Skip Bayless: Lil Wayne texted me to connect him with Ja Morant 'because I could help him'

Skip Bayless: I tried, unsuccessfully, to connect Lil Wayne with Ja Morant. I know Wayne would fly to Memphis in a heartbeat. -via Twitter / June 14, 2023

One NBA GM who thinks Jackson deserves another chance suggested the NBA’s fourth-leading assists leader return to the league next season as an associate head coach, imploring either Memphis or New Orleans to make a pitch. The 58-year-old Jackson was regarded as one of the NBA’s most cerebral point guards and always found himself on the list of active players most likely to become the head coach. His critics say Jackson’s unwillingness to be anything less than a head coach hasn’t served the Queens native well. He needs to be open to be an associate head coach,’’ the GM said. “If he was on the bench in Memphis or New Orleans, he’d be perfect for Ja Morant or Zion Willliamson.’’ -via casino.org / June 13, 2023

A lot of conversation has been focused on how many games Ja Morant should be suspended, but Silver seems to believe that there is a better way to address the issues. The commissioner is suggesting a program to help Morant going forward. The Memphis Grizzlies star was suspended eight games for conduct detrimental to the league after a previous incident in which he brandished a gun on March 4 in a Denver-area nightclub. Silver believed at the time that an eight-game suspension was severe. “I think it’s important to point out that this is not just about disciplining him and crossing your fingers hoping it’s not a third time,” Silver said. “I recognize that he needs some assistance from the league office, his union, his team. … My hope is that wherever we come out in terms of discipline, there is a an acceptance that we need to find ways to engage with each other going forward so that he can change the trajectory that he’s now on, which is not a positive one.” “I want to find a way where, frankly, he’s not being kicked to the curb, but basketball will take a back seat and first and foremost, we’re going to focus on him as a young man developing as a better person as someone who is more responsible,” Silver added. -via cm.commercialappeal.com / June 8, 2023