NBA draft: Clippers select Missouri wing Kobe Brown with first-round pick

• June 23, 2023

PLAYA VISTA — The Clippers selected Kobe Brown, a strong wing player out of Missouri, with the final pick of the first round (No. 30 overall) of the NBA draft on Thursday night then added Miami guard Jordan Miller in the second round (No. 48 overall).

At 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, Brown not only can score but is an effective rebounder, having averaged 15.8 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Tigers last season. The first Missouri player to be drafted since Michael Porter Jr. in 2018, he also shot a career-best 45.5% from 3-point range.

Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said Brown is an experienced forward who is agile for his size and expects him to fit in well with the team.

“He checks all the boxes the Clippers are looking for with his mental toughness,” Frank said.

New Clippers general manager Trent Redden said both players “share high basketball IQs. They both got to play a good amount in their systems in college, so they’ve served as glue guys and connectors already.”

Brown and Miller are both expected to see significant time with the Clippers’ Summer League team, which will be coached by assistant Dahntay Jones.

Brown has been compared to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors because of his versatility, size and shooting ability. His size gives the Clippers a player who can score and defend, having been one of just four players in SEC history to post at least 500 defensive rebounds, 100 steals and 50 blocked shots.

With a bevy of wing players on the roster, Brown is unlikely to be much of a contributor during his first season in Los Angeles. His defensive presence, though, could make him a valuable end-of-the-bench player.

Miller played a huge role in Miami’s run to the Final Four this spring. The 6-7, 195-pound left-hander averaged 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 37 games while shooting 33.3% from behind the arc and earning a reputation as a solid defender.

Redden said he likes Miller’s decision-making and called him “a winner on all levels.”

Miller, 23, played five years of college basketball – three at George Mason and the final two at Miami, making him one of the oldest players in this draft.

The two young players join a veteran group led by All-Star wings Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who Frank said they want to build the team around.

Leonard had a “clean-up procedure” earlier this month on his torn meniscus, which cut short his season. Frank said the two-time NBA Finals MVP is expected to be 100% by the time training camp begins this fall.

“It went terrific,” Frank said. “He feels great. It’s an eight-week recovery from the date of surgery back to playing basketball.”

Miami guard Jordan Miller, 23, played five years of college basketball, three at George Mason and the final two with the Hurricanes, making him one of the oldest players in this year’s NBA draft. The Clippers selected him in the second round (No. 48 overall). (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

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NBA draft: Victor Wembanyama is officially a Spur; Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson go 2-3

• June 23, 2023

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama was the presumed No. 1 pick for months, the rare certainty in an NBA draft process that’s often a guessing game.

Yet as the clock above the stage he was facing ticked all the way down to zero, butterflies set in.

“Longest five minutes of my life,” Wembanyama said.

The San Antonio Spurs are confident he will be worth the wait.

The Spurs took the 19-year-old from France who arrives with enormous expectations to become basketball’s newest sensation on Thursday night, triggering chants of “Wem-by! Wem-by” from a group of Spurs fans waving signs from the first row of seats in Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Wembanyama comes with far more height and hype than most No. 1 picks. Listed at 7-foot-4, he dominated his French league in his final season there, leading all players in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

Now he makes the move to the NBA, perhaps as the best prospect since LeBron James came out of high school in 2003. Wembanyama brings a package of skills that seem perfect for the modern NBA and too vast for one player, with the size of a center and the shooting and ballhandling ability of a guard.

He teared up as he left the stage with his Spurs cap on and hugged his siblings, then joked afterward after how quickly he was handed a white-and-black No. 1 jersey with his name already on the back.

“Someone knew this was happening somehow,” he said.

Just about everyone did.

Wembanyama was the center of attention throughout the draft process and sat in the middle of the green room – for the short time he was there, anyway. He smiled for young fans who screamed “Victor!” as he walked around the arena, even encouraging one to throw him a basketball that he signed and tossed back up into the stands.

The Charlotte Hornets took Alabama freshman forward Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick.

Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite, whose bling-filled jacket stood in sharp contrast to Wembanyama’s solid green look, was the No. 3 pick by the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was during a two-game series between teams featuring Wembanyama and Henderson last October in Las Vegas that Wembanyama solidified himself as the main man in this draft, scoring 37 and 36 points in front of scouts and some future opponents. His highlights, such as a follow dunk of his own missed 3-pointer, became can’t-miss content for basketball fans during the past season.

