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Month: November 2024

Central Notes: Caruso, COVID-19, Bridges, Joseph, McGruder

April 18th, 2022 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Guard Alex Caruso played 33 minutes in the Bulls’ Game 1 loss to the Bucks on Sunday. Coach Billy Donovan said Caruso has been dealing with back pain for several weeks and is trying to tough it out, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. He was limited to seven points and missed all but one of his five 3-point attempts.

‘‘He’s felt the best I think he has felt,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Is he 100%? No, but he’s a lot better than he was those games before he sat out. I do think with Alex [that minutes restrictions are] going to be somewhat important. I think if you start pushing him with his back up into the high 30s, I don’t think that would be really, really wise. You want to see how he’s feeling in the game. He kind of throws his body in there and plays incredibly hard and physical, so we’ll have to see how he responds.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • The Bucks are wary of how a positive COVID-19 test could affect their playoff run, coach Mike Budenholzer told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He noted how Paul George missed the Clippers’ second play-in game after testing positive. “There’s been a lot of positive movement. You just don’t want to forget, you’ve just got to know it’s still out there,” Budenholzer said. “When we had the conversation what happened with the Clippers and Paul George had happened and the coaching staff with Chicago. I’m guessing those things pop up in conversations in the locker room or at baskets and things like that. It’s not good, but in the sense of it just being a reminder in conversation, I think it’s helpful. Certainly our guys are aware.”
  • The Pistons could have the most cap space in the league this summer but a giant offer sheet for Hornets restricted free agent Miles Bridges wouldn’t be a wise move, James Edwards III of The Athletic opines. Bridges’ best position is probably at power forward and putting him in that spot wouldn’t be a long-term upgrade over Saddiq Bey, who can play either forward spot.  If Detroit winds up with a top-three pick, the team will likely draft a power forward, which would force Bridges to play small forward with Bey moving out of position to shooting guard. The only way adding Bridges would make sense would be to trade Jerami Grant for a wing or to draft one with their lottery pick, Edwards writes.
  • Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press predicts that Grant, Cory Joseph and Rodney McGruder won’t return next season but that the Pistons will re-sign restricted free agent Marvin Bagley III.
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Thunder Notes: Dort, Bazley, Giddey, Salary Cap, Draft

April 18th, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder are interested in reaching contract extension agreements with Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley but only if the price is right, GM Sam Presti told The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto and other media members on Monday.

“They’re both great guys,” Presti said. “I want to hear what they’re thinking, and I need them to understand we have to also balance the interest of the team as well.”

Presti indicated extension talks with Dort haven’t begun, Mussatto tweets.

“We’ll definitely have a conversation on that,” Presti said. “I don’t know when those conversations will pick up. We’ll have some different options. I don’t want to get into all of them.”

Here are some other highlights from Presti’s annual end-of-season press conference, via Mussatto:

  • Dort (shoulder), Bazley (knee) and Josh Giddey (hip), among others, didn’t finish the season due to injuries but Presti expects everyone on the roster to be ready for training camp.
  • The Thunder will play in two summer leagues, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Giddey and Aleksej Pokusevski will play in Salt Lake City.
  • The Thunder have only $54MM on the books for the 2023/24 season and will continue efforts to keep their salary sheet clean leading up to a new CBA in the summer of 2023.
  • If they’re not playing meaningful games as next season progresses, the Thunder plan to once again go into development mode as the season winds down. “We’re not just trying to figure out how to win two more games next year,” Presti said. “We could do that, but that solution doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best long-term solution for the team.”
  • There’s a slim chance the Thunder could hold onto all four picks it currently possesses in the draft. “One thing I don’t think has been explored enough in the NBA is just drafting everybody and then figuring it out,” Presti said.
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Marcus Smart Named Defensive Player Of The Year

April 18th, 2022 at 6:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced today in a press release.

Smart is the first guard to earn the honor since Gary Payton in the 1995/96 season. He’s also the second Celtic to win the award, joining Kevin Garnett (2007/08).

The 100 votes among sportswriters and broadcasters were spread out, reflecting that there was no clear-cut favorite for the award this season. Smart’s candidacy was aided by Boston’s strong finish and status as the league’s top-rated defensive unit. The team allowed the fewest points per game and lowest field-goal percentage.

Smart received 257 points overall and 37 first-place votes. Suns forward Mikal Bridges finished in second place with 202 points (22 first-place votes), while Jazz center and three-time DPOY Rudy Gobert was in third place with 136 points (12 first-place votes).

Overall, seven players received at least one first-place vote, including Bam Adebayo (13), Jaren Jackson Jr. (10), Giannis Antetokounmpo (5), and Robert Williams III (1). Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Draymond Green, and Matisse Thybulle also earned votes.

The full results can be viewed here.

Smart ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68) and tied for sixth in total steals (119). Smart, who signed a four-year, $77MM contract last offseason, ranked among the league leaders in several “hustle” categories, finishing tied for fourth in loose balls recovered (75) and tied for 10th in both deflections (206) and charges drawn (16).

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Luka Doncic Out For Game 2

April 18th, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

APRIL 18: Doncic won’t play tonight, the team’s PR department tweets.

APRIL 17, 4:00pm: Dallas announced (Twitter link) that Doncic has indeed been listed as doubtful for Game 2. The team added that swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. and reserve guard Frank Ntilikina will remain sidelined as well.

