2018-19 NBA Bric-a-Brac (End of regular season)

Firings
Dave Joerger (Kings)
Kind of a surprise and yet not really. The rumors were swirling early in the season that Joerger and GM Valde Divac were not on the same page. Then the Kings vastly over performed throughout the year and it felt like Joerger was in a good place--he'll get Coach of the Year votes. But...I guess not. The power struggle was won by Divac and a coach who's actually two pretty good runs with two not very good squads is looking for a new job (hmmmm....Wolves?).

JB Bickerstaff (Grizzlies)
Just days after the dreaded 'vote of confidence', Bickerstaff was let go amidst an overhaul in the Grizzlies front office. Grizzlies were not built to have a good season and trading away Marc Gasol was the signal of changes a'coming. (They got any interest in bringing back Dave Joerger?) Bickerstaff showed enough to warrant a run on the asst. coach treadmill, I fully expect he'll be employed somewhere next year.

Larry Drew (Cavs)
Not a firing exactly, but his extended audition for the job is officially over. Reports suggest he didn't really want the job anyway. Drew is a respected veteran, wouldn't be surprised to see him on the Spurs bench next year or the Warriors.

GM Chris Wallace (Grizzlies)
Seemed like he thought he was in charge, so the owner showed up and reminded him...nope, you are not. Wallace was demoted, meaning he's still stuck with an organization that clearly no longer wants him (which is...well, professionally speaking, that's about the worst thing possible, isn't it?). So who will run the new look Grizzlies? (How about a Jeff and Stan Van Gundy combo?)

Magic Johnson (Lakers), President of Basketball Operations
Fired himself out of nowhere at a rambling bizarre press conference that he apparently did without notifying the organization. Magic never seemed to put forth the effort needed to be a for-real NBA GM and since he was never the man for this job, I kinda wonder how this effects his standing with the team going forward. Obviously he's a Laker legend, it'd be a shame if that gets tarnished. Hiring Magic for this kind of position was a bad move from the start, hard to see where they go from here. (And do GM Rob Pelinka and Coach Luke Walton get run out, as well?)


Hirings/Extensions
GM Vlade Divac (Kings)
Got the juice that allowed him to put a dagger in the back of Coach Joerger. He's drafted well and made some savvy trades over the last coupla years, I don't understand the friction with Joerger (who looked like he did a great job) but Divac has put together a pretty good young squad. (And apparently has his eye on Luke Walton, if he gets bounced from the Lakers)

GM James Jones (Suns)
Was the interim GM, but no longer. Now the job is his. (Beware what you wish for...) He's got Devin Booker signed long term and a pack of interesting talent but he's also got the worst owner in the league and a growing track record of sucking.


Late season Waivings
Tahjere McCall (Nets), Terrence Jones (Rockets), Christian Wood (Bucks), Tyler Zeller (Hawks), Jason Smith (Pelicans), Andre Ingram (Lakers), BJ Johnson (Hawks), Jawun Evans (Suns), Trevon Duval (Bucks), Eric Moreland (Raptors), Charles Cooke (Heat), Justin Patton (Sixers), Greg Monroe (Celtics), Dusty Hannahs (Grizzlies), Isaiah Briscoe (Magic), Wesley Johnson (Wizards), Rodey McGruder (Heat), Luc Mbah-a-Moute (Clippers)

Most all of these guys were signed to 10-day contracts that were not renewed when the contract expired.

A coupla exceptions:
Patton (Sixers). He was a throw-in in the deal that brought Jimmy Butler over from the Wolves (fun fact: he was a throw-in in the deal that took Butler to the Wolves to begin with), a 1st rd draft pick that has been injured since before he arrived in the league. Some folks would see that as a bad sign but injured rookies is the Sixers' way, so I guess they just don't see any upside in him. Kinda wonder if we'll ever get to see him beyond the three games he played this year.

Briscoe (Magic). He played a lot for the Magic this year, which surprised me as I thought Briscoe was a guy fated to live in Europe. He's had some injury troubles, had season-ending surgery in March, they may well want him back for Summer League and/or next season. He's a reliable 2nd string combo guard, the kinda guy who's not bad at a wide range of things while not really excelling at anything.

Johnson (Wizards). Wily vet came over from the Clippers but never got going with the Wizards. Hard to tell what direction the Wizards are going in for next year but I guess Johnson was not part of their plans. Johnson is not a star by any means but a reliable enough vet to be valuable to a good team at the right price (like, say, the Grizzlies).

McGruder (Heat) and Mbah-a-Moute (Clippers). I believe these two are intertwined: Luc was injured and McGruder was added to the Clipper's post-season roster.


Signings
(for the rest of the season)
Andrew Bogut (Warriors)
Yeah! Weird to say it but I've missed him on the Warriors. They've come so far in the last few years that it's hard to remember that Bogut was the original cornerstone star this dynasty was built on. He's been in Australia all year, should be in good enough shape to give 10-12 minutes per game going forward. I think this is a good pick up.

Danuel House (Rockets)
House has actually looked pretty good in limited minutes this season, if he gets some shine time in the post-season, they'll be happy to have him back next season.

Cam Reynolds (Wolves)
I don't know who this is.

Tim Frazier (Bucks)
Considering the Bucks will be without Mirotic and Divincenzo, Frazier could get see some playing time in the playoffs.

Jimmer Fredette (Suns)
Didn't exactly tear it up in his brief time in Phoenix, but looks like he'll be back next year.

Chris Chiozza (Rockets)
I don't know who this is.

Jawun Evans (Thunder)
Solid 2nd string PG, not sure the Thunder need him. But he'll be on a roster next year, I'm sure.