Wembanyama is the Spurs’ third No. 1 pick and the first since Tim Duncan in 1997, which led to a stretch of five NBA championships through 2014 before they struggled in recent seasons.

He became the first international player drafted No. 1 without playing any college basketball since Andrea Bargnani in 2006 and ended a run of 13 straight years when a college freshman went first. Blake Griffin, a sophomore in 2010, was the last No. 1 who wasn’t a one-and-done.

Henderson was originally considered the likely No. 2 pick before Miller passed him after his outstanding season for the Crimson Tide. But the 19-year-old believes the two years he played in the NBA’s minor league has him more ready for NBA success.

“I’m the most prepared player in the draft. That’s what I say,” Henderson said. “The fact that I went there for two years just taught me so much. On the court, as well, but a lot of things off the court.”

And now it’s time to watch what longtime Portland star Damian Lillard does – and if the pick of another point guard will make him think about requesting a change of scenery.

Draft history was made with the Nos. 4 and 5 picks. Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson of Overtime Elite became the first brothers to be selected in the top 10 of the same draft, with Amen going to the Houston Rockets and Ausar following to the Detroit Pistons.

“Means a lot to my family,” Amen Thompson said. “We were going to be happy whoever went first. For us to go back-to-back, be the first twins to go back-to-back in the top five means a lot.”

Anthony Black of Arkansas was taken sixth by Orlando, ending the run of three straight players who hadn’t gone to college. But then it was right back to the international ranks when Indiana picked Bilal Coulibaly, Wembanyama’s teammate with Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 whose stock soared in the postseason as the team reached the finals in the Pro A League.

The Pacers dealt Coulibaly’s rights to Washington for Houston forward Jarace Walker, who was taken at No. 8.

The Nos. 10 and 12 picks were also swapped, with the Dallas Mavericks taking Kentucky guard Cason Wallace and dealing his rights to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had taken Duke big man Dereck Lively II.

Jett Howard is officially following in his father’s footsteps. The son of NBA champion Juwan Howard, now the coach at Michigan, was picked by the Orlando Magic at No. 11. Jett Howard played for his father this past season.

Juwan Howard was the No. 5 pick in the 1994 draft.

Gradey Dick of Kansas, whose dazzling red jacket resembled Dorothy’s shoes from “The Wizard of Oz,” went to Toronto with the No. 13 pick before Jordan Hawkins of national champion Connecticut was taken by New Orleans to end the lottery.

The Lakers took Indiana point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino at No. 17.

UCLA standout Jaime Jaquez Jr. was selected by the Miami Heat at No. 18.

Cam Whitmore waited and waited and waited. And more than two hours after the NBA draft started, his name finally got called. Whitmore went to Houston with the No. 20 pick. He was projected as a lottery pick – even a top-10 pick – throughout much of the pre-draft process.

More to come on this story.

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Horse racing notes: Juan Hernandez, Philip D’Amato take Santa Anita titles

• June 23, 2023

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

(Final standings)

JOCKEYS / WINS

Juan Hernandez / 42

Ramon Vazquez / 25

Umberto Rispoli / 23

Hector Berrios / 21

Kent Desormeaux / 18

TRAINERS / WINS

Philip D’Amato / 17

Doug O’Neill / 15

Mark Glatt / 14

George Papaprodromou / 13

Two tied / 12

WEEKEND STAKES AT LOS ALAMITOS

Saturday

• $100,000 Bertrando Stakes, 3-year-olds and up bred or sired in CA, 1 mile

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Juan Hernandez won his third consecutive Santa Anita riding title with 42 victories at the 28-day Hollywood Meet that ended Sunday. He also led with 10 stakes victories, five more than Hector Berrios. Philip D’Amato’s training title was his fifth at Santa Anita. He also led in stakes victories with five, one more than Bob Baffert and Richard Mandella. In the owners’ category, Reddam Racing took top honors, winning seven races from 38 starters, two better than Hronis Racing.

• Trainer Bob Baffert sent out two of his top horses for works Saturday at Santa Anita. Defunded, winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup on May 29, drilled 4 furlongs in 49.40 seconds as the 5-year-old gelded son of Dialed In prepares for a possible start in the Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 29. Arabian Knight, idle since winning the Grade III Southwest at Oaklawn Park on Jan. 28, worked 6 furlongs in 1:12.00. It was his fourth work since being freshened.

