Phoenix Suns

Suspended a year and fined $10 million, Suns owner Robert Sarver is selling the team. The NBA would surely like everyone to move on and forget about the scandal in Phoenix.

But Sarver wasn't the sole bad actor within the Suns organization. And the others aren't necessarily out of power in Phoenix.

Baxter Holmes of ESPN details allegations of workplace misconduct against multiple Suns executives, most notably team president and CEO Jason Rowley.

The NBA told Holmes reviewing alleged misconduct by others in the organization is "ongoing." Which, hopefully it is and has been. It'd be understandable if it takes time to untangle the messy situation. Accusations alone don't mean someone should be fired.

But when announcing the findings into Sarver, the league said, "As noted in the report, most of the Suns employees who engaged in these acts of misconduct over the 18-year period of investigation are no longer employed by the organization. In addition, in July 2021, the organization hired a new head of Human Resources who, along with other executives, has since implemented a series of positive workplace changes." That might be technically true. But it's not about getting it mostly right. It's about getting it completely right. And counting the number of employees who engaged in misconduct might be misleading if the high-powered executives overseeing it are still in place.

I'm disinclined to give the NBA benefit of the doubt. Between the Suns and Mavericks and beyond, there are far too many examples of workplace misconduct that occurred over many years. The NBA has shown itself to be more concerned with protecting its image than solving these problems.

Anthony Davis

Shams Charania reported Anthony Davis would miss at least a month. Which sounded bad. Then, Charania followed up to say the Lakers were bracing for an indefinite absence. Which, while more ambiguous, sounded worse.

Wherever the timeline ends up, this is a very tough break for Davis and the Lakers. He was playing arguably the best basketball of his career. And if he wasn't quite, that it's even debatable when it comes to the future Hall of Famer is significant.

This probably pushes the Lakers away from a win-now trade. They're just 13-16 and 12th in the Western Conference with Davis largely healthy. They aren't a playoff, let alone, postseason lock.

But I doubt LeBron James, who'll turn 38 next week, is ready to punt the season. So, this will be another element in what has sometimes looked like a tense standoff about the team's direction.

Monte McNair

The Kings are increasingly expected to give general manager Monte McNair a contract extension in the next month or two, according to Marc Stein.

Hired in 2020, McNair has potentially successfully executed Sacramento's low-ceiling vision. The Kings are desperate to end their record 16-year playoff drought. And they're 16-12, fifth in the Western Conference. McNair acquisitions Domantas Sabonis, Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk are contributing positively. Coach Mike Brown, hired by McNair last offseason, is doing well.

But Sacramento is not a playoff – or even postseason – lock. The costs of getting Sabonis (Tyrese Haliburton) and Huerter (protected first-round pick) weren't low.

Teams that make short-term moves with long-term costs should improve in the short term.

The jury is still out on McNair's last two first-round picks, Davion Mitchell and Keegan Murray. Haliburton was a hit – but now plays for the Pacers.

It'd be nice to wait for more information, especially on Mitchell and Murray. A McNair extension also seems somewhat based on a premature victory lap for a playoff berth that hasn't yet been clinched.

But McNair is reportedly on an expiring contract. There's only so much to learn about young players before a decision must be made on McNair. Overreacting to making or missing the playoffs would be putting results over process.

Sabonis (26) and De'Aaron Fox (24) can lead a quality team for a while. That's no small matter, especially in Sacramento. Argue with the tradeoffs the Kings made to build this team – and I will – but the philosophy came from above McNair.

McNair has earned a chance to continue running this front office.

Jalen Brunson

Rumor: The Mavericks could've exceeded the Knicks' offer (four years, $104 million), and Jalen Brunson probably still would've left Dallas for New York in free agency last summer.

On "The Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz," Amin Elhassan said he talked to people at a recent Mavericks game and came to that conclusion. Something to consider when evaluating Dallas' "decision" to let Brunson go.

Elhassan focused on the difficulties playing with Luka Doncic. Doncic is a great player. But he dominates the ball. Not everyone is content standing around watching Doncic. Brunson has gotten a bigger role with the Knicks (and performed well in it).

