Alva Review-Courier -

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Mark Daigneault has quite a task ahead of him in Oklahoma City.

He is heading into his first NBA head coaching gig at age 35, and he was hired to replace Billy Donovan a week before the draft and a month before the start of the preseason.

There's more. The key veterans who helped Oklahoma City reach the playoffs last season -- Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Danilo Gallinari and Dennis Schroder -- are gone.

And then, there is the uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic has added.

Daigneault doesn't want to hear excuses.

"It's a challenge for everybody, and it's not limited to the NBA,...