In this weeks 13 Rules: Random NBA Thoughts Steve Purciello dives shares more random NBA thoughts. 13 Rules: Bulls Front Office Issues, Embiid Injury, and Spurs Playoff Decisions and more. Make sure to listen and add the 13 Rules: NBA Random Thoughts podcast the Shot Clock Pod to your list!
Why NBA Success Starts at the Top: Ownership and Leadership
When you talk about the best organizations from top to bottom in the NBA the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics names are usually the first mentioned. It isn’t surprising why they are two of the top teams in the league. We often evaluate coaches and players, but everything starts at the top—owners and Presidents of Team Operations or General Managers are the people who set the direction of a team and decide how much money to spend.
The Worst-Run NBA Franchises: Bulls, Pelicans, and Kings
When you talk about the worst organizations from top to bottom in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings are usually the first mentioned. Those three are among the worst teams in the league.
Chicago Bulls Front Office Problems Continue
Speaking of the Chicago Bulls, last week we mentioned Billy Donovan was not happy with Artūras Karnišovas, the Executive Vice President of Operations, who was fired from his position a few years too late. Bulls ownership always seems a year or two late on making these decisions. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf and his son Michael Reinsdorf take the blame for that mess. On the good side, after seeing Michael Malone take the North Carolina head coaching position, Donovan looks like he’ll stay with the Bulls in some capacity. With Chicago, though, you never know.
Joel Embiid Injury News: 76ers Star Faces Another Setback
Joel Embiid getting his appendix removed is just another bad break for the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel. It seems every time Joel plays a few games and puts up good numbers, something happens to him and he’s out for a while. It’s rough for his team now because this time it’s right before the play-in and playoffs. What’s worse is Embiid signed a contract through the 2028–29 season, with that last year being a player option. This will go on for a few more years.
Anthony Davis Trade Complaints and NBA Player Reputation
Anthony Davis complained about not getting a tribute video when he went back to play in New Orleans. For that reason, he does not want to play with the New Orleans Pelicans ever again. He also complained about not getting forewarned about the trade from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks. Keep in mind Davis has a contract through the 2027–28 season for $175.37 million. Did you ever wonder why players in the NBA often get a bad rap?
Spurs Playoff Decisions: San Antonio Playoff Implications Against Denver Nuggets
The San Antonio Spurs find themselves in an interesting position entering Sunday’s game with the Denver Nuggets. If the Spurs win and the Lakers beat the tanking Utah Jazz, the Lakers finish third and would play Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. Playing either of those two teams would make it easier than playing Denver. It will be interesting to see if San Antonio chooses rest or tries to win the game. The game is in San Antonio.
NBA Tanking Issue and Playoff Preview Highlights
Over the last few weeks, the NBA has had a problem because there are ten tanking teams, and whenever they played a playoff-bound team, they lost and were usually not competitive. Two games stand out—games that gave us a preview of the playoffs. One was the Denver–San Antonio game last Saturday. The Nuggets trailed most of the game, tied it at the end of regulation, and won it in overtime. The other game was the Boston Celtics–New York Knicks game Thursday night. Neither team has any love for the other, and they always go hard when they play. The Knicks won the game on Josh Hart‘s clutch threes down the stretch. Both games gave us high intensity.