Did the Raptors have a knee-jerk reaction to NBA Playoffs loss when it fired Dwane Casey; Becky Hammon getting wide support for NBA head coaching position

In this episode, What's The 411Sports hosts, Keisha Wilson and Mike McDonald, are talking about the NBA Playoffs; the abrupt firing of Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey; support for Becky Hammon's NBA head coach consideration; Brad Stevens and Boston Celtics; LeBron James; Cleveland Cavaliers; the NY Knicks selecting David Fizdale for the head coaching position; Brooklyn Nets players in Los Angeles for practice and bonding, and a whole lot more.

San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich sings Becky Hammon’s praises

San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich, also known as the "Truth Teller," will let reporters know when they have asked a stupid question. However, when asked about Becky Hammon, Popovich was more than happy to spill the tea about Rebecca "Becky" Hammon, an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and the first woman to become a "fulltime" assistant coach in the NBA.

“She’s been fantastic,” Popovich said. “She’s knowledgeable, confident. She’s got a great attitude, she’s got gravitas and everybody respects her right off the bat. She has her part scouting teams, addressing teams, doing what all the other assistants do. She’s for real.”

Now, you know Popovich doesn’t mince any words, so if he says Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon is for real, then she is definitely the real deal. But if you know anything about Beck Hammon’s resume, then you already knew that. And, if you don’t know Hammon, she has a New York City connection in that she played for the New York Liberty (WNBA) from 1999-2006. She later played for the San Antonio Stars from 2007 – 2014, and like most women in the WNBA, she played for a multitude of foreign teams.

On August 5, 2014, Hammon was hired by the Spurs as an assistant coach, becoming the second female assistant coach in NBA history but the first full-time assistant coach. This also makes her the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the four major professional sports in North America. If that wasn’t enough, in summer 2015, Hammon became the first woman to coach an NBA Summer League team and that same summer, she became the first woman coach to win an NBA Summer League championship.

If you are reading between the lines, then you can surmise that at least during the years Hammon played for the San Antonio Stars, the Spurs’ organization could see up-close that Hammon is the real deal.

Lonzo Ball shows he has skills; Boucek joins Hammon in NBA ranks; Katie Smith has Liberty; Brooklyn Nets lose Lin for season; and; Knicks not winning yet

POPPIN'

Colin Kaepernick Files Grievance Against NFL

As we know, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL citing that NFL owners colluded to keep him out of the NFL for kneeling during the National Anthem.

However, some are saying that this case could be bigger than people realized. Various sources seem to think that not only could he end up getting his job back, but he could end up terminating the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement ahead of its scheduled 2021 expiration date:

Article 69, Section 2 of the CBA allows for the agreement to be terminated prematurely in the event of proof of collusion.

Under Article 17, Section 16(c) of the CBA, termination can arise from only one incident of collusion involving only one player if there is clear and convincing evidence of a violation.

Jerry Jones Didn’t Stand for National Anthem

It turns out Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not stand for the National Anthem during his first Cowboys game as an owner. Jones sat during the anthem with Liz Taylor, which prompted a fan to write this note:

“JEERS: To Jerry Jones and Liz Taylor, who were the only two people at last Sunday’s Cowboys-Redskins game not standing when the national anthem was played.

Riding out in a cart just before the anthem began was bad enough, but sitting while it was played was more than many of us could handle.

Jerry, please note that in Texas, we stand for the national anthem.

P.S.: Tom [Landry] always took off his hat.”

Lonzo Ball Gives Better Show with Game 2

Lonzo Ball had a terrible regular season NBA debut against the L.A. Clippers, but he redeemed himself in his second regular-season NBA game against the Phoenix Suns.

Ball flirted with a triple-double, scoring 29 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out nine assists while drilling four or more 3-pointers in the process.

