Arizona, playing against the Phoenix Suns, third quarter, and I connect with Nurkic, get kicked out of the game, do my postgame interview, all of those things. And as I said then and I’ll say now, I was wrong. I was wrong regardless of what I was trying to do, regardless of — none of that shit matters. I was wrong. I accept my fault in that and I apologize.
“Not only from that,” Green continued. “Rudy Gobert situation, I was wrong. Went way too far. I am a guy who plays on the edge. I am a guy who walks right up to that line and I have no problem with admitting I have walked over that line. And for that I apologize.”
Green apologized to his family and friends. “My mom experienced death threads,” he said, adding that most of his two school-aged children’s friends (or friends’ parents) are Golden State fans. He apologized to to the Warriors organization, and specifically to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, coach Steve Kerr and owner Joe Lacob, in addition to Myers, the team’s former executive turned ESPN analyst.
“Joe Lacob made a commitment to me this past summer for the next four years, and the conversations that we had in leading up to it — I failed miserably,” Green said. “And I apologize for that. The Golden State Warriors organization, I always say that’s my baby. Steph, Klay, Steve, Bob — we’ve been there from the beginning of what you know the Warriors as today. And I failed them miserably.”
Green “sat in my man cave for two days” after the suspension, he said. On Dec. 14, his three-year-old daughter FaceTimed him, then “pulled me out into the yard and we played.” That day, Green “realized I had to move forward.” It was also on that day that Kerr visited him at home.
“We sat in the yard,” Green said. “He cried, I cried. Because there’s a bond there that [we have] seen it all. Seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. And he just said to me, ‘I want you to end this the right way. I want us to end this the right way. And you’re not doing that right now. So I want you to do what you have to do to get in a space to where you can do that and that we can do that.'”
Kerr said, according to Green, that he was proud that Green had taken accountability in his most recent press conference. “You’ve apologized before, but there’s always a but,” Green recalled Kerr saying. Green laughed and told Kerr that his wife had told him the same thing: “No buts.”
Green said that he “let the organization down, I let the NBA down, my family, myself, my partners.” He said that, in terms of “the responsibility that’s been placed upon me as a father, as a husband, as a podcaster, as a business owner, as a television personality, as a Black man in America,” he has “handled it miserably. Terribly.”
On the court, Green said, he will continue to “mix things up,” but he pledged to “stop taking the excuse and running with it and saying I can’t play the way I play if I don’t do this.” In other words, he believes can play with his edge without crossing any more lines.
“I love this game and I love to compete and you don’t just get to turn that off,” Green said. “But I’m also smart enough to know what an antic is and what isn’t. And I can get rid of the antics. I’m more than capable of doing that. I look forward to it.”
Green’s ‘breakthrough’ involving Durant Early in the suspension, Green “dove all the way into” the commentary about him in the media, he said. Normally, he would “want to say ‘F you’ or ‘watch me show you,'” but “this time was different for me. I watched them. I listened.”
Initially, he said, he was defensive when he heard people saying that he needed to get help, but then he decided to look at it differently.
“I’ll tell you it really pissed me off when Kevin Durant said, ‘He wasn’t like that when I was around, I hope he gets the help he needs.’ And I started going into this deep dive about, like, ‘How this, how that,’ but then it’s like, wait a minute. What do you want the world to know about you?”
Green said that he has grown in recent years, but “I haven’t allowed anyone in the world to see that growth.” He said that he told himself not to attach a negative connotation to the word “help.”
“I was like maybe you shouldn’t hear ‘help’ so negatively,” Green said. “Like maybe you’re listening to the word ‘help’ with the same mindset that the word ‘help’ meant when you were 15 years old. So maybe you shouldn’t hear that negatively, so negatively, and maybe he’s not saying that as negatively as you’re taking it. And even if he was, I made a decision in that moment that I wasn’t going to take it that way.”
Green said that this was a “breakthrough.”
“Once I did that, I felt, OK, now I can start to put together what I think this process should look like.”
Green said that, whenever the Warriors would have a sports psychologist or therapist address the team, he’d tell his teammates that he needed therapy but wasn’t ready for it.
“I’d say, ‘I need therapy, I’m so afraid. I am so afraid, though. Because the things that you may uncover, I’m not sure I’m in a space to handle them. I’m so afraid. But one day I’m going to do it,'” Green said.
