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Free-agent center DeMarcus Cousins wrote on Twitter Wednesday that he would "love" to help his old team, the Sacramento Kings, get back to the playoffs.

Cousins' remarks were in response to a tweet from KHTK radio host and Kings fan Carmichael Dave about potential frontcourt bench options in support of Sacramento big man Domantas Sabonis:

Would love to help sac get back to the playoffs 🙏🏿

— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) November 9, 2022

The Kings selected Cousins with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. He played in Sacramento from 2010-17 and made three All-Star teams while he was a member of the Kings. During his time in Sacramento, Cousins averaged 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

He's taken the court for six teams since 2017 and most recently suited up with the Denver Nuggets last year, when he averaged 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game.

Injuries have plagued Cousins since his Kings days, including a torn Achilles, a torn left quad and a torn left ACL. He hasn't been a full-time starter since his stint with the 2018-19 Golden State Warriors, but Cousins has been very efficient in limited time for various teams and stuffed the stat sheet for the Milwaukee Bucks and Nuggets last year.

He could be a great bench asset for the Kings, who are searching for their first playoff appearance since 2006. The Kings are just 3-6, but they have showed promise. Four of their six losses have been by just five or fewer points, and De'Aaron Fox (26.5 PPG) is playing at an All-Star level.

Cousins could be the spark that propels the Kings into the playoffs, but for now, Sacramento is looking for an upset win over the 8-2 Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Wednesday evening.

Wally Szczerbiak, a former NBA player and current New York Knicks analyst on MSG Network, is not a big fan of Brooklyn Nets power forward Ben Simmons.

"Most overrated player is Ben Simmons. It's not even close," he said on MSG Network Monday night (h/t Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News). "The guy couldn't even play in the playoffs two years ago. Then he was scared to get on the court all of last year. The guy is scared to shoot. He's the first pick in the NBA draft and you can't even get him on the basketball floor."

Szczerbiak wasn't done there.

"He's supposed to be a good defender," he continued. "He was playing for the Nets and they were giving up 125 points per game and they got their coach [Steve Nash] fired because they couldn't stop anybody. Simmons is so overrated you can't even put him in the game anymore. It's a little bit of a shame."

It's been a struggle for Simmons in his first on-court action for the Nets this season.

He fouled out of two of his first three games. Left knee soreness kept him out of four games. His return from that injury on Monday night didn't go well, as he posted only two points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 16 minutes in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, while Luka Doncic went off for 36 points.

"I'm my harshest critic, so I think terrible," Simmons told reporters when asked to assess his performance. "There's a place I want to get to. I got to keep working, I got to keep pushing myself and adapting, so I'll get there."

Overall this season, Simmons is averaging only 5.6 points on 5.3 shots per game. Offensive aggression has been an issue for him throughout his career, but in Brooklyn, he's taking less than half his career average in shots per game (11.4).

In most years and for most organizations, Simmons' struggles would be the primary storyline. On these Nets, the firing of head coach Steve Nash and Kyrie Irving's ongoing suspension have overshadowed him. As the season progresses, however, Simmons' struggles will become a greater worry if they persist.

Simmons is supposed to be the Nets' third star behind Kevin Durant and Irving. While he deserves some benefit of the doubt since he missed the entire 2021-22 season, he hasn't looked like anything closely resembling a star yet this year.

The New York Knicks have a stockpile of eight first-round draft picks, and the team is reportedly being patient with how those picks will be used to bolster the roster.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Wednesday that executives around the NBA believe the Knicks are "kind of hoarding those first-round picks just waiting for that next megastar to become available" in a potential trade.

The Knicks made three trades during the 2022 draft to secure three future first-round picks and create $18 million in cap space. New York chose not to use its draft capital to pull the trigger on a trade for three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who wound up being sent from the Utah Jazz to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for three players, three first-round picks and two pick swaps.

"For whatever reason, they did not believe that Donovan Mitchell was a guy they wanted to go fully, fully all-in on. ... You choose that you'd rather keep all the picks and all the flexibility," Charania said. "And you have to give [team president] Leon Rose credit for this: They've built up those assets necessary to when whoever that megastar is [available], they'll be right there for him."

Exercising patience isn't something the Knicks have been known for historically, as there have been instances in which the franchise sacrificed future assets in exchange for minimal immediate gain. While the regime under Rose and general manager Scott Perry should be commended for not falling into that trend, the New York fanbase has been starved for a superstar player since Carmelo Anthony was traded in 2017.

Through the early part of the 2022-23 season, the Knicks are a middling team with a 5-5 record. Julius Randle leads the team with 20.1 points and 8.9 rebounds, while prized free-agent signing Jalen Brunson is averaging 19.7 points and a team-high 7.3 assists.

