Tag: NBA

Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver suspended by NBA for a single 12 months, fined $10 million

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The NBA on Tuesday introduced a one-yr suspension and $10 million good of Phoenix Suns and Mercury operator Robert Sarver adhering to a lengthy impartial investigation into office misconduct allegations.

Sarver will operate with the NBA to appoint an interim governor to oversee the Suns in his absence, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes stories.

The league launched the investigation into Sarver adhering to a November 2021 article published by Holmes, whose interviews with a lot more than 70 latest and former Suns personnel disclosed a background of alleged “racially insensitive language,” “misogynistic” conduct and other hostile workplace misconduct.

The regulation firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz was commissioned to perform the investigation. Led by associates David Anders and Sarah Eddy, the investigation showcased 320 interviews and the evaluation of far more than 80,000 “documents and other resources, including email messages, text messages and videos.” The firm’s results formulated a 43-site report that was built community in coordination with the NBA’s information launch.

The investigation revealed the subsequent critical conclusions, as laid out in the report:

  • Sarver mentioned the N-term at least five moments in repeating or purporting to repeat what a Black particular person said — 4 of individuals immediately after currently being advised by Black and white subordinates that he really should not use the term, even in repetition of a different.

  • Sarver utilised language and engaged in carry out demeaning of feminine staff members. Among the other illustrations, he advised a pregnant employee that she would be not able to do her task on getting to be a mother berated a feminine personnel in entrance of other individuals and then commented that gals cry too a great deal and arranged an all-feminine lunch so that woman staff members at Western Alliance Bank, the place at the time he

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2022 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams: Celtics put on masterclass; Lakers underwhelm; 76ers earn ‘A’

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The 2022 NBA offseason has been like a furious game of “Red Light, Green Light,” with only slightly less dire consequences than “Squid Game” (hey, remember Squid Game?). It began with a flurry of moves in the first couple days of free agency, then a long cool-off period during which we were promised a holding pattern while the Brooklyn Nets contemplated what to do about Kevin Durant’s trade request.

Then, boom, suddenly the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks are reportedly discussing a Donovan Mitchell trade. After that, Deandre Ayton signs a max offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers only to have it matched within minutes by the Phoenix Suns. Man, time for a deep breath.

A good way to take a step back is to look at every team’s offseason in its entirety. Including the draft, trades and free agency, who’s in and who’s out on all 30 NBA teams? It’s not easy to keep straight, but thanks to the folks over at NBA.com for their handy list. It also took some extra research to add all the deals that have reportedly been agreed upon but aren’t yet official.

And just because we can, we decided to throw in some offseason grades — with the obvious caveat that no evaluation is set in stone with so many free agent signings and potentially gargantuan trades still on the horizon. Hopefully this gets published before the light turns green again.

Who’s in:

Who’s out:

Just a year after a surprising run to the conference finals that catapulted the Hawks into young contender status, they mortgaged their future by

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2022 NBA Finals: Will Draymond Green be why the Warriors win another title, or why they’ll wilt?

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BOSTON — Draymond Green is many fascinating things on and off the court, all of which combine into a potent mix capable of supercharging a championship team or making it so combustible that it can wreck those ambitions from the inside.

Green is a future Hall of Famer. An all-time great defensive player. A funny, candid, thoughtful voice on hoops, and its intersection with things much more important. A provocateur. A broadcaster and podcaster who’s effectively live streaming his own career and his team’s pursuit of basketball immortality. A bold — sometimes rash — competitor. A clutch closer who can also careen into self-destruction. A guy who loves calling out others, yet will bristle at even minor criticism.

Green has been one of the key touchstones to the Warriors greatest achievements, and to their most bitter disappointments.

That may be more true today than at any other point in his career, especially with his Golden State Warriors tied heading into Wednesday’s Game 3 of their NBA Finals series with the Boston Celtics.

Effective Draymond is a world-class winner, a player whose individual basketball impact and overall influence on his team are key to the Warriors greatness. Golden State has never lost a seven-game playoff series in which Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have started each game.

The need for Green to be great, and available, feels even starker now, with Thompson looking diminished and Green’s own output in Games 1 and 2 directly connected to his team’s respective loss and win so for far against Boston.

Take Game 2: Green’s defense on Jaylen Brown helped turn off the Boston star’s hot start, which was key in short circuiting a Celtics team that had been looking to put the series away early. Green’s mind games can also prove critical,

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NBA Finals: Warriors overwhelmed by Celtics’ athletic physicality in Game 3, and things will only get tougher

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The game was already well in hand when it happened, but there was still injury to be added to insult. Stephen Curry, who had suffered a foot injury just plays earlier, attempted to defend Marcus Smart on a drive with just over two minutes remaining. Smart, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound amalgamation of muscle, grit and determination, delivered a compact elbow to Curry’s midsection, causing the two-time MVP to limp painfully to the bench as he checked out for the final time.