Jodie Meeks (Raptors)
Can't imagine Meeks will get much playing time going forward, but the Raptors do rely on a deep bench and I think that will maintain for at least the first coupla rounds of the playoffs, so we might see a little bit of Meeks.

Trevon Duval (Rockets)
Nice pickup! Doubt he'll play this post-season but they'll put him to work next year.

Christian Wood (Pelicans)
I always liked Wood but he's bounced around so much I kinda doubt he'll stick here. This is likely just a late season roster manipulation.

Walter Lemon Jr (Bulls)
Had some nice moments in his brief time in Chicago. I can see him coming back next year.

Greg Monroe (Sixers)
Some nice down-low depth for the playoffs, should play some early on but I'd be kinda surprised to see him on the Sixers next season.

Michael Carter-Williams (Magic)
I wonder if this is just a warm body to fill in for Isaiah Briscoe or if they think they can really use MCW.

Donatas Motiejunas (Spurs)
Shweet! I always loved Motiejunas, deep down I always knew he'd get to the Spurs eventually. I doubt we'll see much of him, likely just an emergency bench guy, but I'd like to see him back there next year.

Tyler Zeller (Grizzlies)
Hey, man, everyone can use a Zeller. I suspect this is just a roster manipulation, only 50/50 whether he'll be back there next year.


(multi-year deal)
Deonte Burton (Thunder)
Guess we'll see him in a Thunder uni next year.


Season Ending Injuries
(playoff teams)
Donte Divincenzo (Bucks) out with heel injury
Nikola Mirotic (Bucks) out with a thumb injury

Jusuf Nurkic (Blazers) out with a broken leg

Dante Exam (Jazz) out after knee surgery

Luc Mbah a Moute (Clippers) out after knee surgery

Patrick McCaw (Raptors) out with a thumb injury

James Ennis (Sixers) out with bruised quad
Allen Crabbe (Nets) out after knee surgery

Andre Roberson (Thunder) ruled out for a return from knee surgery 

Hard to imagine that the Bucks' fate would've revolved around Mirotic and/or Divincezno, but those guys knock down shots and guys like that are always handy have.

(non-playoff teams)

Jrue Holiday (Pelicans) out with strain abdominal

Brandon Ingram (Lakers) out with blood clots
Isiah Briscoe (Magic) out after knee surgery
Derrick Rose (Wolves) out with elbow injury
Jeff Teague (Wolves) out with foot injury
Kelly Oubre (Suns) out with thumb injury
CJ Miles (Grizzlies) out with foot injury
Tim Hardaway Jr (Mavs) out with leg injury
Robert Covington (Wolves) out with knee injury
Chandler Hutchinson (Bulls) out with toe injury
Miles Plumlee (Hawks) out after knee surgery
Lauri Markanen (Bulls) out with (fatigue?)
Josh Hart (Lakers) out after knee surgery
Frank Nkiliina (Knicks) out with a groin injury
Lebron James (Lakers) out with a groin injury
Devin Booker (Suns) out with ankle sprain

Ingram's blood clots are scary and worth keeping an eye on. But that perversely guarantees he'll be with the Lakers for the foreseeable future.


Retiring
Al Jefferson
Ahhhh, Big Al. Man, his bust out year with the 2013-14 Hornets briefly made me a Hornets fan (remember? Josh McRoberts was good that year...ahh, good times...). He bummed around the league for a lot of years, some of them were pretty good, most of them were kinda forgettable. But he was kinda the last of the old timey big men: back to the basket, beastly down low, didn't run the floor worth a shit, only looked to pass out of a double team, probably smoked cigarettes at halftime. Gonna miss you, Big Al.

Khris Humphries
Most famous for being played out like a chump by one of those Kardashians, Humphries was actually a really great rebounder in his day. So-so defender, so-so scoring skills but really had a nose for the ball. The kind of player that could've bee a legit star in the right system.

Dirk Nowtizki (Mavs)
Early reports are that he passed on joining the TNT crew--good for him! I hope for his sake that he avoids the media and sticks with the Mavs. He's obviously juiced in for life with Cuban and the Mavs organization, he can hang around Dallas and be a Metroplex legend for the rest of his life. Not a bad way to go. One of the best I ever saw, in his prime he was an unstoppable scorer and he can still score...but his defense has just gotten too awful for him to keep going. First ballot Hall of Famer.

Dwyane Wade (Heat)
Personally, I was never a Wade fan, always found his game rather boring and the cult of personality surrounding him inelegant. But he's clearly a Hall of Famer, won championships and he's a Miami mafia lifer. Even went out scoring 30 on Udonis Haslem night.

Udonis Haslem (Heat)
Dude, I was ready for him to retire before Lebron even arrived in Miami! Can't believe he lasted this long but good for him. Miami mafia for life, he got rings and made waaaaaaaay more money than he really deserved for playing basketball.


NCAA Final
Texas Tech 77-85 (OT) Virginia
My initial note: 1 minute into the game: each team is0/1 from the field with no turnovers, no offensive rebounds and no fouls. Yeah, 39 more of those and we'll have the first scoreless draw in the history of the NCAA tournament. At the first TV timeout (15:51): the score was 3-2. Yeah, got a pitcher's dual on our hands.
That said, both teams got frisky on offense before halftime, something about playing their doppelgangers inspired each squad to get adventurous with the ball. What looked destined to be a low-scoring contest turned into a frenzied free-for-all by the end of regulation. Fun game. But in OT, Tech ran out of gas and Virginia claimed their first title. Good for them. Losing to a #16 seed last year and becoming the champ this year is a hell of a turnaround.