NBA notebook: Lakers reportedly to interview Bickerstaff

[May 11, 2019] 

The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to interview J.B. Bickerstaff on Friday for their vacant head coach position, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The former Memphis Grizzlies head coach is the second candidate to be interviewed by the Lakers in two days after the team met with former Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel on Thursday.

The Lakers were reportedly set to hire Tyronn Lue as their next head coach before negotiations on a deal broke down. Lue was the head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers the last time Lakers forward LeBron James won an NBA title.

Bickerstaff's Grizzlies were 48-97 in just under two full seasons. After the Grizzlies went 7-12 to start the 2017-18 season, he took over for David Fizdale in November 2017, but was unable to guide Memphis into the playoffs. The Lakers are looking to replace Luke Walton, who was fired after compiling a 98-148 record with the Lakers in three seasons.

--A flagrant foul called Thursday night on Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will not be rescinded, ESPN reported, citing league sources.

Late in the fourth quarter of the Sixers' 112-101 victory over Toronto in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Embiid smacked center Marc Gasol in the face with his hand as they were battling for a rebound. Embiid was called for a flagrant foul, his third point of this year's playoffs.

A player will be punished with an automatic one-game suspension after reaching four flagrant-foul points. Each subsequent flagrant point will earn the player an additional one-game suspension.

May 9, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts in front of Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green (14) after a foul during the fourth quarter in game six of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

--The Utah Jazz announced two developments in their front office, moving general manager Dennis Lindsey to executive vice president of basketball operations and promoting assistant GM Justin Zanik into the vacant GM spot.

The Jazz, who have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, were the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference this year but were eliminated in the first round by the No. 4 seed Houston Rockets in five games. The Jazz advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in 2017 and 2018.

Zanik, 44, who spent 10 years as a player agent, was in the assistant GM role for five seasons. He did leave in 2016 to become assistant GM of the Milwaukee Bucks before returning. Lindsey had been the Jazz's GM since 2012, taking over after Utah lost in the first round of the playoffs that year.

(Field Level Media)

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