Yet, Dallas (14-14) could use a supplementary creator like Brunson was. His absence is palpable when the Mavericks' offense gets stuck in the mud. Yes, Dallas ranks higher in points per possession this season than last. Some of the concerns are over aesthetic issues more than results. But there does seem to be a real cap on the upside on an offense that's so dependent on a single player, even one as talented as Doncic.

For the Mavericks to reach their ceiling with Doncic, they'll likely need to integrate at least one other high-level player. By mutual agreement, that wasn't Kristaps Porzingis. Brunson apparently decided that wasn't him, either.

To accommodate that star, Doncic might have to tweak his style.

Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell opened up about the racial issues he faced while playing in Utah, via Marc. J Spears of Andscape:

It’s no secret there’s a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah off the floor. If I’m being honest with you, I never really said this, but it was draining. It was just draining on my energy just because you can’t sit in your room and cheer for me and then do all these different things. I’m not saying specifically every fan, but I just feel like it was a lot of things. A [Utah] state senator [Stuart Adams] saying I need to get educated on my own Black history. Seeing Black kids getting bullied because of their skin color. Seeing a little girl [Isabella Tichenor] hang herself because she’s being bullied.

Man, it was just one thing after another. And I will say, it’s not the only place it happens. But for me, I’m continuing to be an advocate for [racial equality] and to receive the amount of pushback I got over the years, it was a lot.

But as far as Utah, it became a lot to have to deal with on a nightly basis. I got pulled over once. I got an attitude from a cop until I gave him my ID. And that forever made me wonder what happens to the young Black kid in Utah that doesn’t have that power to just be like, ‘This is who I am.’ And that was one of the things for me that I took to heart.

Joe Mazzulla

Asked about the strong evidence he posted publicly accessible scouting reports to Quizlet while a Celtics assistant, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla with a smirk, via CLNS Media:

Quizlet is a great resource for retaining information.

I'm taking that as an admission.

Miami Heat

After getting fined $25,000 for injury-reporting violations, the Heat listed their entire 16-man roster on the injury report for Saturday's game against the Spurs. I love the pettiness. If you want specifics, Andrew Lopez of ESPN covers the details of the fine and apparent response.

Scoot Henderson

We're starting to learn about Victor Wembanyama as a person. What about Scoot Henderson, widely expected to go No. 2 in next year's draft?

Mirin Fader of The Ringer has a great look into what drives Henderson. A couple excerpts:

Growing up he prided himself on being an observer. A learner. A listener. Nowadays he’s most often praised for his explosiveness on the court, his incredible burst and athleticism. But he’s also introspective and curious. He often meditates. He loves to read. “It can make me a better person,” says Scoot, who often shares his favorite book passages in the family group chat. He’s always been a reader, but the hobby turned into a habit last season when Scoot suddenly had more free time than ever in his first pro season, and realized he couldn’t spend every waking minute on the court. “He reads all the time. He’s always in his room,” says Ignite teammate Shareef O’Neal, “locked in on a book.”

Scoot seems to always be in tune with how others are feeling. He fist-bumps everyone in the gym, from the strength coach to team security guard, scanning the bleachers one last time afterward to make sure he didn’t miss anybody. If the mood feels down, he’ll blurt out a sentence so quickly it sounds like one word: “OHYALLMADSTILL!?” cracking everybody up.

Jacque Vaughn

Matthew Brooks of NetsDaily writes about how Jacque Vaugh, in a reversal from Steve Nash, has reduced practice and shootarounds. And I thought the Nets appeased their players before!

Steve Clifford

On the other side, Hornets coach Steve Clifford after Charlotte's 141-134 loss to the to the Pistons on Wednesday, via Bally Sports Southeast:

Until we care about something besides how many points we score, we're not gonna win much. Can't play like that. Our offense was good. That's five of the last seven games, we've been pretty good on offense. We are playing no defense. Not one guy. There's not a bright spot. We don't run back on defense. We don't guard the ball.

The Hornets have since lost 125-106 to the Hawks and 119-115 to the Nuggets, pushing Charlotte's losing streak to eight games.

Amar'e Stoudemire

Amar'e Stoudemire allegedly punched his teenage daughter in the jaw then slapped her face, bloodying her nose, and is now facing a misdemeanor battery charge, David J. Neal and David Ovalle of the Miami Herald report. Stoudemire denied it.

-Dan Feldman