The Knicks will look to get above .500 when they visit the Brooklyn Nets (4-7) on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is set to return from a one-game absence on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, but it sounds like he's not fully recovered from his sore left foot.

James told reporters that he will play Wednesday, but he still needs more rest to help his foot heal, putting his status for back-to-back games in question:

LeBron James said that rest is the only thing that can help his left foot soreness but he’s not going to sit out for an extended period of time. He said he’s going to play tonight against the Clippers. His status for back-to-backs will be determined based on how he’s feeling.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) November 9, 2022

James missed the Lakers' game against the Utah Jazz on Monday because of foot soreness. He also reportedly was recovering from an illness that affected him in the previous week.

In his 20th season, James had gotten off to a strong start. He leads the team with 24.3 points and 7.1 assists per game while also averaging 8.9 rebounds. His efficiency has plummeted, however, as he's shooting just 44.7 percent from the field and 21.0 percent from three-point range.

James was once known for his durability, but he's been slowed by injuries recently. The 18-time All-Star played in only 56 games last year because of knee, ankle and abdominal injuries. He missed 27 games in 2020-21 with an ankle injury. Since signing with Los Angeles in 2018, he's appeared in 60 games in a season only once.

The Lakers are off to a slow start this season with a 2-8 record, so any missed time for James is far from ideal. But on Wednesday, he will give the team its best chance to stop a three-game losing streak when he takes the floor against the Clippers.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss Wednesday's game at the Oklahoma City Thunder because of left knee soreness.

The two-time NBA MVP missed Milwaukee's 108-94 win over the Thunder last Saturday for the same reason. He was originally considered questionable, so the team erred on the side of caution.

Antetokounmpo is poised to be an MVP contender once again. The Bucks are 9-0 despite Khris Middleton missing time from his offseason wrist surgery, and the Greek Freak is a big reason why.

Through nine appearances, he's averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3W2s2sExPY

Antetokounmpo is crucial to Milwaukee's hopes of winning a second title in three seasons. The roster is collectively strong enough to where it can manage without him for a game or two in the regular season, though.

In the aforementioned Thunder game, Bobby Portis took Antetokounmpo's place in the lineup and finished with 12 points and 21 rebounds.

As long as Giannis' knee trouble doesn't portend a more serious problem, the Bucks shouldn't be panicking.

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly had interest in hiring suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka to replace Steve Nash and fill the team's head coaching vacancy.

But a number of factors led the Nets to bypass Udoka and instead hire Nash's assistant Jacque Vaughn for the role, per a report from Shams Charania and The Athletic:

"The Nets changed course from their initial plan to hire Udoka due to several factors, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the decision-making told The Athletic. These factors include an investigation and due diligence process by the Nets into the suspended coach taking longer than initially expected, the outcry after word of their plan became known to people outside and inside the organization and the short- and long-term question marks around the team's ability to contend in the Eastern Conference as a result of the indefinite suspension of Kyrie Irving."

Vaughn, 47, had served as the interim head coach since Brooklyn fired Nash last week and also operated in that role in 2020 after Kenny Atkinson was let go. However, rumors persisted that the Nets had eyes for Udoka.

Per The Athletic, the Nets "began direct communication on the potential to hire Udoka 24 to 48 hours before the franchise fired Nash last Tuesday, including receiving permission from the Celtics and engaging in initial discussions."

It would have been a controversial hire. Boston suspended Udoka for the 2022-23 season after he engaged in a romantic relationship with a female member of the organization.

"I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization and my family for letting them down," Udoka said in a statement to ESPN's Malika Andrews in September. "I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment."

The Celtics replaced Udoka for the season with assistant Joe Mazzulla.

Vaughn, who has been on the Nets coaching staff for the past six seasons, inherits a team in flux.

Brookly has suspended Irving after he promoted an antisemitic video on Twitter and failed initially to apologize for his actions. He is suspended for at least five games without pay, the Nets said he is "currently unfit to be associated" with the team, and he must complete a "series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct" before he can return.

Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:

- Apologize/condemn movie
- $500K donation to anti-hate causes
- Sensitivity training
- Antisemitic training
- Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
- Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2022

The Nets have started just 4-7. While Kevin Durant has played well, the team's third key player, Ben Simmons, has struggled when he's been on the court and has missed four games with left knee soreness.

Ben Simmons if he'll have to manage his knee going forward: "As an athlete your whole body you have to manage, even with my back, something I continue to work on. Coming back there's gonna be different quirks like that with my body that I have to maintain & stay on top of." #Nets

— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) November 7, 2022

Add the trade request Durant made over the summer and Irving's uncertain future heading into free agency this summer, and the Nets have been a constant source of drama.