In this way, Green sees the suspension as a blessing in disguise.
“This helped me just dive in,” Green said. “Like, just go all in. Whatever comes up, it comes up. I needed the push. I needed that push because it’s something that I had wanted to do anyway. I just didn’t have the balls to do it. And yes, I say ‘the balls to do it’ because it’s hard work. It takes a lot. It’s exhausting work. But it’s rewarding.”
Green repeatedly called himself a “champion of change.” He referred to this period of time away from the team as a “turning point.” He also said that he needs to continue working on himself.
‘This is not, ‘Oh, he went to some therapy and in three weeks he’s great,'” Green said. “No. I still have a lot of things to work on. But I am enjoying that work. And the work that I was so afraid to do, I’m happy this brought me to it.”
Green said he’s “still the same Draymond you knew before,” but he’s “embracing the growth” in a way that he hasn’t previously, adding that his time off has been “incredible” because “I’ll be better from it — in all facets of my life.” He thanked Curry, Chris Paul and LeBron James for checking in on him, referenced an hourlong chat with his college coach, Tom Izzo, and said he’s thankful to get another chance to do what he loves and he wants “to do all that I can to not f— that up for me.” After not touching a basketball for a week to 10 days post-suspension, Green has gotten back on the court and been working out. He said he’s excited to show how he’s grown when he returns.
“You don’t just change the spots on a leopard. But what I do realize is there’s some things that I can leave behind,” Green said. “The antics, i can leave behind. And it’s OK. That won’t change the Draymond that the world has gotten to know. That won’t change the way I play the game of basketball.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham continues to insist his job isn’t in jeopardy, and according to a report from Marc Stein, it isn’t. Not yet, at least.
“The current signals in circulation suggest that things would have to worsen significantly for the 18-19 Lakers to truly put Darvin Ham’s job under immediate threat,” Stein wrote. “That was the messaging in circulation even before Sunday night’s stirring 106-103 victory over the Clippers despite some crunch-time shakiness against their co-tenants at Crypto.com Arena.
“League sources say Ham continues to enjoy very strong support from Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka … especially after the leadership Ham provided in his first season as the frequent voice and face for the franchise as it spent months in sub-.500 purgatory before finally surging into the playoffs with a 9-2 closing kick.”
That said, less than a week ago, The Athletic cited six sources in its report that Ham’s standing was in question amid a “deepening disconnect” between Ham and the players.
At the very least, we can conclude that the heat on Ham is being turned up. After the Lakers’ win over the Clippers on Sunday, which ended a four-game skid (they have lost 10 of their last 14), James, who has not been shy about showing and voicing his frustration of late, took what can only be described as a thinly veiled shot — if not a blatant one — at his current coach by going out of his way to compliment his former one.
LeBron James, when asked about the “James Harden Clippers,” gassed up his former coach by saying the team should be referred to as the “T Lue Clippers” for Lue’s impact on getting LAC rolling this season pic.twitter.com/y4ZVQbWIWc
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 8, 2024 The question LeBron was asked was simple: “What do you think of the new James Harden Clippers?”
“You said it’s the James Harden Clippers? Nah. It’s the T-Lue Clippers,” James quickly corrected, referring, of course, to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, who coached LeBron in Cleveland and whom LeBron reportedly lobbied for to coach the Lakers before Frank Vogel was hired.
“I know T-Lue very well. It don’t take T-Lue very long to make sure shit get right,” James continued. “It took five games, and they’ve been cooking since.”
LeBron is actually dead on with the five games thing. The Clippers literally lost their first five games with Harden in the lineup, after which they won 16 of their next 21, including Sunday’s loss, with Harden in uniform.
With all the talk that is swirling about the Lakers and specifically Ham, if this isn’t a direct shot at Ham and his implied inability to “get shit right,” I don’t know what is. LeBron could’ve easily just said the Clippers are playing well. Harden is playing well. And left it at that. But he went out of his way to go down the coaching path.
To be fair, LeBron was asked directly about Ham and how he has managed the team’s ups and downs, and he didn’t say anything to directly undermine his coach.
“By just staying and trying to keep us prepared when it’s time to go out and for battle,” James said, via Lakers insider Jovan Buha.
