NBA News Roundup: CP3 enraged at courtside fan's conduct with his family; Grizzlies suffer setback as Ja Morant might miss Game 4 at Golden State, and more - May 9th, 2022
The NBA world is enjoying the Conference Semifinals action while rumors and news around the league continue to baffle fans.
The second-round series between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies has been a must-see matchup in the league with physical grueling battles in each game. Technical and flagrant fouls are being whistled every game, while players are getting ejected and hurt in the action.
The LA Lakers, meanwhile, are planning to improve their roster for the 2022-23 season. They are still hunting for a coach, and their star players are getting involved in trade rumors every day.
Moreover, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets was recently announced as the 2022 NBA MVP. He is a back-to-back MVP winner, putying him in a unique class of all-time players.
Nikola Jokic has been voted MVP, per @wojespn
Back-to-back for the Joker puts him in legendary company 🏆 https://t.co/cQRkPr5ph7
There are several other to cover, so let's dive into the top five stories from the last 24 hours:
Draymond Green reacts to Memphis Meteorologist calling him "knuckle dragger"
Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report and Kron4 News reported that a Memphis Meteorologist, Jason Sulipeck of Fox News, ranted a racially charged slur in the direction of Draymond Green.
Sulipeck tweeted after Kyle Anderson of the Grizzlies was ejected in Game 3 as he didn't agree with the ejection. He called Green a "knuckle dragger", a racial slur that means enraged ape.
Emotions are high right now among teams and fans over the play in question but this right here? @joeysulipeck - unacceptable.
Memo to @FOX13Memphis - talk to your mans and check him. This is over the line and I won’t stand for it. This is bullsh-t. https://t.co/RJsLDenByh
Green sportingly laughed it off on his Instagram stories after Dumas tagged him with the report. He said:
"Are you surprised?...Don't apologize. Stand on it."
Green has dealt with racially motivated fans before in his illustrious career, and he understands that fans get emotional during the playoffs. Moreover, Fox News has a reputation of promoting white supremacy and discrimination, so one of their reporters committing a racial act wasn't a surprise.
Draymond Green chimes in on the “knuckle dragging” comment. https://t.co/l7eNQDmM5V
Chris Paul gets furious after fan misbehaves with his family courtside
Chris Paul tweeted in anger after Game 3 after a fan pushed his wife in front of his children and touched his mother.
The fan's behavior was certainly uncalled for, and Paul was seen instantly shouting and abusing the fan. The Mavericks fan was escorted out of the arena, and the organization apologized for the incident.
Chris Paul's mother had hands put on her by Mavericks fans and his wife was pushed in front of Paul's children during Game 4 in Dallas on Sunday, per @mcten https://t.co/69Ku8bzYpq
However, CP3 was upset over the fact that players get fined by the league for even saying things to fans, while fans face no repercussions for their pathetic actions. He tweeted:
"Wanna fine players for saying stuff to the fans, but the fans can put they hands on our families….f**k that!!"
Ja Morant might be sidelined for Game 4 against Golden State Warriors
Ja Morant hurt his knee during Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, and the NBA world went into a frenzy.
The point guard accused Jordan Poole of hurting him intentionally but took the tweet down within minutes. Moreover, coach Taylor Jenkins doubled down on the drama and continued the accusation against Poole, insisting that the NBA office should look into the matter.
“Grabbed his knee and yanked it”
Taylor Jenkins, come on man. What a joke.
The league looked into the matter and decided there was no action required. However, coach Jenkins announced that Morant might miss Game 4. He's officially listed as doubtful due to a sore knee.
Charles Barkley mocks NBA's officiating in Warriors and Grizzlies series
Charles Barkley and the co-hosts on "Inside the NBA on TNT" laughed off the foul and flagrant calls in the Warriors-Grizzlies series.
Chuck displayed his frustration with the stoppage of time whenever there's a foul. That's because the referees are constantly checking whether any hard foul meets the criteria for a flagrant penalty. He insists that playoff basketball shouldn't be that soft, and players and coaches need to stop complaining about every foul. He said:
"I've been kissed harder than that!"
"I've been kissed harder than that!"
Chuck sounds off on some of the recent fouls between the Grizzlies-Warriors https://t.co/nBCMWr3iAb
Sacramento Kings hire Warriors assistant Mike Brown as their new head coach
The Sacramento Kings have officially hired Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown as their new coach.
They were hunting for one after letting coach Luke Walton go. Brown was selected after a plethora of candidates were interviewed for the role. One of the coaches was Mark Jackson, who is now apparently available for the LA Lakers.
Six seasons from Mike Brown as the Warriors’ lead assistant coach. Stepped in for Steve Kerr back in 2017 playoffs and team went 11-0. Well-liked by everyone in organization. Sharp defensive mind. Lot of people pumped that he is getting another head coaching opportunity. twitter.com/sam_amick/stat…
Mike Brown was an assistant in the league from 1997 to 2005 and became a head coach from 2005 to 2014. He has been a part of the bench in Cleveland, Indiana, San Antonio, Washington and Los Angeles (Lakers).
His last stop was at Golden State, where he won three titles. He took over for Steve Kerr during the 2017 playoffs. and the team went 11-0 in that span. That Warriors team eventually went 16-1 in the postseason for the best record in NBA playoff history. Brown was also the recipient of the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2009 with the Cavaliers.