How the Astros got their swagger back
WASHINGTON — Nearly half the room was filled with champions. Their rings, each studded with 25 natural sapphires and 214 diamonds, from 2017 still glimmered, if not in lock boxes, certainly in memories. They knew better than to feel as shaken as they had looked coming off the Minute Maid Park field last week. They were beleaguered from an embarrassing Game 2 loss that frittered away home-field advantage and put them down 2-0 in the World Series to the chest-pounding Washington Nationals, who were playing more like the Astros had two years ago.
The San Antonio Spurs came into the 2019 season with high expectations for point guard Dejounte Murray. He showed why against the Oklahoma City Thunder with an incredible shot Thursday night.
© Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports Murray drove inside the lane during the second quarter, aiming for a layup. When Oklahoma City’s defense closed in on him, the 23-year-old collided with guard Hamidou Diallo then flipped the ball into the air as he fell to the ground and arched it in for the bucket.
The young guard is quickly demonstrating why the entire organization believes he can be a special player. Murray entered Thursday averaging 12.2 points, eight rebounds and nearly five assists per game this season.
World Series Game 7, California wildfires: 5 things you need to know Wednesday
The World Series heads to a Game 7, millions brace for blackouts as California wildfires continue and more things to start your Wednesday morning.Firefighter’s efforts to battle the raging Kincade Fire in Northern California could be hampered by gusts reaching 60 to 70 mph through Wednesday evening, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker warned. The blaze, which had consumed more than 115 square miles, had damaged or destroyed more than 220 buildings and was only 15% contained Tuesday. About 200,000 people had been forced to evacuate the area, but the National Weather Service said almost 18 million Californians were living in areas where the fire risk was critical.
Now that he’s showing he can even make the impossible plays, perhaps he’ll start to get the national recognition for his unique abilities.
Related slideshow: Ranking all 30 NBA head coaches (Provided by Yardbarker)
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Ranking all 30 NBA head coaches
If you want to win in the NBA, having a star player is the crucial. Having a great coach can take you to the next level as well though. Meanwhile, if your coach isn’t so hot, it can possibly cost a team quite a bit. Right now the NBA seems pretty stacked with good head coaches, if we’re being honest. That makes ranking them quite difficult — not that we were stopped by this fact, of course. Here is our ranking of the 30 men manning the baseline in the NBA. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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30. Taylor Jenkins
This is not a knock on Jenkins’ coaching acumen. We simply don’t know anything about him yet. The new coach of the Memphis Grizzlies is in his first year as a head coach at any level. For now, he’s a big question mark so we’ve put him last on this list. Justin Ford/USA TODAY Sports
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29. John Beilein
Beilein is the other head coach who is in his first year as an NBA head coach. This is a slightly different situation though. Jenkins is a 35-year-old up-and-comer. Beilein is 66 and has been coaching college ball for as long as Jenkins has been alive. The new Cavaliers coach excelled in college, but the NBA is a different game. Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
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28. James Borrego
Borrego has one season under his belt with the Hornets. He and Charlotte posted a 39-43 record and missed the playoffs. Borrego didn’t have a lot of talent to work with, but add in his 10-20 record in 2015 as an interim head man with the Magic, and it’s a poor resume so far. Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Sports
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27. Monty Williams
Phoenix feels like a toxic organization at the moment, which may be why the Suns had to settle on Williams as their new head coach. Williams coached the New Orleans Pelicans for five seasons. In that time, the team had a 173-221 record and never won a playoff series. His coaching career feels like the equivalent of his playing career. Not bad, but certainly not good. Sergio Estrada/USA TODAY Sports
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26. Ryan Saunders
If coaching acumen is genetic, the 33-year-old Saunders should be just fine. Flip’s son took over for Tom Thibodeau after Thibs got the ax last season. Saunders immediately modernized the offense and led the Timberwolves to a 17-25 record. The NBA’s youngest coach has something left to prove, but we are optimistic about his potential. Casey Sapio/USA TODAY Sports
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25. Scott Brooks
When Brooks was the head coach of the Thunder, they won a ton. They also have Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. A lot of the time, the perception was that Brooks was being carried by his talent and that some of his decisions were questionable. Every season with the Wizards his team has gotten progressively worse, and the team just went 32-50. Brooks is one of those coaches who is as good as the talent you give him and maybe a little worse. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
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24. Luke Walton
Walton took over for the Warriors on an interim basis when Steve Kerr was dealing with health issues. It went quite well and got him a gig with his former team as a player, the Los Angeles Lakers. Those seasons went bad. The rumor was that Walton couldn’t get a handle on his roster and control the room. He was fired after three campaigns but quickly got a new deal with the Kings. Now we’ll see what kind of coach he is away from the turmoil of the Lakers. Jeffrey Swinger/USA TODAY Sports
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23. Jim Boylen
Boylen took over for Fred Hoiberg on the Bulls last season, and it went badly. However, it was only a 58 game sample size. Boylen seems like kind of a goof. He established a leadership committee and was all about toughness and grittiness. At least he seems to have a plan. That got him this high up the rankings. Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports
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22. Billy Donovan