QUICK HITS

• Chris Long of the Philadelphia Eagles is donating entire salary to boost racial equality in education
• ESPN sportscaster Jemele Hill is back from suspension and she’s not mad at ESPN.
• Kevin Durant admits: “A couple years ago, I didn't really know how to play team defense that well. More and more, I'm learning about team defense and making multiple efforts.”
• In separate incidents, Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins and Celtics’ Kyrie Irving were both fined $25,000 for coarse language aimed at a fan
• The Sacramento Kings hired Jenny Boucek as assistant player development coach. Boucek is now the second active female assistant coach in the NBA, along with Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs.
• And, the NY Liberty hired Katie Smith to be its new head coach

Shahid “Shan” Khan Goes off on Donald Trump, Again

Speaking to USA Today, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan doubles down on his recent critique of Donald Trump overall, Trump’s attacks on people of color, and finally the league. Khan said:

“Let’s get real. The attacks on Muslims, the attacks on minorities, the attacks on Jews.

I think the NFL doesn’t even come close to that on the level of being offensive.

Here, it’s about money, or messing with — trying to soil a league or a brand that he’s jealous of.”

Khan goes on to respond to whether or not he regrets contributing to Trump’s inauguration fund.

“I have no regrets in life. This ugly, toxic side sours the whole experience.”

 NIKE Connect Jerseys Didn’t Hold Up to Rigors of NBA

Nike is in its first year of a jersey deal with the NBA, and on opening night, arguably their biggest endorser — LeBron James — had his Nike jersey split down the middle of his back.

It might be taken as a fluke if it had only happened to LeBron.

However, in a preseason game, half the back of Lakers’ Tyler Ennis’ jersey had come apart.

Photo of the Week

Our Photo of the Week is a photo of LaVar Ball giving his son, Lonzo, some fatherly advice.

NY SPORTS REPORT

Yankees Fans Disappointed In ALCS Outcome

The NY Yankees could not get past the Houston Astros, so no trip to the World Series this season.

The Astros go on to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the MLB World Series. The first game is in Los Angeles tonight.

The New York Mets Get a New Manager

In the wake of Terry Collins exiting as NY Mets manager to work in the front office, the Mets signed Mickey Calloway as its new manager.

Calloway was a pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians and he received a warm welcome from Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

Calloway comes from a family that reveres baseball, he is named after Mickey Mantle and his brother Casey is named after Casey Stengel.

Brooklyn Nets Guard Jeremy Lin Out for Season

The Brooklyn Nets received another wake-up call during Game 1 of the regular NBA season when team leader Jeremy Lin went down with a ruptured tendon in his right knee. Lin had surgery to repair his ruptured patella tendon and will be out for the rest of the season.

 New York Knicks on a Losing Skid

Last week, we talked about how most NY Knicks fans were trying to reconcile in their minds that the Knicks are in rebuild mode and nothing says rebuild more when your team has yet to win a game.

Thus far, Kristaps Porzingas is performing well as the leader of the team, but the true measurement of leadership is how well Kristaps will be able to hold up under pressure from game losses.

With three consecutive losses so far, many Knicks fans are expressing their sorrow that Carmelo Anthony is no longer with the team. Anthony currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OFF TOPIC

D.L. Hughley Names the Three Most Hated Black Men in America

In a TMZ interview at LAX, comedian D.L. HUGHLEY said:

“The three most hated Black men in America are Barack Obama, Colin Kaepernick, and O.J.

And two of them never were accused of murder.

They hate Colin Kaepernick right now more than they hate O.J.”

LeBron James Give his Children a Lesson in Racism

In an interview with GQ magazine, Lebron James said he told his kids about the n-Word incident on their home in Brentwood, California. He used it as a teachable moment telling them:

“When y’all go out in public and y’all start driving or y’all start moving around, be respectful to cops, as much as you can.

When you get pulled over, call your mom or dad, put it on speakerphone, and put your phone underneath the seat. But be respectful the whole time.”

VIDEO: Conversation about Epiphanny Prince, Tina Charles, and Becky Hammon

Epiphany Prince rejoins the NY Liberty after missing the first 10 games of the season due to a prior commitment with Russia's National Women's Team. In her season debut with the Liberty, Prince scored a total of 12 points and had 2 assists along with 3 rebounds.

