Category: Sports

As a first-time head coach of an NBA franchise, Darvin Ham has been tasked with taking over a proud franchise in the Los Angeles Lakers and transforming it back into the title contender they have traditionally been.

One major factor in helping the Lakers undergo a massive turnaround next season will be what Ham intends to do with Russell Westbrook at point guard. The triple-double king is coming off an up and down season where he absorbed a lot of blame for the Lakers’ regular-season struggles and their tumble down the Western Conference standings.

Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game on 44.4 percent shooting from the field and a 29.8 percent shooting from three-point range.

Heading into this next season, Ham said he plans to deploy Westbrook as the starting point guard of the Lakers. Ham also told Marc J. Spears of Andscape a little bit about his plans to use Westbrook, remaining mum on specific details but said that criticism of Westrbook and counting him out at 33-years-old would be “premature”.

“Counted out prematurely. Counted out. Prematurely.” Ham said about the disapproval the 2017 MVP received last year. “I’ve had some great interactions with Russ, in person, over dinner, over the phone, over text messages. I love Russell Westbrook, man. Just his mentality, his approach. Just to see him, a guy of that magnitude and everything he’s done in the league to get hated on.”

But being me, I got a wholehearted plan, a clear plan on how I’m going to use him. I showed it to him, sat down, brought stuff up for him. I think he’s going to flourish. We ain’t going to try to curtail his energy. We’re just going to diversify it, redirect it.

Ham also spoke about his thoughts about LeBron James and Anthony Davis, calling James “one of one” and a “rare commodity.” When AD came up, Ham called the 29-year-old forward the “biggest factor” and said he’s looking forward to The Brow “having a huge year this year.”

When it comes to championship expectations for next year, Ham says that he plans on building “winning habits” daily and will be “preaching daily preparation” to the Lakers daily. He also said that he will also be making sure to achieve a balance during the tough days of the regualr season. If they go on a three-game losing streak, Ham will take the team out and them “check out the African American museum” instead of conducting a “kick-ass practice”.

The details of the plans could all sound pretty good to the Lakers roster and their fans. Ham will have a different cache with the Lakers roster as a former player. As a first-time head coach of an older roster headline by James, Davis, and Westbrook, putting the ideas into reality will be a different story.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, Vice president Rob Pelinka, and James will have to put their faith in Ham to be the solution they need to regain relevancy.

The Utah Jazz’s offseason has been anything but quiet this summer.

The dispatch of Rudy Gobert to Minnesota has led to speculation around the future of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, according to Tim Daniels of Bleacher Report.

However, Utah has come out expressing its unwillingness to trade Mitchell following the Gobert deal. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has also confirmed that Mitchell will not force anything.

“On Mitchell’s side, he’s going to stand pat,” Windhorst said. “He’s not going to force any action right now.”

Since 2016-17, the Utah Jazz has not been able to progress in the playoffs past the second round. They have already hired a new coach in Will Hardy and sent Gobert away in a pivotal deal bringing back four first-rounders (three that have no protections at all) and four new players.

The team wants to hold onto Mitchell and retool around the multi-time All-Star.

Sabrina Ionescu recorded the best stat line of her career when she dropped a 31-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in Wednesday’s 116-107 win against the Las Vegas Aces. Ionescu’s performance tied her with Candace Parker for the most triple-doubles in a WNBA career after becoming the first WNBA history player to record a 30-point triple-double.

At just 24-years-old, Ionescu has already recorded three career triple-doubles. She also joins Parker as the only player to have multiple triple-doubles in the same season.

The Liberty snapped a two-game losing streak thanks to Ionescu’s brilliance, and the team’s 116 points are the most in franchise history. The wild back-and-forth contest saw the Liberty and Aces score a W-record 223 combined points. New York and Las Vegas combined to make a League-record 31 three-pointers, with the Liberty hitting 18 shots from beyond the arc. 

Ionescu also made history as she became the first player in WNBA history to record a triple-double without committing a single turnover.