Donovan was a great college coach. He won two titles at Florida. In the NBA, though, he’s seemed merely adequate. That’s not a bad thing! It’s also not a good thing. The Thunder have lost in the first round in each of the last three postseasons. Donovan was also beholden to Russell Westbrook, who really ran the show in OKC. We may finally see him do some actual coaching this year. Maybe he’ll move up the rankings. Rob Ferguson/USA TODAY Sports
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21. Lloyd Pierce
Pierce has one season under his belt with the Hawks. The team went 29-53, but they were a lot of fun. He figured out what to do with Trae Young, and he had the Hawks looking better down the stretch. Pierce seems to know what he’s doing, and once his talent gets a little older his team should be a playoff squad. Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports
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20. Alvin Gentry
Gentry is a journeyman with a losing career record. He also has coached some not very good teams. He was saddled with the Anthony Davis drama last season with the Hornets. We like Gentry because he recognized early that the NBA is moving toward picking up the pace. Plus, he does have one conference finals appearance as a head coach. Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports
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19. David Fizdale
We aren’t blaming Fizdale for what happened with the Knicks last season. Did you see that roster? All we know is that he’s not a miracle worker. As an assistant with the Heat, Fizdale was considered one of the best assistants in the NBA. His one full season with the Grizzlies went well, as they went 43-39 and we got the “take that for data!” press conference. If not for a beef with Marc Gasol, Coach Fiz would probably still be in Memphis. Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
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18. Nate McMillan
McMillan is the poster child for solid but unspectacular. In his last six full seasons, McMillan’s teams have made the playoffs. They have also lost in the first round every single time. The current Pacers coach also has had some less-than-fun squads in the past because he’s run his teams at a slow pace at times. Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports
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17. Terry Stotts
Stotts' first two stints in the NBA, with the Hawks and the Bucks, both went poorly. Still, he got another chance with the Blazers, and this time it has gone better. Portland has had a winning record in each of the last six seasons, though a lot of that is on Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. People often question Stotts’ defensive decisions, which knocks him down the list a bit. Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports
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16. Frank Vogel
Vogel finds himself in an awkward position. That’s just the nature of the beast with the Los Angeles Lakers these days. Plus, Jason Kidd looms, and we all know how he has liked to try and seize power in the past. Vogel had some really good years with the Pacers, which is what he’s riding on reputation wise at the moment. His last coaching gig, two seasons with the Magic, went much less well. Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports
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15. Michael Malone
Malone was considered the best assistant coach in the NBA prior to his first head coaching gig. Literally, the NBA general managers voted him that in 2012. That got him a job with the Kings. However, there his personality clashed with DeMarcus Cousins, and Malone got the boot. Swiftly the Nuggets hired him, and he’s shown his coaching acumen with Denver. Last year, he helped take the Nuggets to a 54-28 record and the second seed in the Western Conference. His stock is on the rise. Jaime Valdez/USA TODAY Sports
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14. Dwane Casey
Memorably, Casey was fired after a season for which he won Coach of the Year. After three straight 50-win seasons with the Raptors, Casey joined the Pistons. They went 41-41 and made the playoffs, which, for the Pistons, is a major coup. Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports
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13. Nick Nurse
Nurse only has one year as a head coach in the NBA to his name. It went pretty well all things considered. The Raptors went 58-24 and won the NBA title. That’s great, of course, but it’s only one season. If he does it again, Nurse will shoot up these rankings. Kevin Sousa/USA TODAY Sports
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12. Kenny Atkinson
Atkinson seems like a coach on the rise. He took over a boring and bad Nets team. They were still bad for a couple of seasons, but they suddenly became fun and scrappy. Last year, he helped revitalize the career of D’Angelo Russell and got the Nets into the playoffs with a 42-40 record. Atkinson knows how to set a culture and make the most of a roster. He just needs that next level of success. Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports
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11. Brett Brown
We aren’t basing this on Brown’s record. He was in Philly for the height of The Process. The roster was terrible and getting changed over all the time. Through it all, Brown had to try and keep things together. He managed to do it, which is why he never got fired. The Sixers have made the playoffs the last two seasons, and Brown is doing his best to make all the pieces work. Jeremy Brevard/USA TODAY Sports
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10. Erik Spoelstra
Spoelstra suddenly finds himself underrated. Handpicked by Pat Riley to be the new coach of the Heat, he’s been the head man in Miami since 2008. That means he was the coach for the LeBron James era but also beyond. He’s got two NBA rings, of course, but on top of that he’s only ever presided over two non-winning seasons. Spoelstra clearly wasn’t just the product of the talent on the Miami roster. Sam Sharpe/USA TODAY Sports
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9. Quin Snyder
Coaching with the Jazz, Snyder gets overlooked a bit. He’s had quite the journey as a coach. Snyder found success as a young coach with the Missouri Tigers. Then he jumped to an NBA D-League, now G-League, job, where he was Coach of the Year. Since taking over the Jazz, he has a 227-183 record with three playoff appearances. He’s also orchestrated a great defense around Rudy Gobert. Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports
