With each cellphone chime, the day got a little crazier.
One tweet said Kawhi Leonard’s knee, which he said was “good” on Monday, was in fact not. He’d miss Game 5 and maybe more. Then one said Stan Van Gundy, the experienced coach and expert communicator hired to shepherd Zion Williamson’s ascent, was out in New Orleans after one season.
Then another chime and Chris Paul was out, placed into the NBA’s COVID protocols (a reminder that the pandemic is still very much happening). And then, like a tiny little morsel of dessert, Scott Brooks and the Washington Wizards parted ways, another head-coaching job suddenly open.