• Henry Q, trained by Doug O’Neill and owned by the Del Mar Group whose principals include UCLA coaches Chip Kelly (football) and Mick Cronin (men’s basketball), had his fourth work Sunday since finishing third in the Grade III Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 13. He went 5 furlongs in 59.80 seconds at Santa Anita. Also, the O’Neill-trained Ceiling Crusher, who’s won her four starts by a combined 37¾ lengths, drilled 4 furlongs in 49.80 seconds.

— Art Wilson

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Recession will cut Orange County home prices 11%, Chapman forecasts

• June 23, 2023

Orange County’s economy will sour along with the nation as local home prices fall by 11% in the next six months, Chapman University economists forecast.

The school’s semiannual economic outlook, released Thursday, June 22, calls for  mild national recession in the second half of the year.

“We’re even more confident that there will be a recession,” said Chapman economic professor Jim Doti, who predicted a late 2023 downturn in the school’s December forecast.

The culprit is no surprise: the Federal Reserve’s boosting of interest rates. Chapman’s downcast view sees the pricier financing throttling an overheated national economy that produced the worst bout of inflation in four decades, Those tight-money policies will sharply curtail hiring and real estate investments as 2023 winds down.

And Chapman isn’t alone. Cal State Fullerton economists predicted in April a mild, “garden-variety” recession that will stall the local economy for the rest of 2023 and through 2024..

Local letdown

Look at the oncoming recession’s Orange County impact as detailed by Chapman’s projections …

The 1.7 million jobs countywide at year’s end will be off 1% vs. the first half and flat during the year. Jobs grew 5.3% in 2022.
Local personal incomes will finish 2023 up 3.2% – up from 0.5% growth in 2022 but half of 6.4% seen in 2021.
And Orange County consumer spending, measured by taxable sales, will continue to moderate – will be up 3% for 2023. But that’s nowhere near the early pandemic spending spree: a 12% jump in 2022 or 23% in 2021.

Orange County housing will suffer an even sharper chill.

House hunters are balking at high prices and lofty mortgage rates. The 23,679 projected home sales for 2023 will be an 11% drop in a year and 22% below the pre-pandemic buying pace of 2018-19.

Limited housing demand translates to Chapman’s forecast of a year-end local median sales price of $885,000 – an 11% drop from $993,000 in June and 19% off the $1.1 million high of spring 2022. Chapman predicts an 8% dip for U.S. and California home prices by year’s end, too.

Unaffordability

It’s not that Orange Countians don’t want to own a home, it’s that few house hunters have the financial strength to make a purchase pencil out at current prices.

“The lack of housing affordability is wreaking havoc,” the forecast states.

Mortgage rates that started 2022 averaging 3.8% for 30-year loans now run 6.4%. Chapman sees rates falling to 5.8% by year’s end as the economy slows down.

In an odd way, this year’s costlier mortgages may have prevented larger price losses, Doti says. Homeowners with cheap loans acquired in the mid-pandemic days won’t give up that low-rate financing. So they’re in no rush to sell.

“Prices would have dropped way more if there was any semblance of supply to buy,” Doti said.

The projected cheaper loans, plus the forecasted price cuts, should help more Orange County house hunters qualify for a purchase. But the affordability picture is still not pretty.

Chapman economists estimate that at year’s end, the local median income will be 60% of what’s needed by a successful buyer of the median-priced home vs. 49% in June. But this local affordability yardstick averaged 77% in 2018-19.

The weak sales and pricing will cool homebuilding. The forecast shows permits for single-family houses down 24% in the next six months vs. the first half’s pace. Multi-family permitting will drop 21%.

All of this lethargy will also ice real estate-related hiring, the forecast shows. Orange County construction jobs will slip by 1% in the second half to 103,500. Financial services employment should dip 2% to 110,500.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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Angels’ Shohei Ohtani elected AL’s starting DH for All-Star Game

• June 23, 2023

Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani was elected on Thursday to start the All-Star Game at designated hitter for the third straight year, while outfielder Mike Trout moved on to next week’s Phase 2 for a spot in July 11 game in Seattle.

Ohtani bypassed Phase 2 of the process by virtue of being the top vote-getter in the American League, with more than 2.6 million votes. Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. received 3,082,600 votes to lead all players and secured his spot on the National League team.

“I would like to thank all the fans that voted for me,” Ohtani said in a statement released by the Angels. “This is a huge honor. I will use this as motivation and will continue to give it my all on the field.”

