University of Michigan coach Juwan Howard recently declined a Los Angeles Lakers overture for the franchise’s coaching job, electing to remain at his alma mater, where Howard will coach his two sons next season, sources told ESPN.

The Lakers have a formal search process in place, but courting college coaches typically requires a different level of discretion. The Lakers have a finalist list of Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, sources said. The Lakers are expected to conduct in-person interviews in the near future.

The Lakers never made a formal offer to Howard, sources said, but it’s clear that if he had expressed an interest in the job, his candidacy would’ve moved quickly to that stage. While Howard has a playing history with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and star LeBron James, he has consistently maintained he plans to remain in Ann Arbor, where his sons Jace and Jett will be a junior and freshman, respectively, next season.

Howard interviewed for the Los Angeles job as a Miami Heat assistant coach in 2019, before accepting the head-coaching job at Michigan. Howard’s success in the college ranks — along with his r?sum? as a six-year Heat assistant and a two-time NBA champion as a player — has inspired significant interest in him among NBA teams.

Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens was interested in Howard for his coaching opening a year ago, but Howard declined that overture too, sources said. The Celtics hired Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka.

Like Howard, Ham is another ex-player with strong leadership, presence, winning experience and tactical understanding from past work with high-level head coaches. Ham is also a strong candidate for the Charlotte Hornets‘ head-coach opening, sources said. Ham worked with Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak as a Lakers assistant coach a decade ago.

Stotts and Atkinson both bring with them previous NBA head-coaching experience.

Stotts most recently coached the Blazers from 2012 to 2021 and reached the playoffs in his final eight consecutive seasons on the job — including two trips to the Western Conference semifinals and a berth in the conference finals in 2019. He is known for his offensive creativity and an ability to build relationships with his star players.

Atkinson built a reputation for player development as both an assistant and head coach in the NBA. He spent three-plus years as head coach of the Nets, whom he led to a playoff appearance in his third season in 2018-19.

Howard is 93-61 in three seasons at Michigan and was named national coach of the year in 2021. His time with the Wolverines has included top-five poll rankings in all three years, a Big Ten regular-season title and two trips to the NCAA tournament.

Read More

DALLAS — The Mavericks were fined $100,000 for “continuing to violate league rules regarding team bench decorum,” the NBA announced Sunday.

It is the third time the Mavericks have been fined for bench-decorum violations this postseason. The fines have totaled $175,000, doubling on each occasion.

The statement from the league office cites multiple occasions in the Mavs’ Game 2 loss to the Golden State Warriors that “several players and a member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period in the Mavericks’ team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the playing court during game action.”

1 Related

The Mavs were assessed fines for similar infractions after a Game 2 loss and a Game 7 win against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals. The Mavs made it clear at the time that they had no intention of toning down the enthusiasm from two-way player Theo Pinson, injured guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and the rest of the bench.

“The league is worried about the wrong thing,” Kidd said after the first fine was assessed. “You have millionaires cheering on other millionaires. Doesn’t happen in this society. And the enthusiasm of the game, for a teammate to cheer on another teammate is special. And I think sometimes we’re focused on the wrong thing. And so when you look at people who make a lot of money cheering on their teammates or their employees, that’s what sport is all about. And so for us to get fined, that’s cool. It’s going to another good cause, charity. But again, we’re looking at the wrong thing.”

On one occasion in Game 2, the Mavs’ reserves being on their feet impacted the game. The Warriors committed a turnover when Stephen Curry mistakenly passed the ball to Pinson, who was standing and wearing a shirt that was white, the same color as Golden State’s uniform.

“I don’t mind as long as it doesn’t interfere with the game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on Saturday. “I don’t mind it. I love the fact that Dallas’ bench is energetic and talking trash and into it. I think that’s what fans want to see. They want to see a team that cares and they want to see energy and chemistry. So I love it, but when it interferes with the game, that’s when it crosses the line.

“So that’s the only thing I’m concerned with, if there is a play that … if there’s a person on the court, person who is standing up calling for the ball, that’s a little too much. But otherwise, I really enjoy it. I think it’s great.”

Read More

Now that the Chicago Bulls are into full-on offseason mode, so are the fans. The biggest question regarding this team’s immediate future?

Zach LaVine and his impending free agency tour.

