The Rockets lead the way in our rankings of the most analytical NBA teams when it comes to the draft, but it's the Spurs, and general manager R.C. Buford, whose makeup has had a ripple effect throughout the league.
Anfernee Simons, named by his parents after Penny Hardaway, worked out for the Lakers today and is eager to show teams that he is NBA-ready despite skipping one year of college for the IMG Prep Academy. The 6-4 guard averaged 22.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and shot 45% from 3 for the post-grad team and he turns 19 on June 8. Simons — who has worked out for Chicago, Phoenix and Portland and has visits scheduled with Utah, Orlando, the Knicks, Philadelphia and Milwaukee — said he made an impression on Lakers president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka. "They said you played really well and they were impressed by me coming in being so young and playing like I'm older than everybody else," Simons said.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says there have been no discussions about changing the rules for Rookie of the Year, as debate continues over 2016 No. 1 pick Ben Simmons' eligibility for the award.
Brian Windhorst, Jackie MacMullan, Andrew Han and Tim MacMahon try to figure out the wild story of 76ers GM Bryan Colangelo allegedly using Twitter accounts to leak info (4:30), if there are realistic due process options (19:00) and speculating on the nature of how this alleged scandal came to light (30:30) and the best player of the postseason so far (47:00).
Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, both finalists for Defensive Player of the Year, led the voting for the NBA's All-Defensive team.
Rudy Gobert will earn $500K for being named All-Defensive First Team. The bonus was factored in as a likely achievement towards his salary based on reaching the incentive in 2016-17. The Gobert cap hit for 2018-19 will be $23.24M.
Philadelphia's Ben Simmons and Utah's Donovan Mitchell are unanimous selections to the NBA's All-Rookie team.
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said after Game 2 that the Celtics are "gooning the game up." Several Boston players brushed off the remark and said they are just playing hard.
From 34-year-old Thabo Sefolosha's perspective, from both the sidelines and on court, watching 21-year-old rookie Donovan Mitchell shine was invigorating.
The crew discusses Chris Paul's big game over the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell's injury and David Fizdale shares some of his past experiences and what he's bringing to the Knicks.
Utah ran into problems against Houston, but the Jazz have put themselves on a winning trajectory by virtue of an underrated franchise center, a savvy coach and a rookie star. Will it ever be enough to challenge the West elite?
Donovan Mitchell on the Jazz: "This is just the beginning. We've got a lot more in us. We'll be back here."
Chris Paul doesn't feel like any weight is off his shoulders after reaching his first conference finals. "Not at all. Who plays just for that?" he told ESPN. "We've got eight more wins to get. I don't know what it's supposed to feel like, but we've still got a lot of work to do."
Donovan Mitchell's rookie year ends with a little more advice from mentor Chris Paul.
Donovan Mitchell on his injury: "It was similar to what happened in Game 1 vs. OKC, pretty much the same thing."
Chris Paul scored a playoff career-high 41 points with eight 3-pointers and the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 112-102 in Game 5 on Tuesday night to advance to the Western Conference finals.
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 49 | 33 | .598 | - | W1 |
| Oklahoma City | 48 | 34 | .585 | 1 | W3 |
| Utah | 48 | 34 | .585 | 1 | L1 |
| Minnesota | 47 | 35 | .573 | 2 | W3 |
| Denver | 46 | 36 | .561 | 3 | L1 |
| YEAR | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 48 | 34 | .585 |
| 2016-17 | 51 | 31 | .622 |
| 2015-16 | 40 | 42 | .488 |
| 2014-15 | 38 | 44 | .463 |
| 2013-14 | 25 | 57 | .305 |
