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Hoops Rumors Live Chat: 4/15/25
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ARTHUR HILL
11:00
Welcome to this week's chat. We'll start with a question on the Warriors.
Lefty
11:01
Is Kuminga that bad or just not considered a fit at Golden State? You'd think that a small, not overly athletic team could have used him vs the Clippers Sunday.
ARTHUR HILL
11:09
Steve Kerr said over the weekend that he hasn't given up on a front line with Kuminga, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler, but he didn't use Kuminga at all on Sunday in the most important game of the season. I agree with your statement that Kuminga could have provided some much-needed size and athleticism against L.A. Kuminga's issues with playing time seemed to be over before his injury, but the trade for Butler has clouded his future with the team again. He only shoots about 30% from three-point range, so it's hard to play him alongside Green or Butler, who also aren't consistent outside threats. This winter, it looked like Kuminga was a sure bet to stay with the Warriors as a restricted free agent, now it seems like somebody could pry him away with a generous offer.
JD
11:10
Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse are both coming back? So no one's gonna be held accountable for this season in Philly? Just run it back and hope for better injury luck?
ARTHUR HILL
11:19
It looks like the Sixers are willing to write off this season as an anomaly and hope things will turn out differently when everybody shows up healthy for training camp. The 24-48 record was more a result of bad planning than bad coaching, so if anyone should have been fired, it would have been Morey. He took the gamble on Paul George as a free agent and gave a huge extension to Joel Embiid despite obvious signs since last spring that his knee wasn't fully healed. Morey also filled out the roster with veteran additions who weren't built to last a full season. Nurse did the best he could with the hand he was dealt, but he didn't have a competitive team most nights due to the injuries. Morey and Nurse will both be back next season, but they'll be on borrowed time if things don't turn around quickly.
Nuggets
11:19
So... the timing was weird, but Denver is 3-0 since firing Malone and Booth. Could that end up actually being the right call?
ARTHUR HILL
11:27
Ownership had clearly grown tired of the ongoing feud between coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth and decided to act now since they were both likely on the way out after the Nuggets' playoff run ended. It's an unconventional move to make those kind of changes with a week left in the season, but it seems to have lightened the atmosphere. There were multiple reports that Malone wasn't getting through to the players anymore, and the rotation changes that Adelman has brought have been effective. The Nuggets were likely headed toward a first-round loss if Malone had stayed, so there wasn't much risk in replacing him. Now Adelman has a chance to earn the job in a high-stakes situation. Give credit to the Kroenkes for thinking outside the box.
Guest
11:27
As a Pelicans fan, reassure me that I shouldn't be dreading the idea of the guy who drafted Darko Milicic making a top-5 pick for us this June?
ARTHUR HILL
11:39
The Milicic pick is the biggest mistake on Dumars' record as an executive in Detroit -- and it's still hard to explain two decades later -- but he also made plenty of good decisions. He compiled the Pistons roster that won a championship in 2004 and reached the Eastern Finals for six straight years. The biggest concern I have about Dumars is his lack of success since that Detroit team began to decline. The latter part of his record with the Pistons wasn't successful, and neither was his time in Sacramento. He has been working in the league office for the past three years, and there's nothing in his recent track record to suggest that he's the guy who should be running your franchise. That's especially true for the Pelicans, who face huge decisions regarding the draft and the future of Zion Williamson. Dumars seems like an odd hire when there are plenty of qualified candidates available.
Mike Budenholzer
11:39
Will I ever get another NBA head coaching job?
ARTHUR HILL
11:48
Budenholzer has an impressive resume with an NBA title and two Coach of the Year awards, but he's also been fired twice in the last three years. He's the latest victim of the revolving door of coaches in Phoenix, but it's hard to argue that he should have been retained after this year's disaster. Owner Mat Ishbia brought a lot of the problems on himself by spending big on an ill-fitting roster, but Budenholzer didn't maximize the talent he had available and he reportedly had a tense relationship with Devin Booker, who the organization plans to rebuild around. Like Monty Williams last year, Budenholzer will be well paid for one terrible season. He still has four years left on the $50MM contract he signed last May, so there's no urgency for him to get back into coaching. He's only 55 and he might eventually get another chance, but it's going to take a while for the memory of his time in Phoenix to wear off.
Greg
11:48
Kings, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Suns: Which coaching job is the most and least appealing?
ARTHUR HILL
12:00
Nikola Jokic automatically provides a chance to compete for a title, so Denver has to be the best available job. The roster needs some tinkering after free agent departures the last two summers, but working with an all-time great like Jokic is a coach's dream. I'd put the Grizzlies second because there's a solid base of talent already in place. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane are all entering their prime seasons, and the organization is very good at finding young players through the draft and free agency. The Kings are third, although the future is muddled after the De'Aaron Fox trade. There's a limited ceiling to the DeMar DeRozen-Zach LaVine combo, and there are too many good teams in the West to view Sacramento as a contender. The worst job is obviously in Phoenix, where you have an impatient owner and a roster that's likely to be blown up this summer. The only upside is that you might emulate Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer and get a huge paycheck for one year of work.
12:01
Thanks for all the great questions. We'll talk again next Tuesday.
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