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With the first round of the playoffs heating up, all the focus tends to be on the exciting match-ups such as LeBron James taking on Damian Lillard and Jimmy Butler taking on TJ Warren. With all the excitement on the basketball court, a lot of NBA news might not have made it to your feed.
Here are some NBA news stories you might have missed out on.
Brooklyn Nets eye Gregg Popovich for head coach role
In major NBA news, the Brooklyn Nets are reportedly exploring the possibilities of hiring Gregg Popovich to be their head coach next season. Coach Pop has been with the San Antonio Spurs for 26 years and it seems unlikely that the 71-year-old veteran coach will be seeking a job elsewhere.
Many of the Brooklyn Nets' front office and assistant coaches have either played for or worked with Popovich in the past. Coach Pop is also reportedly a favorite of Nets' superstar Kevin Durant. This could perhaps be an incentive for Coach Pop to leave San Antonio and move to the Brooklyn Nets, who will be championship contenders next season.
At the end of the seeding games, Coach Pop mentioned that he would be back next year. It will be very interesting to see if the Brooklyn Nets can successfully bring over a championship coach such as Gregg Popovich to lead Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the 2020-2021 NBA season.
Look out for more NBA news on the Brooklyn Nets' head coach hunt in the coming days.
Ben Simmons dismayed by 76ers being swept in the first round
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons was unable to participate in the playoffs after surgery to his knee. In his absence, the team suffered as they were swept with ease by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Ben Simmons took to Twitter to express his feelings about helplessly watching his team lose the series from afar.
Ben Simmons seems to have resolved to never get swept in a playoff series again. Simmons has averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8 assists this season. The Philadelphia 76ers will hope to start afresh next season with Ben Simmons healthy.
In other NBA news, players' families arrive in quarantine in the bubble
With the first round of the playoffs nearly halfway through, the NBA has made arrangements for selected family members to join players in the bubble for the remaining part of the playoffs.
According to the NBA protocol, family members will be quarantined for seven days before they can join the teams in their hotels. Family members of teams that have been eliminated in the first round will have to depart from the NBA bubble.
Guess the Lakers players!