Hiring Udoka would have intensified the spotlight on the team. Instead, the Nets stuck with Vaughn, seemingly in an effort to avoid further controversy.

Dwight Howard would have returned to the Los Angeles Lakers if they offered him a multiyear contract, he told Shannon Sharpe on Monday's episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast:

"I would've went willing to go back to the Lakers," Howard said (0:15). "I've been willing to go back. They told me every time we not gonna give nobody over 30 a multiple-year contract. So I’m like, 'Dang, I just helped y'all win the NBA championship. Y'all could get your boy a mil or two or give me a mil. I don't want a whole bunch of minutes. Give me 20 minutes and let me ball out.'"

Howard spent the 2019-20 season with the Lakers, helping the team win an NBA championship while playing 18 postseason games (seven starts). After a year with the Philadelphia 76ers, he returned to Los Angeles in 2021-22 and averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

The veteran failed to secure a new contract for the 2022-23 campaign and instead announced Monday he will play for the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan.

The 36-year-old even considered a move to WWE without a quality offer from an NBA team.

His ask of $1-2 million is also reasonable after earning $2.6 million last year with the Lakers.

Howard started 27 of his 60 games last season, although he averaged just 16.2 minutes per game. Even in a limited role, he still provided valuable interior defense with a résumé that includes eight All-Star selections and three Defensive Player of the Year awards.

The Lakers could use this production in 2022-23 after falling to just 2-8 on the season with three straight double-digit losses.

Anthony Davis has played more minutes at center, but there is limited depth with Damian Jones and Wenyen Gabriel the only other options at the position.

The Golden State Warriors have been one of the NBA's most disappointing teams at 4-7, but their front office doesn't plan on making any bold moves to spark a turnaround.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic that the team will not "overreact" to the poor start but will reevaluate if the team continues to scuffle:

"We’re not going to overreact to this start. We’re going to see how we move through it. But we view ourselves as contenders. There’s no secret there. And we’ll look at the roster as we move ahead. But at this point, it’s way too early to kind of make any proclamations about what we’re going to do. I know there’s an intense interest. I love that we have such a following in our community and such a passion for our team. It’s so nice to work in an environment where we have that engagement level. I mean, I walk across the street and get yelled at about what we need to do, which is what I love about the Bay Area and San Francisco.

But it is 11 games. I’ll get back on the phone with you after 40 games or half the season and if we’re talking about the same stuff, maybe it’ll be different answers. But at this point, it is early. Not so early that we don’t care what we’re looking like. But it is too early to kind of make any drastic decisions."

The Warriors' budding group of young talent has, to this point, been a major disappointment this season. Jordan Poole is shooting 30.1 percent from three after signing a $140 million extension, James Wiseman has been dominated by opposing centers on both ends of the floor, and Jonathan Kuminga still looks at least another year away from steady contribution. Second-year guard Moses Moody has also been unimpressive, while rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. is not in the rotation.

The abundance of young players taking up roster spots has led to a noticeable lack of veteran depth coming off the bench. Andre Iguodala has not played this season because of a hip injury, leaving JaMychal Green as the only reserve over the age of 25 getting regular playing time.

With Klay Thompson not looking like he'll regain his previous All-Star form after missing two seasons with leg injuries, the Warriors have foisted more responsibility than ever on Stephen Curry. While the two-time league MVP has been up to the task, his teammates have not performed consistently enough for the Warriors to win games.

Iguodala is not enough of a difference-maker in his final NBA season to be the missing piece. If the struggles continue, Myers is going to have to take a long, hard look at jettisoning one or two of these young players for a win-now talent.

As the Los Angeles Lakers sort through the reality that they have the third worst record in the NBA (2-8) after Monday night's lopsided 139-116 loss to the Utah Jazz, it's obvious that there are a lot of uncertainties to navigate in the land of Purple and Gold.

That includes the status of LeBron James, who is listed as probable for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to left foot soreness, according to Lakers insider Ryan Ward.

As if that weren't enough, Anthony Davis is also listed as probable due to low back tightness for a team that desperately needs to avoid sliding further down in the standings.

"I don't want to be 2-8 at all," Davis told reporters. "We got guys out. You got to look at big picture as it's only been 10 games, but 2-8 is a hard pill to swallow."

For a team that has a fanbase that expects them to compete for a championship every year, being a half-game ahead of the last-place Houston Rockets in the Western Conference after 10 games is unacceptable and the pressure is mounting for a turnaround.

The Lakers new head coach Darvin Ham is aware that his team needs to stop the skid and get back in the win column, quick, or it's going to be a long season.

"I would say this, man. And write it, quote it, however," Ham told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "This may be happening now at the outset of what we're trying to force to be a culture change in terms of getting us back to being highly competitive on a highly consistent basis, but it's not going to always be like this.