It remains to be seen if Ohtani will be selected as a pitcher also. Players vote for the pitchers and reserves, which will be announced on July 2.

Ohtani is the only player in history to be selected as an All-Star as a pitcher and position player in the same year, having done it in 2021 and 2022.

Ohtani is hitting .292 and leads the majors with 24 home runs and a .993 OPS. On the mound, he is 6-3 with a 3.13 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 89 innings.

The first phase of voting narrows each position to two finalists with the top vote-getter in each league rewarded as the automatic starter at his position. Six outfielders compete for three starting spots.

Trout is competing with Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays, Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, Kevin Kiermaier of the Toronto Blue Jays and Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers. The top three will be named starters.

Judge and Alvarez are currently injured.

Four Dodgers – first baseman Freddie Freeman, catcher Will Smith, outfielder Mookie Betts and DH J.D. Martinez – advanced to Phase 2 at their respective positions.

The second phase of voting will run from Monday at 9 a.m. PT through Thursday, June 29 at 9 a.m. PT. Vote totals from the first phase do not carry over and fans will be allowed to vote just once per 24-hour period.

American League finalists:

Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles; Jonah Heim, Rangers

First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays; Yandy Diaz, Rays

Second base: Marcus Semien, Rangers; Whit Merrifield, Blue Jays

Third base: Josh Jung, Rangers; Matt Chapman, Blue Jays

Shortstop: Bo Bichette, Blue Jays; Corey Seager, Rangers

Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees; Mike Trout, Angels; Randy Arozarena, Rays; Yordan Alvarez, Astros; Kevin Kiermaier, Blue Jays; Adolis Garcia, Rangers

National League finalists:

Catcher: Sean Murphy, Braves; Will Smith, Dodgers

First base: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers; Matt Olson, Braves

Second base: Luis Arraez, Marlins; Ozzie Albies, Braves

Third base: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals; Austin Riley, Braves

Shortstop: Orlando Arcia, Braves; Francisco Lindor, Mets

Outfield: Mookie Betts, Dodgers; Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks; Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Diamondbacks; Michael Harris II, Braves

DH: J.D. Martinez, Dodgers; Bryce Harper, Phillies

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Los Alamitos kicks off LA County Fair meet Friday

• June 23, 2023

Los Alamitos Race Course kicks off its 2023 L.A. County Fair meet on Friday with an eight-race program. The first post for the nine-day season is 1 p.m.

The meet is highlighted by three stakes races worth a total of $425,000 – the $200,000 Grade II Great Lady M., the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby and $100,000 Bertrando Stakes. Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday the first week, Saturday-Tuesday the second week and Saturday-Sunday the final weekend.

The first stakes race of the meet is Saturday’s Bertrando Stakes, restricted to 3-year-olds and up who were bred or sired in California. The mile race attracted a field of six and is the final race on a nine-race card.

Desmond Doss, who’s won the past two runnings of the Bertrando, returns for a try at a hat trick. He won the 2021 edition as the 8-5 favorite and was the overwhelming 1-2 choice last summer. He’ll try to become the first three-time winner of the race. Soi Phet also won the Bertrando twice in 2014 and again in 2018 as a 10-year-old.

The 7-year-old son of Grazen, trained by Steve Miyadi, is winless in four starts since last year’s Bertrando. He’s won seven of 23 lifetime races for earnings of $454,911. He’s owned by Nick Alexander, who will also be represented in the race by Lovesick Blues.

The Great Lady M., a 6½-furlong race for fillies and mares, will be run July 4 and the stakes trio will be capped by the Los Alamitos Derby for 3-year-olds on July 8.

The wagering menu includes a pair of $1 Pick 4’s on races 2-5 and the final four races on the card, a $2 Pick Six and the popular 50-cent Pick Five that includes a reduced takeout rate of 14% on the first five races.

The Pick Six will include the traditional 70-30 split, with 70% of the pool going to tickets with six winners and the remaining 30% given to tickets with five of six winners.

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Cody’s Wish setting the pace among Horse of the Year contenders

• June 23, 2023

By now, most horse racing enthusiasts have heard the heartwarming tale involving Cody Dorman, afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, and Cody’s Wish, the horse named after the teenager.

It’s a story that screams Hollywood, and it wouldn’t be surprising if someday there’s a movie depicting the connection between a boy and a horse that can run like the wind. Cody’s Wish is undefeated in two Grade I races this year, the Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day and the Met Mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

Dorman and his parents and sister visited Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Kentucky as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Cody was introduced to the curious colt and eventually, the 6-month-old weanling laid his head in the wheelchair-bound Dorman’s lap. The touching scene spurred Godolphin to name the foal after Dorman.