Resignation? Perhaps not. But surely acquiescence … at least for one night.

The Boston Celtics took a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals on Wednesday with a 116-100 Game 3 win, and it’s not one that the Golden State Warriors will soon forget. They’ll have plenty of time to think about it while soaking in the ice tub and getting full-body massages, trying to prevent bruising and inflammation from the punishment the Celtics relentlessly delivered throughout the evening.

“Game 2, they brought the heat to us. For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit,” Smart said after the Game 3 win. ” We just wanted to come out, and if we were going to come out here and play, the last thing when we left that court we didn’t want to say we weren’t physical enough.”

Boston executed on its clear intention of getting to the rim early and often, outscoring the Warriors 52-26 in the paint for the game. The Celtics also displayed their force on the offensive glass, edging the Warriors 15-6, which led to a 22-11 advantage in second-chance points.

A trademark Curry heater made things close in the

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2022 NBA Mock Draft: Magic take Chet Holmgren at No. 1 in first projection after Orlando wins lottery

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Gonzaga

• Fr

• 7’0″

/ 195 lbs

Projected Team

Orlando
PROSPECT RNK

2nd

POSITION RNK

1st

PPG

14.1

RPG

9.9

APG

1.9

3P%

39%

I understand the concerns about Holmgren’s slight frame — but he’s such a unique talent that I’d be uncomfortable passing on a 7-foot legitimate rim-protector who can also bounce it like a guard and reliably make 3-pointers. He’s the most talented prospect in this draft and should be selected as such.

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Duke

• Fr

• 6’10”

/ 250 lbs

PPG

17.2

RPG

7.8

APG

3.2

3P%

33.8%

Banchero is probably the safest option at the top of this draft. He’s a big, strong and skilled forward who could be an incredible building block in Oklahoma City alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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Auburn

• Fr

• 6’10”

/ 220 lbs

Projected Team

Houston
PROSPECT RNK

4th

POSITION RNK

2nd

PPG

16.9

RPG

7.4

APG

2

3P%

42%

Smith still needs to develop in lots of ways but he’s already a great shooter and switchable defender who plays with great energy. If he doesn’t go first or second — and he obviously could — the Rockets will be thrilled to snag him with the third pick in this draft.

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Purdue

• Soph

• 6’4″

/ 195 lbs

Projected Team

Sacramento
PROSPECT RNK

1st

POSITION RNK

1st

PPG

17.3

RPG

4.9

APG

3.1

3P%

35.8%

Ivey is an explosive athlete who plays big and is capable of attacking the rim in a variety of ways. As the Kings continue to build, the Purdue star would be a great option at this point in the draft in part because he could reasonably play beside DeAaron Fox.

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Iowa

• Soph

• 6’8″

/ 225 lbs

Projected Team

Detroit
PROSPECT RNK

8th

POSITION RNK

3rd

PPG

23.5

RPG

8.7

APG

1.5

3P%

39.8%

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2022 NBA playoff picture: Mavericks clinch top-four seed; Celtics vs. Bucks for No. 2 seed on Thursday

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The Brooklyn Nets rallied past the New York Knicks on Wednesday and continue to control their own destiny for the No. 7 seed. The Nets trail the Cleveland Cavaliers, the current No. 7 seed, by one game and they play each other on Friday. If Brooklyn wins, it would also secure the tiebreaker. 

Also in the East, the 2-seed Boston Celtics hit the 50-win mark and remain tied in the loss column with No. 3 Milwaukee and No. 4 Philadelphia. The Celtics play the Bucks on Thursday in a game that will go a long way in sussing out this three-team logjam. 

We’re going to be keeping close tabs on the playoff race with daily updates the rest of the way. Below is where things stand entering play on Thursday, April 7.

NOTE: Our SportsLine model, developed by predictive data engineer Stephen Oh, simulates the entire season 10,000 times and is constantly updating to reflect changing circumstances to produce the most unbiased and precise projections imaginable

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Phoenix has clinched the No. 1 overall seed. 

  • Current first-round matchup: TBD (play-in results)  

The Grizzlies have clinched the No. 2 seed. 

The Warriors remain one game up on No. 4 Dallas in the loss column with three to play. Golden State has clinched a top-four seed. 

  • Projected seed: 3
  • Current first-round matchup: Nuggets
  • Tiebreaker vs. No. 4 Mavericks: Dallas has clinched with 3-1 head-to-head advantage

4. Dallas Mavericks 

The Mavericks clinched a top-four seed with their win over Detroit on Wednesday. Dallas is one game back of No. 3 Golden State in the loss column with two to play, and

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