“I was just really trying to take care of the ball, I thought that was really important,” Ionescu said after the game, per ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel. “As a point guard and the primary ball-handler, just wanting to continue to work on that part of the game.

She also shot a career-high 7-of-8 from three and an efficient 10-of-13 from the field.

“I’m just trying to be the best that I can every time I step out on the floor. It’s me versus me. I’m trying to get better and continue to learn from all the situations that I’ve been put in.”

After a 1-7 start to the season, New York is now 9-12 and within a half a game of the playoffs. The Liberty has a Thursday night road game against the Phoenix Mercury to end the first half of the season.

Ionescu will represent New York on Sunday as an All-Star starter for Team Wilson, led by Aces star A’ja Wilson.

Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling during the second day of her trial, but Griner told the judge that she had done so unintentionally, according to Reuters.

“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner said, according to Reuters.

“I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare,”

This was Griner’s second court appearance since her trial began last Friday. Griner has been detained in Russia since February after authorities allegedly found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. If convicted, Griner could face up to ten years in prison for large-scale transportation of drugs. 

The White House said President Joe Biden called Griner’s wife on Wednesday to assure her he’s doing all he can to get BG released. Biden and Griner’s wife spoke after Biden read a handwritten letter from Griner. The eight-time All-Star wrote that she fears she won’t return home.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned Thursday that “attempts by the American side to make noise in the public — don’t help the practical settlement of issues.”

Griner pleading guilty is not expected to end her trial; the judge will continue to read the entire case into the record, which can go on for a few weeks or even months. Reports say the guilty plea was a strategy to help facilitate a prisoner swap that could bring BG home. 

Griner’s lawyer told reporters they hope for the most lenient sentencing possible.

The next court hearing is scheduled for July 14.

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Zion Williamson celebrated his birthday in a unique and humbling fashion as he signed his max extension on Wednesday at the Dryades YMCA in New Orleans. The local Y is where the former Dukie and his stepfather have been running summer basketball camps.

At 22-years-old, Williamson will come into his fourth NBA season with a lot to prove after missing all of last season with a broken foot. Injuries have hampered the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft during his few years in the League. When healthy, Williamson has been an All-Star and one of the best young talents amongst the new generation attempting to take over as the old heads like LeBron James and Stephen Curry advance in age.

“I want to prove that I’m a winner. Simple as that. I want to win with coach. I want to win with my teammates. The ultimate goal is to win a championship,” he said per FoxNews. “I feel like that’s what we’re all striving for. Like [Pelicans GM David Griffin] said, we’re hungry. Y’all saw this past year what the team did. I’m just excited to add to that.”

After he signed his deal, Williamson said that he wanted to prove he was a “winner” and that he wanted to do it in New Orleans. He also thanked the Pelicans organization for betting and believing in him during a tumultuous season when many outside New Orleans questioned his durability and constantly raised the notion that Williamson wanted to leave for greener pasture.

“Thank y’all for really sticking with me the past year. It was a tough year, and then for the Pelicans to come give this birthday gift, I’m not going to let ’em down. I’m not going to let the city down, I’m not going to let my family down, and most of all, I’m not going to let myself down,” he said.

Above all, and as aforementioned, Williamson seems to be locked in with the Pelicans and has made it publicly clear that he wants to maximize his opportunities with the only franchise he’s ever known. The most important thing to take away is that Williamson will be with the Pelicans until 2028, when he’s 28-years-old.

“The last few months were a roller-coaster of emotions. The world just ran with narratives, and so when my family was going out in public, they’re getting harassed by people about why we don’t like New Orleans or why we don’t want to be here when that’s not the case at all,” he said.

“I wasn’t able to play because my foot was broke. Every time I checked my phone, it’s always something negative. Even when you’re trying to make positive of the situation, it was very tough.”

Through the 85 games Williamson has played, he has averaged 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. The last time he was healthy., Williamson averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game on 61.1 percent shooting from the field during his first All-Star campaign.