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President Orimo said, “In order to change the current situation, we have reached the decision to terminate the contract.”

Levanga Hokkaido has announced that it has canceled the contract with Kenichi Sako, the head coach, by mutual agreement. At the same time, it was announced that assistant coach Ryutaro Onodera will take over the team as acting head coach from the match against Utsunomiya Brex on February 11.

After retiring from playing, Sako became the head coach of the newly established Hiroshima Dragonflies, and since 2017 he has been the assistant coach of the Japan Men’s National Team, and since 2018 he has also served as the head coach of the Japan Men’s Under Category Men’s National Team. Then, in the summer of 2021, he left the Japan national team and became the head coach of Hokkaido. Although they recorded 21 wins and 35 losses (winning rate of 37.5%) from the first year, which greatly exceeded the previous year, they have been struggling so far this season with 8 wins and 28 losses (winning rate of 22.2%) and 8th place in the East Region.

Sako made the following comments in a club release: “At this time, I have decided to retire as the head coach of Levanga Hokkaido. My only regret is that I was not able to help the club for the fans and boosters who have supported me until now, and for everyone involved. I feel very sorry that I was not able to lead the team to a good result in the midst of the players who have a strong desire to win. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for not being able to repay that support.”

President and Representative Director Takehiko Orimo explains the reason for the cancellation of the contract as follows. “I have asked Kenichi Sako to lead the team from the 2021-22 season, laying the foundation for the team in the first year, and in the second year, this season, I have asked him to focus on the game and lead the team with a focus on results. , in order to change the current situation of being in the relegation zone without any results, we have decided to cancel this contract.

Since last season, he has been on the bench and will not start in the starting line-up this season.

Rui Hachimura is likely to play for the Wizards in just a few more games. The Athletic reports that the Wizards are in talks with several teams in the Western Conference about trading Hachimura.

Hachimura joined the Wizards in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft in the 9th place, and was placed in the starting position of the small forward from the rookie year and started in all 48 games. He had 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds. In his second season, 2020-21, he moved to power forward with the addition of Deni Abdiyah, but cemented that position, starting all 57 games with 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. and was active.

His 57 starts are second only to All-Stars Russell Westbrook (65) and Bradley Beal (60). He also made the playoffs this season. Despite losing to the 76ers in the first round, Hachimura scored 20 points in Game 4 and 21 points in Game 5, both with over 40 minutes of playing time. He was expected to be the team’s next ace.

However, when Kyle Kuzma joins in the 2021 off season and Kristaps Porzingis joins in the trade during the 2021-22 season, the wind changes. Until then, Hachimura was the number one power forward, and Davis Bertans was the second. was the first in the Kuzma is the first small forward and Abdija is the second. Abdija was also given a 32-game start in his rookie season, but his playing time has been significantly reduced this season in his sophomore season.

The situation has not changed this season, and Hachimura has appeared in 28 games while the Wizards have digested 44 games so far, and there is no opportunity to start. He’s averaging 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, down from his first two years due to less playing time.

Both Porzingis and Kuzma are under contract until 2024 and will become free agents at the end of the season if they waive the final year of their player options. The Wizards are planning to extend the contracts of the two leading small forwards and power forwards, and are poised to release Hachimura in the sense of giving room to the salary cap. Several teams are interested,” reports The Athletic.

Last month, it was reported that the Suns were looking to acquire Hachimura in connection with the sale of Jae Crowder. Crowder hasn’t been with the team this season and hasn’t played a single game as his relationship with the Suns has deteriorated. The team has not reached a winning percentage of 50%, and is in a situation where Hachimura is needed to rebuild. Others include the Mavericks, who want to reduce the burden on Luka Doncic, the Clippers, who haven’t gotten along even after Kawhi Leonard’s return, and the Trail Blazers, who haven’t seen any visible results from switching to younger players, and they seem to need Hachimura. There are many teams.

Hachimura himself will become a restricted free agent after this season with an $8.48 million qualifying offer. It will be interesting to see if he can win a new contract with Shincheonji until the February 9th trade deadline.