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8. Steve Clifford
Clifford is the most underrated coach in the NBA. Having your two gigs be with Charlotte and Orlando will do that. The Bobcats/Hornets have no history of NBA success. Clifford led them to two of their three playoffs appearances and their first postseason wins. For some reason, the Hornets fired him. He signed right up with the Magic and then took another struggling franchise right back to the playoffs in his first year with the team. Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports
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7. Brad Stevens
Here’s one of the rare college-to-pros success stories. Since he left Butler for Boston, Stevens has been considered one of the best coaches in the NBA. People particularly talk about his out of timeout plays. Last year was kind of a disaster for the Celtics though. That hurt his stock a bit, but he can rebound this year perhaps, now that Kyrie Irving has moved on. Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports
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6. Steve Kerr
Hear us out. Yes, Kerr has been the coach of three NBA title teams. That’s great. He also has won Coach of the Year once. However, think about the talent he’s had. Steph Curry. Draymond Green. Klay Thompson. Kevin Durant. It’s not hard to win with all that skill. That being said, it’s also hard to manage all those egos and personalities. That’s why he’s ranked sixth but also why he’s not ranked higher. Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports
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5. Doc Rivers
Rivers was named Coach of the Year in 2000, and he’s been a good coach ever since. There were a couple of down years with Boston, but then the roster was rebooted and he won an NBA title. After his time with Boston came to a close, he moved on to the Clippers. There he got the team through the Donald Sterling saga. The Clippers have also never had a losing season under Rivers. He’s a great coach, and he may be able to get his second ring now that the Clippers have added Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports
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4. Mike D'Antoni
Let’s not forget that D’Antoni changed the NBA. His offense with the Suns ushered in a new era of pace and space. The Lakers and Knicks years weren’t great, but what else is new? His time with the Rockets has gone much better. Once again, he’s helped change the NBA by unleashing the three-point shot to a whole new degree. D’Antoni doesn’t have a ring, but he is en route to a Hall of Fame career. Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
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3. Rick Carlisle
Carlisle is a great coach. Prior to Dallas’ current rough patch and rebuild, which he has presided over with aplomb, he had a single losing season as a head coach. He got fired by the Pistons after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The next year, he made it to the Eastern Conference Finals with the Pacers. For the last 11 years he’s been the head coach of the Mavericks. He led them to their first NBA title, not to mention four 50-win seasons. Now that the talent level is back on the rise in Dallas, don’t be surprised if Carlisle gets the Mavs back to the playoffs and makes them a dangerous once again. Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports
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2. Mike Budenholzer
Coach Bud was a long-time assistant with the Spurs, earning a reputation as a talented coach who would succeed when he got his first chance. That came with the Hawks, who he once won 60 games with and got them to the conference finals despite a lack of elite stars. With a rebuild beginning, Budenholzer left the Hawks for the Bucks. His first season with Milwaukee went great, as he once again won 60 games and got his team to the conference finals. Budenholzer is already a two-time Coach of the Year. All he has left to do is win a title. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
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1. Gregg Popovich
Who else could it be but Coach Pop? He’s a living legend. Popovich has spent his entire career coaching the Spurs. In that time, he’s posted a 1,245-575 record. He’s made the playoffs 22 seasons in a row. The man has five NBA titles and three Coach of the Year Awards. You could call Popovich the best head coach of all time, and few would argue. Daniel Dunn/USA TODAY Sports
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It’s time for the Spurs to start over without Gregg Popovich .
The San Antonio Spurs have not been relevant in the NBA title conversation since winning 61 games back in 2016-17. Since then, they have been disposed of in the first round of the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. Now on a downward spiral without a clear direction to move forward, it’s time for San Antonio to start over with a rebuild that does not include one Gregg Popovich. © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports The big picture: This is not about Pop and the success he’s had. It’s not about the Association somehow moving on from his old-school ways.
WASHINGTON — Nearly half the room was filled with champions. Their rings, each studded with 25 natural sapphires and 214 diamonds, from 2017 still glimmered, if not in lock boxes, certainly in memories. They knew better than to feel as shaken as they had looked coming off the Minute Maid Park field last week. They were beleaguered from an embarrassing Game 2 loss that frittered away home-field advantage and put them down 2-0 in the World Series to the chest-pounding Washington Nationals, who were playing more like the Astros had two years ago. 
The World Series heads to a Game 7, millions brace for blackouts as California wildfires continue and more things to start your Wednesday morning.Firefighter’s efforts to battle the raging Kincade Fire in Northern California could be hampered by gusts reaching 60 to 70 mph through Wednesday evening, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Paul Walker warned. The blaze, which had consumed more than 115 square miles, had damaged or destroyed more than 220 buildings and was only 15% contained Tuesday. About 200,000 people had been forced to evacuate the area, but the National Weather Service said almost 18 million Californians were living in areas where the fire risk was critical. 
