NBA Rumors: Erik Spoelstra spearheads Heat recruitment campaign with Team USA
Team USA has run out to a commanding 3-0 start in FIBA World Cup competition. While much of the focus has been on the players, more credit should probably be redirected toward the coaches. Steve Kerr, Ty Lue, Mark Few, and Erik Spoelstra — unequivocally some of the best minds in the sport — are combining powers to coach the best collection of talent in the world. It's a powerful mixture.
While Kerr is the leading man on the sideline, a heaping portion of praise has been lobbed at Spo. He appears to be connecting with players from top to bottom, and perhaps helping them understand the unique brilliance of Miami's famed 'Heat Culture.'
As we all know, Team USA is half about competing on the world stage and half about players making new friends to team up with in the future. While the Heat don't have a player representative in the locker room, it would appear that Spoelstra is plenty convincing on his own.
"Man, just intensity and just hard work and defensive and offensive mind, but everything is just so sharp," Mikal Bridges told Rappler when asked about Spoelstra. "It's dope man, just to see it, and coming from Villanova, this kind of that same type of feel."
This comes after Anthony Edwards told reporters he "understands" the hype around 'Heat Culture' in a recent interview. It would appear whatever magic Spoelstra continues to conjure in Miami is seeping into the fabric of the U.S. national team.
Paolo Banchero, who plays right up the road from Spoelstra in Orlando, offered strikingly similar praise: "I would say just energy every day, consistent energy, intensity as a coach. "He's always live. He's always ready — locked in. And you can see why he's such an elite coach and why he has been for a long time."
NBA Rumors: Kings emerge as suitor for JaVale McGee
The Sacramento Kings are interested in signing three-time NBA champ JaVale McGee once he clears waivers, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. The interest comes after McGee's contract was waived and stretched by the Dallas Mavericks.
McGee appeared in 42 games (seven starts) for the Mavs last season, averaging 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.5 minutes. He began the season is a prominent role but was quickly relegated to bench-warming duties as the likes of Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber took priority.
Now 35 years old, it is more than fair to question how much McGee has left in the tank. The Mavs' frontcourt was notoriously poor last season and he still couldn't remotely earn consistent minutes. Dallas spent all summer canvassing the league for solutions to the lack of rim protection at center. McGee, on paper, is the exact rim protector and lob threat Dallas requires. He's simply not able to play at the level needed to positively influence winning.
That said, we have seen players return from the brink of retirement and put together strong seasons late in their career. Perhaps a change of scenery is all McGee needs. The Kings lost Chimezie Metu in free agency and traded Richaun Holmes to, well, Dallas. That opens up a few minutes at center.
Domantas Sabonis will continue to consume the lion's share of those minutes, but in theory, McGee could scrap his way to a situational role. He would start the season behind Alex Len and Nerlens Noel on the depth chart, however, so even the Kings are unlikely to offer a return to the workload of seasons past.
NBA Rumors: Even after 76ers exit, Ben Simmons loves Philadelphia
Ben Simmons' exit from the Philadelphia 76ers was the NBA equivalent of a messy divorce. Everyone around them could see it coming for a while, but it combusted all at once when the No. 1 seed Sixers lost to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Simmons famously choked in Game 7, with his wide open below-the-rim pass to Matisse Thybulle standing as a pillar of franchise lore. After the game, Doc Rivers said "I don't know" when asked if Simmons was the point guard for a championship team. From there, it all went to stink, with Simmons deciding to hold out for the 2021-22 season and citing mental health concerns as the basis for his refusal to play.
In hindsight, it's clear Simmons was in fact dealing with mental health hurdles and the psychological fallout of a difficult playoff run. He also dealt with constant back issues. Both problems lingered into his first full season with the Nets, during which Simmons appeared gun shy and half-speed. The Philly faithful were extremely harsh toward Simmons, which is true to form, and that relationship feels irrevocably broken.
In a recent conversation with NBA insider Marc Spears, Simmons opened up about his experience in Philadelphia. One might expect Simmons to criticize the fanbase and hand-waive the city, but no. Looking back at it, Simmons maintains a deep appreciation for Philly and his experience with the franchise.
"I had a lot of fun there," he told Andscape. "It was time for me to go. When I did leave, it was good timing. Obviously, the injury and everything that was going on didn't help. But I think it gave me a chance to really appreciate it. I'll always have love for Philly. People always ask me like, 'If you were to get traded again where you want it to be?' I always say, 'Just Philly. Philly is a second home to me.' And in time, you learn and grow as people. I don't really have anything bad to say about Philly. It was a crazy situation at the end, but it is what it is."
Simmons has felt nothing but torrential vitriol from the Sixers fanbase. For him to take that heat and still dub Philadelphia a second home says a lot about the city and its unique atmosphere, but it also says a lot about Simmons as a person. As he says — we all learn and grow as people.
It's too early to tell if Simmons can return to his All-Star form, but the Nets will certainly bank on improvement from their max contract point guard. Simmons is the healthiest he has been in a long time and could be due for a renaissance after two bumpy years.