Liberty forward Tina Charles scored her 3,000th career point during a recent overtime win against the Washington Mystics. Tina also scored the game-winning shot! Go Tina!!!

Former New York Liberty guard, Becky Hammon scored another milestone. She is a coach of the San Antonio Spurs’ NBA Summer League. Hammon becomes the first woman to coach an NBA Summer League team.

New York Liberty's Tina Charles Calls Hammon a Trailblazer

The New York Liberty inducted Becky Hammon into the New York Liberty Ring of Honor on Sunday. Becky Hammon, is an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs and is the first woman to coach in the NBA. Hammon is the first woman to coach the winning NBA Summer League team, and she is a former guard for the New York Liberty. The New York Liberty Ring of Honor is a well-deserved honor.

Becky Hammon joins Liberty Ring of Honor

It was a great night for the New York Liberty franchise; it welcomed six-time WNBA all-star and former Liberty point guard, Becky Hammon into its Ring of Honor. Hammon joins Liberty Legends, Vicky Johnson, Rebecca Lobo, Theresa Weatherspoon, Sue Wicks and Kym Hampton. Becky Hammon is living proof that hard work beats talent. She entered the WNBA undrafted in 1999, and had to fight for a spot on the New York Liberty. Not only did Hammon become one of the best players to play for the Liberty franchise, she made history twice in the past two years. Hammon is the first woman to obtain a spot on the coaching staff of an NBA team and she is the first female to be a head coach for an NBA summer league team. Becky's induction to the Ring of Honor is well deserved; she is a great role model to the future generation of women’s basketball and an inspiration to all.

Liberty Snags Eastern Conference Top Spot

The night became even more special when the current leading ladies of the Liberty gained another home court win. This game allowed the Liberty to stand one full game ahead the Washington Mystics, securing their number one spot in the Eastern Conference. After dominating the second half of the game, New York proved that they can become contenders for a position in the playoffs. Tina Charles was on fire from start to finish, dropping a total of 29 points against the Storm, one point shy of her season high. Charles carried her team in both the first and second quarters scoring 14 points going into the half.

The Storm held onto the lead for the majority of the first quarter keeping the Liberty down by as little as three points. With just :02 seconds remaining in the first quarter, New York forward/guard, Essence Carson was able to squeeze in a layup to tie the game (23-23). The Liberty had just a one-point lead entering the half. Both teams struggled to make scoring plays during the second quarter and it wasn’t until after the half that the Liberty and point guard Epiphanny Prince showed up and balled out. New York quickly turned their one-point lead into 14 points after going on a 13-0 run in the first 4 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Prince dropped 9 of her 11 points in the third, helping her team take their biggest lead of 17 points.

The Storm battled it out through the fourth, managing to bring the Liberty’s lead down to single digits with a little over 7 minutes remaining in the game. However, the Liberty never allowed the Storm to take another shot at the lead. They walked away with a sixth straight win over the Storm and their 7th home court win. Though the Liberty secured the number one spot in the Eastern Conference, head coach Bill Laimbeer isn’t too sure if that will be enough for the team to be considered contenders for the playoffs.

“I don’t know yet,” said Laimbeer. “We still have a long way to go, the Eastern Conference is tough; got a lot of teams fighting in the Eastern Conference but I do know the first half of our season gave us a leg up and gave us some breathing room, but we can’t relax.”

With 14 more games left in the regular season, the Liberty does indeed have a long way to go. To the team’s advantage, more than half of those games will be played on their home court. The Liberty will return to Madison Square Garden on August 11th, where they will take on the 2014 Eastern Conference champs, the Chicago Sky for the third time this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm.

Athletes Rising: Becky Hammon, Danny Jacobs, and Mason Plumlee

In this episode of What's The 411Sports, the team of Glenn Gilliam, Bianca Peart, Gregory Alcala, and Chris Graham, are talking about the San Antonio Spurs elevating Becky Hammon to its coaching staff, making her the first woman to become a coach on an NBA team; and Professional Boxer Danny Jacobs' return to the boxing ring after beating bone cancer, and other stories