That is a total non-answer into which plenty can be read between the lines, but at least it’s not a direct shot. The thing about Lue and how much difference a great coach can make? LeBron was taking aim at Ham there. Does that mean LeBron wants Ham out, or is he just trying to up the urgency? Nobody knows. But what I do know is this: If LeBron wants a coach out, unless your name is Erik Spoelstra, he has a pretty strong track record of eventually getting his way.
Ham may have held off the wolves for one game. Maybe, as per Stein’s report, he can keep his job for a while longer. But if things don’t get better, soon, it’s hard to imagine this ending well for Ham in LA.
Alabama coach Nick Saban shocked the college football world Wednesday when he suddenly announced his retirement after 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide. The 72-year-old won seven national titles — one at LSU (2003) and six at Alabama (2009, 2011-12, 2015, 2017, 2020). That is tied with fellow legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most in college football history.
Saban guided Alabama to eight College Football Playoff appearances during his time at the school — the most of any program in the CFP era. Current college football coaches and his former players at Alabama were quick to weigh in on the end of one of the sport’s most decorated careers.
The 2 GOAT’s! Would not be where I am today without these two men as mentors! Thank you for everything! pic.twitter.com/JTJCgOdYbN
— Steve Sarkisian (@CoachSark) January 10, 2024 Earlier in the day, the Seattle Seahawks announced that Pete Carroll would not return as their coach in 2024 — ending a 14-year run in the Pacific Northwest. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator at USC from 2007-08 under Carroll and the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Saban from 2019-2020 before taking the job at Texas. He paid tribute to both his former bosses in one tweet.
The two 🐐. So honored and blessed to have learned from them and won national championships with both. Thanks for taking a chance on me and being amazing mentor’s to me. Appreciate you both more than you will ever know. 💙♥️. @AlabamaFTBL @Seahawks Greatness we may never see… https://t.co/wzbKVsq11o
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 11, 2024 Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin also paid respect to two of his former bosses. Kiffin Kiffin served as an assistant under Carroll at USC from 2001-06. He later worked with Saban at Alabama as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014-16. Kiffin is considered one of the candidates in the Tide’s search to replace Saban after spending the last four seasons with the Rebels.
WOW! College Football just lost the GOAT to retirement. WOW! I knew it would happen 1 day soon but not this soon. The game has change so much that it chased the GOAT away. College football let’s hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u see. #CoachPrime @CUBuffsFootball
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) January 10, 2024 Colorado coach Deion Sanders weighed in on Saban’s retirement, giving praise to his Aflac commercial co-star. He also insinuated that Saban’s departure may be related to the many changes the college football has seen over the past few years. The sport’s landscape has undergone major shifts with both NIL and the transfer portal, requiring more and more time from coaches.
Hard to express how much Nick and Ms Terri have meant to Jill and I as friends and you have forever set the mark for many to chase in this profession. Enjoy Retirement!!
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) January 10, 2024 Saban finished his coaching career with a 4-2 record against current Auburn coach Hugh Freeze. When Freeze was the head man at Ole Miss, he helped guide the Rebels to consecutive wins over the Crimson Tide in 2014 and 2015. The first and only Iron Bowl meeting between the two coaches was a thrilling come-from-behind 27-24 win for Alabama.
It was a true honor to coach against you throughout the years. Enjoy your retirement! pic.twitter.com/Lju1bGBCi9
— Coach Gus Malzahn (@CoachGusMalzahn) January 10, 2024 Saban was 5-3 against former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn with all eight games coming in the Iron Bowl. One of the most memorable plays in college football history came during the 2013 rivalry matchup. Tigers defensive back Chris Davis returned a missed field goal kick 109 yards for a walk-off touchdown. The “kick-six” helped Auburn clinch the SEC West and a spot in the BCS title game against Florida State.
Coach Saban is the GOAT!! Thanks for believing in a young man from Flint, Michigan. Helped me become a champion on the field, but more importantly a champion in LIFE. Enjoy retirement Coach, you earned that!! Love you Coach Saban, ROLL TIDE!! 🥹🥲 pic.twitter.com/VJ5KzUcHu3
— Mark Ingram II (@markingramII) January 10, 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram ll was one of the first of Saban’s former players to weigh in on his retirement. The former running back was part of one of Saban’s first recruiting classes at Alabama and played a major role on the Crimson Tide’s 2009 national title team.
