---

On The Hot Seat

Steve Kerr

On May 6, 2014, the Golden State Warriors made the shocking decision to fire their head coach Mark Jackson.

Jackson had led the squad to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. so this move came as a surprise to many NBA fans.

Joe Lacob said that the decision was not made “based on wins and losses,” but because they felt like they “needed a different person to win an NBA championship.”

They went after the likes of Stan Van Gundy, Fred Hoiberg, and Steve Kerr, but in the end, it was Kerr who turned down the Knicks and signed with the Warriors.

He said that he loved the team’s young core and how close the team’s location was to his children’s schools.

Kerr and the Warriors made the right decision, as the Warriors would become a dynasty under Kerr’s leadership. Yes, he had a ton of talent at his disposal, but managing a team full of stars and egos is a very hard thing to do.

That’s why everyone calls Kerr’s former head coach Phil Jackson “The Zen Master.”

While I don’t think Kerr believes in Zen’s teachings, he managed to control all the egos on the team for such a long time and deserves major props for that.

But now, after six Finals appearances and four championships, I and a lot of other Warriors observers think that he’s now out of touch. Maybe he’s lost his aura, maybe he no longer has “it.” Maybe he needs a break, who knows?

Kerr’s adamance to start the likes of Chris Paul and Klay Thompson over players like Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis has frustrated Dubs fans.

That and not playing Moses Moody and giving Jonathan Kuminga limited playing time despite him having scored more than 10 points in each of his last 15 contests.

Kuminga’s frustrations reached a new level after just playing 19 minutes in a heartbreaking loss to the Nuggets, and it was reported that he had “lost faith” in Kerr.

Even Steph Curry backed Kuminga up. “He’s not wrong for being upset,” Curry said. “[He] probably should’ve played more.”

Kuminga and Kerr had a meeting after the game and both parties claimed that the meeting went well, so this might be Kerr’s last chance to prove that he has the young guys’ best interests at heart.

Darvin Ham

Another head coach for a big-market Californian team who’s on the hot seat is Darvin Ham.

The Lakers were locked in after the trade deadline last season, and they were also locked in for the In-Season Tournament, but they’re no longer locked in.

They relied so heavily on LeBron and AD to get them over the hump, but now that they’re tired, the young guys aren’t stepping up to help them win.

The In-Season Tournament might have made some of these young guys believe they are better than what they actually are, and that’s a major problem.

Ham’s adjustments and game plan have been questioned as well. Things like him not having a Plan B, or having very few practice sessions have caused Lakers fans to call for his head.

In my opinion, Ham is better than what most Lakers fans think he is, but he’s also not good enough to win an NBA championship (just like Mark Jackson and the Warriors).

Ham believes that the fans are “missing the big picture” and that they shouldn’t “live or die with every game.” Right now, this team’s whole hopes depend on whether LeBron and AD can lock in just like they did last year.

---

The Dallas Roller Coaster

The Dallas Mavericks (21-15, 3-1)

Luka Doncic has averaged 29.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.6 assists a night on 47.6% shooting over the last five seasons.

But he hasn’t finished in the top three of MVP voting and has only won five games past the first round of the playoffs.

I’ve said this countless times, even before they traded for Kyrie Irving: The Mavs need to get better and more consistent role players if they want to be serious about contending.

Kyrie Irving is playing well, but the team’s fortunes depend on the other role players. They all played well last week, which caused them to go 3-1.

They actually blow out most of their opponents whenever their supporting cast does well, but they get blown out whenever the supporting cast disappears.

The team’s ownership is changing hands, but Mark Cuban will still control the team’s basketball operations. So Mavs fans can hope he will be his usual aggressive self and make some moves at the trade deadline.

---

The 20-Year-Old Phenom

Victor Wembanyam

Victor Wembanyama is now 20 years old! Sure, he ended the 19th year of his life by getting dunked on by Ja Morant, but let’s focus on the positives.

His terrible shooting slump now appears to be over, as he has shot 54.7% from the field and 36% from three over his last four games.

He has also averaged 24.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and a ridiculous 4.3 blocks a night in that stretch despite only averaging 25.1 minutes per game.

All the doubters who thought Wemby couldn’t succeed at the NBA level have been proven wrong, and he will continue to prove his doubters wrong as Gregg Popovich and the Spurs continue to develop the roster around him.

Even some of the biggest stars in the league are impressed with Wemby, as Giannis Antetokounmpo had this to say after the Bucks’ 125-121 win over the Spurs:

“He plays the right way. He plays to win. I’ve never seen anything like him. He’s going to be an extremely good player.”

---

Best Team of the Previous Week

The Los Angeles Clippers (22-12, 3-0)

The Clippers slipped just a little bit after Kawhi Leonard missed four games, as they went 2-2. But since Kawhi’s return, they’ve looked like the best team in the NBA once again.

Kawhi and Paul George continued to lead the team in scoring, as they combined to average 51 PPG and they both shot over 50% from the floor and from deep last week.

Norman Powell continued to be a great scorer off the bench, as he averaged an uber-efficient 16 points per game while James Harden averaged 15 points and 11.3 assists a night.

But Clippers fans should be most happy about Terance Mann, who finally put up some solid numbers in the starting lineup, averaging 10.7 points on 66.7% shooting despite only playing 19.1 minutes per contest.

---

MVP of the Previous Week

Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers)

Luka Doncic missed one of his team’s wins and Nikola Jokic’s unexpected loss to the Magic dropped his record to 2-1, so we’re going with the guy who went 3-0.

PG was the definition of consistent and efficient last week, as he averaged 26.7 PPG while shooting 55.8% from the field and 50% from three. His average plus/minus was +16 and he never had a single-game BPM of less than +12.

He also got his revenge on the Suns and the Pelicans.

The Suns ganged up on PG and the Kawhi-less Clippers in the 2021 Western Conference Finals and they beat them again last season without George, while the Pelicans hadn’t lost to the Clippers since April 3, 2022.

So, he got his revenge, put up incredibly efficient numbers, and went undefeated. This proves that you don’t need to score a ton of points to have a perfect week.