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Indiana men’s basketball made a front office type of move on Monday with the hiring of Ryan Carr, a former program manager, as Executive Director of Basketball, effectively a general manager type role with a focus on roster building.

Such hirings have become more common in college basketball due to relatively recent shifts in team and program building philosophies with the onset of NIL and the transfer portal. Indiana has plenty of connections around the basketball world with former players and managers in coaching and front office roles around college basketball, the NBA and other levels. Carr, working just up the road in Indianapolis with plenty of scouting and leadership experience, seems a natural fit.

Which seems to be the broad takeaway from the move based on reactions around social media. Here’s some that stick out:

Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell:

Former Indiana men’s basketball head coach Tom Crean:

ESPN reporter Pete Thamel:

NBA Draft analyst Jonathon Givony:

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard:

Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek

Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Jazz will be without backup center Jusuf Nurkić moving forward due to an urgent medical procedure:

I’m not a doctor, but I figure this procedure is urgent because Jusuf Nurkić is playing too well. For the Jazz, who are fighting to keep pace in a hotly contested race for draft position, every loss matters.

This leaves the Jazz with frontcourt rotations which will include Lauri Markkanen, (for now) Kyle Filipowski, Kevin Love, Oscar Tshiebwe, John “Jitty” Konchar, and Blake Hinson. The Jazz now have an opportunity to a) improve their draft position and b) Evaluate their end-of-the-bench talent before going all-in on competing next season. Kyle Filipowski has proven to be a skilled offensive player, but his defensive footwork leaves much to be desired. Can he learn to hang with upper-end NBA talent? New additions John Konchar and Blake Hinson have shown promise, but will they be part of the team’s long-term plans? The answers to these questions may be more clear after 30 games of watching them play big minutes.

Admittedly, if you had told me prior to this season that the Jazz would be Urgently Resting Nurkić for a Very Urgent Surgery, I would not have believed you. I was stuck in the past, dwelling on stuff like this:

. . . and not expecting this:

I have officially gone from “Well, I guess we had to take back salary to unload Colin Sexton” to “Wow, Nurk is a really nice backup with a cool skillset. It would be great if he re-signed here this summer.” Turns out that, sometimes, professional basketball players are really good at playing basketball, even if six-foot nothing, 5PPG-at-the-local-pickup-game guys like me think they’re washed.

Jazz coach Will Hardy has a few hours to re-work his rotations as the team prepares to take on the Houston Rockets at 7:30pm MT.

This hasn’t been the dream season we envisioned entering the year. If you came from the future and told everyone the Knicks would be the No. 3 seed and considerably behind the No. 1 seed in late February, I’d imagine near-universal disappointment. That’s fine, that’s reasonable.

What’s not reasonable is the way some people act after every single loss. Losing sucks, there’s no question about it, but you don’t need to write a thinkpiece about the entire organization after an off night. It’s an 82-game season, you’re not going undefeated. I think most people understand that, but then you also get takes like this on social media after the team’s disheartening loss against the Pistons on Thursday.

If you’re ever on social media, especially when one of these games are going on, you see the same tropes.

“This team doesn’t care”, “They’re soft.”, “They’re pathetic.”

This is especially the narrative after all the Pistons games. I understand it’s a different Pistons team than last year, but we also have to remember the regular season doesn’t tell the whole story. There’s also a misrepresentation of how Thursday’s game went. While the Knicks absolutely got punked in the first two meetings, they overall played with a good amount of intensity on Thursday. You know why the score was lopsided? The No. 3 3pt shooting team in basketball couldn’t buy one, while the worst wide-open shooting team in basketball once again shot over 40%.

The sky is not falling because the Pistons seem to have our number. There’s no guarantee that, assuming the Knicks stay in the 2 or 3-seed, the Pistons would even be the matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals! People saying that these three matchups are the reason they have no chance to come out of the East are being dishonest.

Different sects of the fanbase have different criticisms of the team. Some blame Jalen Brunson’s isocentric playstyle, which prevents guys like Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns from getting in rhythm. Some blame Mike Brown’s coaching style for not getting Towns the ball and treating him more like Domantas Sabonis. Some get on Josh Hart for the bad stretches when he misses an assignment off-ball defensively, and his reluctance to shoot. And then, of course, there’s criticism of Bridges and Towns for being soft.