I would have been in that portal so fast after I heard Saban retiring lol
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) January 10, 2024 Current Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey played for Saban at Alabama from 2014-16. He took a more lighthearted approach to the news. Saban’s departure opens up a 30-day window for any Alabama player to hit the transfer portal.
Through the battles against each other and through the years watching you, you’ve adapted, grown and won so consistently, leading young men through the highs and lows, wins and losses. pic.twitter.com/6tiSgKGC5g
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) January 11, 2024 It wasn’t just Saban’s former players who paid their respects. Tim Tebow’s Florida Gators clashed twice with Saban’s Tide with both the SEC title and a spot in the national championship game on the line. Tebow got the better of Saban’s team in 2008 with a 31-20 victory over Alabama. The next year, the Crimson Tide returned the favor with a 32-13 win. In both cases, the winner of the contest went on to win the national title.
The 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery has arrived, with the big event set for Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET in between the Utah vs. South Carolina and North Carolina vs. UConn games at the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase. Soon, we’ll learn which lucky team will have the No. 1 overall pick in what is projected to be one of the best classes ever.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, is expected to be the top pick, though there are a number of other talented players in the mix, including UConn guard Paige Bueckers and Stanford center Cameron Brink, just to name a few.
This year, the lottery is made up of the Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm. Due to the league’s policy of using the combined records of the past two seasons to determine lottery odds, the Fever have the best chance of winning the first pick.
As the lottery approaches, here’s a look at which team needs the top pick the most.
Phoenix Mercury The Mercury have been through the wringer the last few years, and an array of injuries and absences finally culminated in the second-worst season in franchise history. They finished in last place at 9-31, had the worst defense in the league by far and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012, ending what was the longest active postseason streak in the league.
Skylar Diggins-Smith, who missed the entirety of the season on maternity leave, is an unrestricted free agent and appears unlikely to return.
“I’ve definitely been working towards trying to have one of my most productive years next year, because I think a lot of times — especially in sports — you’re not encouraged to have kids. And the teams that I played for in the past when I got pregnant didn’t like that,” Diggins-Smith said in an interview with Edition by Modern Luxury in September. “And so I’m looking forward to being somewhere where my family and I are supported and welcomed.”
There’s a good chance Diana Taurasi retires after next season and Brittney Griner, now 33 years old and still recovering from her harrowing ordeal in Russia, is no longer the player she was at her peak. While there are some solid role players around, such as Brianna Turner and Sophie Cunningham, this team desperately needs a young star to carry it into the future.
Seattle Storm Last winter, the Storm’s present and future was upended by Sue Bird’s retirement and Breanna Stewart’s departure in free agency. Everyone expected the Storm to take a step back in the aftermath, but it was far worse than that. Their .275 winning percentage was their worst since their inaugural season when they won just six games, they finished in 11th place and had the second-worst net rating at minus-7.1 points per 100 possessions.
And that was despite a heroic effort by Jewell Loyd, who won her first scoring title by putting up 24.7 points per game — the second-highest mark ever — and played 1,343 of a possible 1,600 minutes. In the rare minutes when she wasn’t on the court, the Storm had an 87.3 offensive rating — the exact same as the 2020 New York Liberty team that went 2-20.
Loyd is one of the best guards in the league and in Seattle through 2025 after inking an extension in September, plus Ezi Magbegor made a huge leap on the offensive end to complement her already elite interior defense. Beyond those two, however, the Storm are woefully thin, especially with Gabby Williams set to stay in Europe this summer.
The No. 1 overall pick would bring a much-needed talent boost.
Indiana Fever The Fever missed out on the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, which is the longest active drought in the league, but they are no longer a laughingstock. They won more games last season (13) than they did in 2021 and 2022 combined (11) and had the fifth-best offense in the league.
That was thanks in large part to last year’s No. 1 pick, Aliyah Boston, who put together one of the best rookie campaigns we’ve ever seen. Her 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game led all rookies, while she shot 57.8% from the field to become the first rookie ever to lead the league in field goal percentage. Along the way, she became the sixth rookie to start the All-Star Game.