Read More

Chicago Bears fans are usually all over the map with their opinions. One thing, above all else though, is true: they’re typically passionate and convicted opinions.

Whether it was about good Jay or bad Jay (Cutler), Rex Grossman being the reason the Bears lost their Super Bowl 15 years ago or even recently with Mitchell Trubisky’s development, the takes and opinions are always up for debate amongst Bears nation.

Read More

Just as it was four years ago, this is the summer of Zach LaVine for the Chicago Bulls. Except, four years ago, LaVine was no where the level of star he is now.

Going into this offseason, LaVine is now set to enter unrestricted free agency. Back in 2018, he was a restricted free agent. Thus, when he received an offer from the Sacramento Kings, the Bulls were able to match it, keeping him in Chicago.

Read More

The Chicago White Sox have a lot of talent on that baseball field. Unfortunately, they don’t have any chance to win something of significance as long as Tony La Russa is their manager. He is slowly but surely killing this team.

They are currently in the middle of a series with the New York Yankees who could claim that they are the best team in Major League Baseball right now. That is a team that makes their lineups the right way no matter what.

Read More

Read More

A heated afternoon on the field continued off it afterward, with Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson taking offense to being called “Jackie” by the New York Yankees‘ Josh Donaldson, a comment deemed “racist” by manager Tony La Russa.

Donaldson admitted after the game to calling Anderson “Jackie” — a nod to Jackie Robinson — in the first inning. He apologized, saying he meant no disrespect. However, Anderson, who is Black, said after the game that he took offense to the comment.

“He just made a disrespectful comment,” Anderson said. “Basically he was trying to call me Jackie Robinson. ‘What’s up, Jackie?’ I don’t play like that. I don’t really play at all. I wasn’t really going to bother nobody today, but he made the comment and you know it was disrespectful and I don’t think it was called for. It was unnecessary.”

Donaldson, who is white, said the “Jackie” comment was in reference to a 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated in which Anderson described himself as feeling like “today’s Jackie Robinson” in how he’s “getting to a point where I need to change the game.”

Donaldson on Saturday said it was a reference about which he’s “joked around” with Anderson about it in the past.

Major League Baseball is looking into the matter and speaking to all of the relevant parties involved, a source told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.

Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947. Every team in the big leagues has retired his No. 42 to honor the struggle, sacrifice and social impact he had on the game and beyond.

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is restrained by teammate Jose Abreu from going after the Yankees’ Josh Donaldson on Saturday. Sarah Stier/Getty Images

In the third inning, Donaldson had rounded second base after the final out and began jawing with Anderson as the teams came off the field. Donaldson, a former AL MVP in his first season with the Yankees, was escorted off the field by manager Aaron Boone, and Anderson, an All-Star shortstop, was led off by third-base coach Joe McEwing.

“He made a racist comment, Donaldson, and that’s all I’m going to say. That’s as strong as it gets,” La Russa said.

Asked if he agreed with La Russa, Anderson said, “Same. Same. Along that same line.”

Donaldson, who said he told his side of the story to his Yankees teammates, told reporters that he would be open to meeting with Anderson to discuss the incident.

“My meaning of that is not any term trying to be racist by any fact of the matter,” Donaldson said. “Obviously, he deemed it disrespectful. And look, if he did, I apologize. That’s not what I was trying to do by any manner and that’s what happened.”

The Yankees and White Sox had the benches clear May 13 in Chicago when Anderson objected to a hard tag by Donaldson.

Donaldson said Saturday that he was “trying to defuse” any lingering tension when the players crossed paths early in the game.

In the fifth inning of the Saturday game, White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal stood up from his crouch and began jawing at Donaldson as he approached the plate. The barking continued as relievers ran in from the bullpens and the benches emptied, with La Russa also yelling at Donaldson.

“Believe me, you don’t want me to tell you guys what I told him,” Grandal said to reporters.

Anderson continued to shout at Donaldson while being restrained by Jose Abreu and infielder Gavin Sheets. After a few minutes, umpires issued warnings to both sides and Donaldson struck out.

“This game went through a period in time where a lot of those comments were meant, and I think we’re way past that,” Grandal said after the game. “And it’s just unacceptable. I just thought it was a low blow and I want to make sure I’ve got my team’s back. There’s no way that you’re allowed to say something like that.”

Said Boone of the incident: “I know … some talk of that. I’ve got to get to the bottom of it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read More