Are some of these criticisms warranted? Sure! The Knicks are far from perfect, but they’re still a damn good basketball team. But some of these narratives are silly, especially the small, small sect that calls Brunson a ballhog and shows misleading on-off numbers.

But honestly, the most frustrating part about this stuff is glorifying the past. And no, I’m not talking about the 1990s or the 2013 Knicks, I’m talking about the recent teams. There was an unironic tweet during the 11-game skid that the 2021 Knicks, because of the defense and physicality, would beat this team in a playoff series.

(Speaking of the 11-game skid, this is possibly the worst tweet I‘ve ever seen.)

Nostalgia is a real virus. That 2021 team was the first playoff team for an entire generation of Knicks fans, but they were tremendously flawed. Once the Hawks learned to turn Julius Randle’s water off, it was over. Do we really think that team would be able to score enough in the playoffs and lock up Brunson and KAT? Seriously?

The more sensible nostalgia acts are coming from the 2023-25 teams. The Knicks played with a certain level of grit then, but people forget how things went for those teams.

The 2023 Knicks were an inspiring group that was genuinely ten-deep. The problem? The team’s second-best playoff performer was 23-year-old Quentin Grimes. Randle, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley were terrible against the Heat.

The 2024 Knicks might’ve been the most fun team to root for, and that’s what this boils down to. You love to root for the undermanned underdog with likable players and personalities, who play with a certain level of nastiness. But that team had a ceiling; their second option was Donte DiVincenzo. Now, if you want to talk about the January 2024 Knicks, I’m listening. They were special. But you were never getting that team again, not with the CBA forcing Isaiah Hartenstein to OKC.

There’s also a lot of comparing Tom Thibodeau to Mike Brown, some reasonable, some not. But let’s not act like the same people who are yearning for Thibs weren’t the ones begging for him to be fired midseason last year.

And that’s my point. There has always been something to complain about. In 2021, they couldn’t score. In 2023, they had no offense aside from Brunson in the playoffs. In 2024, a similar story. Then, when you add the offensive firepower, the pendulum swings the other way.

Make no mistake, this is the best Knicks team since Patrick Ewing was wearing orange and blue. They’re on pace for 52 wins. While they’ve had frustrating losses to Detroit and San Antonio, they’ve beaten Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Toronto, and Denver. They went 0-10 vs the top-three teams last year and 5-14 against teams that won at least 50 games. This year, they’re 7-5 (technically 6-5 but the NBA Cup counts to me, dammit) against teams playing at a 50 or more win pace. It’s a Pistons issue right now, not a crippling league issue.

It’s one thing when the likes of Draymond Green or Charles Barkley use buzzwords to insult this team. They’re outside media personalities who benefit from clicks. It’s disingenuous when it’s our fans doing it, pretending that we aren’t less than six years removed from Mo Harkless starting games with regularity and less than eight years removed from Allonzo Trier being our most promising player.

You know what, maybe I just need to get off social media.

The Washington Wizards are playing the Hawks in Atlanta tomorrow night. I’ve got you covered with the preview:

Game info

When: 7:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 24

Where: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network

Injuries

Wizards — Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Cam Whitmore are all listed as OUT. Tristan Vukcevic and Justin Champagnie are listed as DAY-TO-DAY. Additionally, D’Angelo Russell is not being asked to report to the team.

Hawks — Jonathan Kuminga is listed as OUT and has yet to make his Hawks debut.

Game notes and more

• The Atlanta Hawks were a hip NBA Finals contender ahead of the season, yet even in a rollercoaster of a season they’ve failed to kick their play-in addiction. They’ve traded their franchise player in Trae Young, minted a new All-Star in Jalen Johnson, rolled the dice on Jonathan Kuminga and watched Zaccharie Risacher, who they selected no. 1 overall last year, fail to make an impact. They are still the same middling old Hawks, and they currently sit at a meager 28-31, fending off a challenge from the flaming hot Charlotte Hornets.
• The aforementioned Young was, as any reader of this site is no doubt aware, traded to the Wizards ahead of the trade deadline. He has yet to make his debut, and it is unknown whether he will be playing this season or not, as all team-issued updates have been quite vague.