Boston gave the Fever a focal point on both ends of the floor, stabilizing a franchise that was flailing in the wind for far too long. That’s not to say they don’t need the No. 1 pick, but between Boston, NaLyssa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell, there’s a bit more talent in Indiana than there is in Seattle.
Los Angeles Sparks The Sparks had incredibly poor luck with injuries last season, and they still nearly snuck into the playoffs before finishing one game behind the Chicago Sky for the eighth and final spot. Long-term, it’s for the best that they missed out, but the Sparks are not a typical lottery team.
Nneka Ogwumike looks rejuvenated and played some of the best basketball of her career last season en route to All-WNBA and All-Defensive Team appearances. Assuming they re-sign Ogwumike and Most Improved Player runner-up Jordin Canada, they’ll have a very solid, veteran-filled roster that also includes Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens. Add in one of the best coaches in the league in Curt Miller, and this team should make the playoffs with even halfway decent health.
Obviously, every team in the lottery could use the No. 1 overall pick, but the Sparks aren’t crying out for help in the same way as some of the other teams in the mix.
The Indiana Fever won the 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, securing the No. 1 overall pick in the highly anticipated 2024 WNBA Draft. Rounding out the lottery is the Los Angeles Sparks at No. 2, the Phoenix Mercury at No. 3 and the Seattle Storm at No. 4. This is the second year in a row in which the Fever have won the lottery.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning Naismith Player of the Year, is the projected first pick, and she has been for some time. After leading the Hawkeyes to their first national championship game in school history last season, Clark is leading the nation in scoring at 29.6 points per game. She’s also fourth in assists at 7.6 and hauling down 6.7 rebounds for good measure.
Here are some key takeaways from the result:
A Boston-Clark partnership? In last season’s Final Four, Caitlin Clark led Iowa to a dramatic upset over Aliyah Boston and South Carolina, ending the Gamecocks’ 42-game winning streak. Now, the last two Naismith Player of the Year award winners are on track to become teammates at the next level.
The Fever won the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history last year, and selected Boston, who went on to win Rookie of the Year in unanimous fashion after a historic campaign. She immediately established herself as the best young center in the league and has all the makings of a franchise player. Clark, with her elite 3-pointer shooting and playmaking ability, is the most talented guard prospect in a number of years, and she would be a perfect backcourt partner for Boston.
After years of bad luck in the lottery and poor decision making by the front office, the odds have finally turned in the Fever’s favor. Thanks to Boston, Indiana won more games last season (13) than it did in 2021 and 2022 combined (11), as the team was already showing signs of being back on the right path.
Adding Clark to the mix would immediately give them the best and most exciting young duo in the league, bringing genuine excitement back to the once-proud franchise.
Lottery system punishes the Storm The WNBA’s lottery system uses the aggregate record of the two previous seasons to determine the odds for the No. 1 overall pick. While a useful tool for combating tanking, the system punishes teams who fall off for other reasons.
That’s just what happened to the Seattle Storm. They were a legitimate title contender in 2022, but then lost Sue Bird to retirement and Breanna Stewart to free agency, and understandably fell off a cliff. Last season Seattle finished in 11th place at 11-29, and it has a long way back to the league’s upper echelon.
The No. 1 pick would have helped, but the Storm never really stood a chance. Their 33-42 record over the past two seasons was the best of the four lottery teams, which gave them the worst odds at 10.40%. To little surprise, they wound up with the No. 4 overall pick.
This is a great draft, and they’ll still wind up with a talented player, but there’s a big difference between picking first and fourth.
Does anyone go back to school? There’s a major wrinkle with this year’s draft due to the extra year of eligibility granted to all players who were active during the COVID-19 pandemic. The so-called “COVID year” means that the majority of this season’s top prospects are eligible to return to school next year, even if they’re currently seniors.
That includes Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, Aaliyah Edwards and Angel Reese. Paige Bueckers could also go back to school, though she’s only a junior after red-shirting in 2022 due to a torn ACL. If any number of these players decide against turning pro, it would alter not only this year’s draft, but next year’s as well.
The Fever, of course, will be crossing their fingers that Clark leaves, but they’ll at least get the first pick regardless of what happens. If a bunch of these players stay in school, it would be a disaster for the Mercury and Storm further down the lottery.
