Star Clippers forward Paul George dealt with a rough four-game offensive showing during Los Angeles’ first-round series against the Mavericks. He bounced back with an incredibly efficient 35-point performance in Game 5 across just 25 minutes on Tuesday. George cites struggles with depression and anxiety living within the NBA’s Orlando restart campus as factors in his difficulty during the series, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN reports.
“I underestimated mental health, honestly,” George said in a TNT interview that Youngmisuk recapped. “I had anxiety. A little bit of depression. Just being locked in here. I just wasn’t there… Games 2, 3, 4, I wasn’t there. I felt like I wasn’t there. Shout-out to the people that were in my corner, that gave me words.”
There are more NBA notes out of California:
- The Kings have begun their search for a new general manager after firing GM Vlade Divac, though there appear to have been no interviews with candidates as of yet, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. If no one gets hired ahead of the NBA draft (tentatively scheduled for October 16) or the beginning of free agency (October 18), interim executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars would be at the reins for those decision-making processes.
- Kings small forward Harrison Barnes, who received a four-year, $85MM contract from Divac last summer, opines that the former GM laid a promising foundation for Sacramento during his tenure, according to James Ham of NBC Sports California. “I’m definitely thankful for all that Vlade’s done, not only for me, but for the Kings,” Barnes said. “I think with the talent he’s brought in, the work he’s done, he’s definitely set this franchise up to be successful.” The Kings posted a 162-238 win-loss record with Divac at the helm since 2015.
- As we previously detailed, the Lakers and Clippers voted last night to strike for the rest of the 2019/20 NBA playoffs in response to the Sunday shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers in Kenosha, but the 11 other remaining NBA playoff teams voted to keep playing. In a follow-up meeting today, players ultimately decided to resume playoff participation tomorrow or Saturday.
Lol Barnes is so lucky Vlade is such a bad GM.
I guess you can use past tense: I don’t think Divac will get another GM job in the NBA. He will always be the guy who passed on Luka Doncic.
If I recall I think luka said he wouldn’t play for the kings. Not if was just a rumor or true
This is what happens when there isn’t a strip club in the bubble, broken quarantine and depression
Kings should always go young for the next 5 years.
Buddy Hield big salary to 76ers for anyone except Horford.
Sounds like the Clippers and Lakers don’t like their chances of winning the West.
PG is using mental health as a crutch for playing poorly, and that’s pathetic, just pathetic. If he needs help, he should seek it, but he doesn’t and he’s using something very serious as an excuse for missing shots. Sad, entitled and clueless.
Where exactly would he seek it if he’s not even allowed to leave his building? You can’t be serious with this
Vlade bagley not luka, vlade hield&burns big contracts… Great job
PG could never hit the big shot for Pacers. Choke artist! Look at the stats. Now he tells us he is mentally weak. Leonard wanted to quit playing. Hear it now: Clippers are done. They aren’t winning s**t this year. Pacers don’t miss PG!