As we approach the halfway point in the race for Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish is in front, not only for what he’s done on the track but the fact some Eclipse Award voters will cast their vote for him solely on the tear-jerking circumstances.

A 5-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Cody’s Wish burst upon the scene last year when he won four of five starts, including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. He’s won nine of 13 career races and is unbeaten in seven tries at a mile.

The big question is whether the Bill Mott trainee can go a mile and a quarter. In his only two starts around two turns, he finished third at 1-1/8 and second at 1-1/16. But both of those races were before he matured and became the horse he is now.

Cody’s Wish is probable for the Grade I Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 5. That’s at 1-1/8 and will tell us a little more about his ability to successfully navigate two turns.

Here’s a look at my top five for Horse of the Year as we approach this summer’s big races and then the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita for a record 11th time on Nov. 3-4:

1. Cody’s Wish

If he wins the Whitney and climaxes the 2023 campaign with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he’s a shoo-in for Horse of the Year. He seems to be getting better each race, as his string of seven victories in his last eight races would suggest.

“I thought he had a possibility of being a good horse before we ever ran him,” Mott said. “It took us a couple of races to get him going in the right direction and to get him educated enough to where he knew how to use his run. He’s finally figured it out.”

Indeed. After taking four races to break his maiden, Cody’s Wish has turned into a monster.

2. Top Three-Year-Old

Take your pick – Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Preakness winner National Treasure or historic Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo. Will any of the three stand out in this summer’s Haskell or Travers Stakes?

If they do, and then also win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, they’ll be in the running for Horse of the Year. Forte ran a huge Belmont off a long layoff and is still very much a factor. Keep an eye out for Arabian Knight as well. He’s back in training after being taken off the Derby trail and his connections have been pointing him to the summer classics. Another Bob Baffert-trained colt, Arabian Lion, also is in the mix.

3. Clairiere

The 5-year-old Curlin mare’s resume includes victories in a pair of Grade I stakes this year – the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park and Ogden Phipps on Belmont Stakes day. Trained by Steve Asmussen, she’s finished third (2022) and fourth (2021) in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and, health permitting, she’ll get another chance this year to find the winner’s circle.

4. Defunded

Another colt that is improving with each race. The 5-year-old gelded son of Dialed In is 2 for 4 in 2023, including a victory in the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup on May 29 at Santa Anita. He might race next in the Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 29.

5. Up to the Mark

The 4-year-old son of Not This Time has won four of five this year, including the Grade I Manhattan on Belmont day. He’s a turf specialist, but that doesn’t work against him. Bricks and Mortar was Horse of the Year in 2019 along with being named top male turf horse.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73

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2023 NBA Draft: UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. goes to Heat at No. 18 overall

• June 23, 2023

Another Bruin is in the NBA.

UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. was selected 18th overall by the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA draft on Thursday night.

The 22-year-old, who was among the prospects in attendance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, was among the oldest of the available players, but that’s what he thinks set him apart throughout the draft process.

“Any experience is good experience,” Jaquez said during the ESPN broadcast. “I just treat it as such. That’s what I tried to emphasize to these teams, that I have a lot of experience and a lot of games under my belt that I can use to help an NBA team in the future.”

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Jaquez becomes just the second player to graduate from a Ventura County high school (Camarillo) and be selected in the first round of the NBA draft, according to Cal-Hi Sports. The first was Simi Valley product Don MacLean, who was drafted 19th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 1992 after starring at UCLA from 1988-92.

Jaquez did have another year of college eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the 2020-21 season, but he elected to forego that option and put his name into the mix for this year’s draft. The second-team All-American led the Bruins with 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, earning Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. The Bruins won the Pac-12 regular-season title for the first time since 2013 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season after making the Final Four during his sophomore season.

Jaquez finished his UCLA career ranked eighth in program history in scoring (1,802 points), 11th in rebounds (842) and eighth in steals (178). During his four years, he made three All-Pac-12 teams as the Bruins went 99-36.

He is just the third Ventura County (graduated) high school player to be drafted into the NBA, joining MacLean and James Ennis, who prepped at Ventura High and was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft (50th overall) out of Long Beach State. Jamaal Wilkes played for Ventura High but graduated from Santa Barbara High in 1971.

More to come on this story.

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