NBA Rumors and News | HoopsHype (2024)

Adrian Wojnarowski: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame forward Chet Walker — a seven-time All-Star and a member of the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor — has passed away at 84, per @TheNBPA. Walker won an NBA championship with Philadelphia in 1967 and was a two-time All-American at Bradley. pic.twitter.com/sv1ct73YAK

– via Twitter wojespn

When Lively returned to the Mavericks’ locker room Thursday night, his phone had already been pinged by former Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler. Reminders to keep his head down, to stick to the grind. “Text messages,” Lively said. “I suck at phone calls.”

– via Yahoo! Sports

While the Mavericks spend the weekend in Boston, Chandler has still offered counsel to his pupil from afar. “All he’s telling me to do is the little things, no matter if that’s hitting them on the box-out or being able to talk to my teammates on the backside,” Lively said. “Just doing the little things so that everybody is connected on the court, so we’re not leaving anybody behind.”

– via Yahoo! Sports

Kristaps Porzingis returned in a big way during Game 1 of the #NBAFinals

Mavericks guard, Jaden Hardy, told @TermineRadio and @GregAnthony50 how they plan on stopping Porzingis in Game 2

Hear the best NBA Finals coverage right here on NBA Radio https://t.co/PSIih68yhw pic.twitter.com/vB7J4FdLtf

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 8, 2024

– via Twitter SiriusXMNBA

Last week, Irving admitted he “wasn’t his best self” during his time with the Celtics. On Saturday, he took accountability for the shortcomings in his career, Boston included, more explicitly than he has before. “I failed miserably, while also not knowing how to compartmentalize or accept the emotions that come with failure,” Irving said. “And also being on the successful side, (I) didn’t know how to handle that either.”

– via New York Times

“I think we’ve pretty much put it to bed (this idea) that a lot of my (former) teammates hate me,” Irving said Monday. “I don’t know what was being shared intimately with some of the media personnel that were reporting over the past few years (when) I first left Boston. But I’ve embraced all of those guys.”

– via New York Times

But as time went on and they worked together on the NBPA board on several issues, Brown started to become an ally for Irving when the then-Brooklyn Nets guard was suspended eight games, in part for posting a link to an anti-Semitic documentary. “It’s life. In life, things happen. People learn, grow and move on,” Brown told The Athletic. “It’s a part of the journey that we’re all on. I’m not perfect and neither are none of these guys and neither are you. We all go through stuff and he was going through stuff while he was here. Now he seems to be in a better place.”

– via New York Times

“I don’t know if there’s much of a relationship, but there is a mutual respect,” Horford told The Athletic. “Things happen in life and obviously things didn’t work out here how we wanted it. But it’s already been a few years, and in my eyes, I’m already looking past it. We’ve been over it. I feel like he’s over it, I feel like I’m over it and we’re looking to the next chapter.”

– via New York Times

So how do they rectify the corner three-point shortage? “Just get into the paint and collapse the defense,” said P.J. Washington, who is one of the corner flingers the Mavericks rely on the most, along with Derrick Jones Jr. and Josh Green. “Maybe get them in transition, run better. Just be aggressive into the paint and we feel like those shots will come.

– via mavs.com

“Yeah, I thought we were too much one-on-one,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ve got to move bodies. We’ve got to move the ball. Multiple guys have to touch the ball. We were just too stagnant, and that’s not the way we play. We’ve got to be better tomorrow.”

– via mavs.com