Pacific Notes: Teodosic, Harrison, Suns, Warriors

Milos Teodosic granted reporters, including Elliott Teaford of The Orange County Register, a rare interview to discuss his decision to leave Europe and join the Clippers this past offseason. Prior to this season, Teodosic was regarded by many as the best basketball talent not signed to an NBA deal.

Injuries have slowed Teodosic this year but the 30-year-old has shown more than a few glimpses of his creative passing ability. In 37 games (30 starts), the Serbian point guard is averaging 9.3 PPG and 5.0 APG. While he wishes he came to the NBA earlier in his career, Teodosic said he would have retired with regrets if he didn’t join the Clippers.

“This is the best league in the world with the best players. I’m real happy that right now I’m here playing with these great players right next to me,” Teodosic said. “I believe I came a little bit late. I’m 30 or 31, so I wish I came when I was 25 or 26, so I can work on my body and my game. At least I came here. If I didn’t come, I for sure would be sorry.”

Check out other Pacific Division notes below:

• A pair of historic performances earned Suns guard Shaquille Harrison a pair of 10-day contracts that turned into a multi-year pact. NBA.com’s Cody Cunningham looks at Harrison’s journey from undrafted prospect to being tasked with defending Damian Lillard in his second NBA game. “His confidence in me brings out my confidence,” Harrison said of coach Jay Triano giving him the assignment. “It’s an honor to be out there with him trusting me. It makes me play even harder because I know I’ve got the trust and he believes in my abilities. It’s easy to go out there and have fun and do what I do.”
• Teams purposely tanking to secure better draft lottery positioning has become a major talking point in the NBA. The Suns‘ poor play and resting veterans could be seen as a possible tanking attempt, but if it were the case, Devin Booker would not be playing nearly 40 MPG since the break, Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports notes.
• Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said the team will conduct a “wide-ranging” search for a head coach this offseason, Bordow writes in a separate story. Interim head coach Jay Triano will be among those considered, along with current and former NBA head coaches and possibly college coaches.
• The Warriors have been mostly universally praised for their roster construction, which has led to two NBA championships in three seasons. However, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic (subscription required and recommended) delves into Golden State’s offseason moves to see if the team made any missteps when assembling its roster for the 2017/18 campaign.