"We're going to turn the corner. I didn't come here to lose. They didn't bring me here to lose."

L.A. certainly didn't hire Ham to tank, they brought him on to figure out the conundrum of Russell Westbrook.

Right away, he's made headway with that directive by re-aligning the former MVP to the bench.

Westbrook initially balked at the idea of having to be a reserve, but it has paid dividends for him personally.

Much-maligned for his shooting woes, shot selection and decision making while in the starting lineup last season, Westbrook is now shining as the team's Sixth Man.

Russ off the bench:

— 2nd in PPG
— 1st in APG

6MOTY? pic.twitter.com/85MKAZuxFr

— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 5, 2022

Despite the Lakers' disastrous start to the season, the nine-time NBA All-Star is showing signs of life, averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in the six games he's come off the bench.

Additionally, he's shooting 48 percent from behind the arc and proving that's he's not the only thing that's wrong with the Lakers.

Case in point: after the first half of action in the loss to the Jazz, Westbrook had 18 points on 6-of-9 from the field (2-of-2 from three) and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

And according to StatMuse, L.A. is +5 with Westbrook on the floor, as opposed to -47 when he's on the bench.

That's quite the turnaround.

So what is wrong with the Lakers?

First of all, collectively, they can't shoot.

"We gotta be able to step up and make a shot," Ham told reporters after losing to the Jazz. "If you can score, we'll work you out tomorrow."

Imagine needing shooters to the point of soliciting scoring help from reporters in a press conference, even in jest.

That's how bad things are in L.A.

Even worse than the Lakers' offensive woes is their decline on the defensive end.

Currently, they have a defensive rating of 110.8, which is good enough for 12th best in the league.

But after giving up 139 points to Utah (average of 134.5 points in two losses), it's evident that their intensity on that end has taken a step back.

"We have lost all of our defensive intensity and that’s what is killing us," Davis added.

Davis is still rallying to be moved to the power forward position, so that he can roam on defense to help, but with no one protecting the rim behind him, that's a move that Ham can't make.

Should L.A. find a way to reshape its roster, it might be prudent to go out and sign players like DeMarcus Cousins or Tristan Thompson to play center, so Davis can float back to the 4 and be the versatile defender he was during the team's championship run in 2020.

Until then, though, Ham has his hands full trying to turn the page on the Lakers' disastrous start to the season.

"I don't want anyone around me with a defeatist mentality," Ham added. "I don't want anyone around me that's not competitive. I don't want anyone around me that's selfish. We got to be on the same page at all times, through the good, bad and indifferent."

Jacque Vaughn is the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

Brooklyn announced on Wednesday that Vaughn, who was acting as interim head coach, will remain at the helm for the rest of the season.

The Brooklyn Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as head coach. pic.twitter.com/sgQZ4OtFNA

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 9, 2022

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Vaughn's promotion comes with a contract throug the 2023-24 season.

The position became open after the Nets announced they parted ways with Steve Nash on Nov. 1. Vaughn was named the acting head coach for the game against the Chicago Bulls that day, but it didn't take long for other names to appear as potential replacement candidates.

As for Nash, he thanked the team for an "amazing experience" in a statement after he was let go:

pic.twitter.com/GUGhBtHKUL

— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) November 1, 2022

Nash went 94-67 as the head coach, losing in the second round of the playoffs in his first season and the first round in his second.

That second season didn't go anywhere near according to plan, as Kyrie Irving missed significant time because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, Kevin Durant dealt with injury concerns, and James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ben Simmons came over in the Harden deal but didn't play last season.

Shams Charania of The Athletic then reported in August that Durant met with Nets governor Joe Tsai and gave him an ultimatum to either fire Nash and general manager Sean Marks or trade him.

The 34-year-old ultimately stayed, but it was quite the tone heading into a new campaign.

After Nash was fired, Charania reported Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics was a "strong front-runner" for the position. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted the team was also expected to explore hiring former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder.

Yet general manager Sean Marks told reporters at the time the team hadn't decided on its next head coach.

The Nets ultimately decided to stick with Vaughn, who is now in charge of leading a team that has the talent to potentially compete for a championship but is yet to come together and reach its ceiling.

Durant and Irving are quite the one-two punch on the offensive side, Simmons is a two-time All-Defensive selection, and the list of role players includes sharp-shooters Seth Curry and Joe Harris.

Whether Vaughn can figure out a way to mold that talent into a championship contender will shape the overall outlook of the Eastern Conference ahead of the playoffs.

The Nets (4-7) are 2-2 so far under Vaughn. Keeping him in the fold provides the team with some stability as it tries to get back on track this season.