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain (AP) — Lucas Boyé scored twice for Alaves to draw with Girona 2-2 in an end-to-end La Liga encounter at Estadio Mendizorroza on Monday.

The second straight draw for Alaves lifted it three points clear of La Liga’s relegation zone.

Girona was three places and three points better off, although only six points separate Girona in 11th and Mallorca in the last of the three relegation spots.

The home side took the initiative after just five minutes when Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga missed Yusi’s low cross, allowing Boyé to side-foot home from close range.

However, Girona came roaring back and 14 minutes before the break it was level, Axel Witsel’s glancing header touched into the net by Vladyslav Vanat.

Girona took the lead in the 73rd minute when Azzedine Ounahi’s superb reverse pass split the Alaves defence. Viktor Tsygankov showed a cool head to round the keeper and slot the ball into the empty net.

But Boyé’s header a minute from time gave Alaves a deserved draw that could be crucial in its fight against the drop.

“We’re at home, and we know that to reach our objective as quickly as possible we have to pick up three points here, especially against direct rivals,” Boyé said. “We’re frustrated by the draw and by not getting all three points.”

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Coming out of the All-Star break, the Phoenix Suns had three games in four nights, going 1-2 with a dramatic win over the Orlando Magic and tough losses where the offense struggled against the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trailblazers. While it was a short week, the team lost multiple key players due to injury.

Here are the main questions for Week 18 that we want your thoughts on:

Getting Through the Injury Bug/Jalen Green’s big shot

Two questions in one block here. In the Suns’ three games this week, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jordan Goodwin all went down with injuries and missed the next game. Booker will be re-evaluated later this week, Brooks broke his hand and is out without a timeline, and Goodwin strained his calf and is also without a timeline.

Phoenix has now played 14 games this year without Booker and are en route to play at least two more. On a side note, if Booker misses four more games, he’ll be ineligible for All-NBA awards this year.

With the Suns’ top scorers likely out for an extended period, look for Jalen Green to get more into a rhythm with his new teammates. He played 30 minutes for the first time as a Sun on Saturday in the team’s double-overtime win that ended with him hitting a buzzer-beating three, green has been inefficient so far in his first ten games as a Sun, shooting 38% from the field and 31% from three. His shooting splits are the lowest of any season of his career. Averaging over 20 points per game in his previous three seasons combined, he has the potential to lead the team in scoring amid the injuries.

Is the answer to the Suns’ injury issues getting Jalen Green more acclimated into the offense? Who else needs to step up for the time being?

Offensive Issues

The Suns didn’t shoot over 40% from the field once this week. Their win against Orlando was the first time since 2023 a team won while shooting under 35% from the field, and their 77 points against Portland was the least points they’ve scored in a game all year, and is tied for the second-least points a team has scored in a game this season.

To win games, independent of whose in the lineup, the Suns need to hit more shots. While Grayson Allen missed Sunday’s contest due to injury management, he should be back in the lineup Tuesday.

What is wrong with the Phoenix offense? How can it improve?

For more questions on the Suns follow @HoldenSherman1 on X for content after every game.

Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes’ status is being considered “day-to-day” after imaging on his right ankle revealed a “little bruise,” coach JJ Redick told reporters after Monday’s practice.

Hayes played five first-half minutes during Sunday’s home loss to the Celtics before the team ruled him out of halftime because of a right ankle injury.

When in the lineup, the 7-foot Hayes has consistently been the backup big man behind starting center Deandre Ayton. 

Hayes has averaged 6.8 points on 77% shooting and 3.8 rebounds through 47 games. 

Redick said he believed Hayes would be listed as questionable for Tuesday’s home game against the Magic.

Magic guard Jalen Suggs is listed as questionable for Tuesday because of a strained back after sitting out Orlando’s Sunday win over the Clippers because of back spasms.