APRIL 17, 1:34pm: Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic appears doubtful to suit up for Dallas in Game 2 of the club’s second game against the Jazz Monday, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Woj notes that Doncic is not officially sidelined yet, but it appears that his left calf strain is still affecting him enough that he may have to wait a bit longer to make his 2022 postseason debut. The fifth-seeded Jazz beat the fourth-seeded Mavericks 99-93 on Saturday, with Dallas down its best player.

“Yesterday was another good day, and today he’s back on the court [doing light shooting for two straight days], so that’s a plus,” head coach Jason Kidd said of the star’s progress back from the injury. “And we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

This report is not entirely unexpected, as Woj had previously indicated that there was “significant concern” Doncic would miss this second contest as he continues to rehab the calf. Falling down 2-0 at home to an experienced Jazz team, ahead of a road trip to Utah, would be quite the deficit for Dallas.

In 65 games for a 52-30 Mavericks club this season, Doncic averaged a stellar 28.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 8.7 APG on .457/.353/.744 shooting splits. The 23-year-old has made the playoffs for the third straight season, but has yet to lead his team beyond the first round.

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Duke’s Mark Williams Declares For Draft

April 18th, 2022 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Duke big man Mark Williams has declared for the draft, making the announcement on his Instagram page.

The seven-foot sophomore started all 39 games for the Blue Devils this past season, averaging 11.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 2.8 BPG in 23.6 MPG. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

He’s currently listed No. 18 on ESPN’s Best Available prospects list and second among projected centers behind only Memphis’ Jalen Duren, who also declared on Monday. According to ESPN’s analysis posted in mid-March, Williams is “one of the best shot-blockers in this draft class and brings a consistent presence as a vertical spacer and an offensive rebounder for Duke, finishing 71% of his field goal attempts, with nearly half of those makes coming on dunks.”

Williams is a traditional post player — he only attempted one 3-pointer in his two seasons at Duke. He had a 28-point, 12-rebound, 3-block performance against Syracuse late in the regular season. He posted 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks against Arkansas in the West Region Elite 8 contest.

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2022 Pre-Lottery NBA Draft Order

April 18th, 2022 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers on Monday, further cementing the draft order for 2022. While we’ll have to wait until the May 17 draft lottery to learn the exact order for this year’s event, we now know what most of the 60 selections look like.

Listed below is the pre-lottery 2022 NBA draft order. Each lottery team’s chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick are noted in parentheses. We’ve also included notes for picks whose status remains up in the air — for example, the Lakers‘ first-round pick could still technically end up with either the Pelicans or Grizzlies.

[RELATED: 2022 NBA Draft Lottery Odds]

The second-round draft order for teams with identical regular season records is the inverse of their first-round order. This rule applies even when one club made the playoffs and one didn’t. For instance, the 43-39 Hawks will pick ahead of the 43-39 Hornets in the second round.

We’ll provided an updated list after the May 17 lottery, once the official draft order is set, but here’s the tentative 2022 NBA draft order:

First Round:

  1. Houston Rockets (14.0%)
  2. Orlando Magic (14.0%)
  3. Detroit Pistons (14.0%)
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder (12.5%)
  5. Indiana Pacers (10.5%)
  6. Portland Trail Blazers (9.0%)
  7. Sacramento Kings (7.5%)
  8. New Orleans Pelicans (from Lakers) (6.0%)
    • Note: The Grizzlies will receive this pick if it falls to No. 11 or No. 12.
  9. San Antonio Spurs (4.5%)
  10. Washington Wizards (3.0%)
  11. New York Knicks (2.0%)
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers) (1.5%)
  13. Charlotte Hornets (1.0%)
  14. Cleveland Cavaliers (0.5%)
  15. Charlotte Hornets (from Pelicans)
  16. Atlanta Hawks
  17. Houston Rockets (from Nets)
  18. Chicago Bulls
  19. Minnesota Timberwolves
  20. San Antonio Spurs (from Raptors)
  21. Denver Nuggets
  22. Memphis Grizzlies (from Jazz)
  23. Brooklyn Nets (from Sixers)
    • Note: The Nets have the option of deferring their acquisition of the Sixers’ pick to 2023. That decision must be made by June 1.
  24. Milwaukee Bucks
  25. San Antonio Spurs (from Celtics)
  26. Dallas Mavericks
  27. Miami Heat
  28. Golden State Warriors
  29. Memphis Grizzlies
  30. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Suns)

Second Round:

  1. Indiana Pacers (from Rockets)
  2. Orlando Magic
  3. Toronto Raptors (from Pistons)
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder
  5. Orlando Magic (from Pacers)
  6. Portland Trail Blazers
  7. Sacramento Kings
  8. San Antonio Spurs (from Lakers)
  9. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Spurs)
  10. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Wizards)
  11. New Orleans Pelicans
  12. New York Knicks
  13. Los Angeles Clippers
  14. Atlanta Hawks
  15. Charlotte Hornets
  16. Detroit Pistons (from Nets)
  17. Memphis Grizzlies (from Cavaliers)
    • Note: If the Lakers’ first-round pick falls outside of the top 10, this pick would instead go to the Pelicans.
  18. Minnesota Timberwolves
  19. Sacramento Kings (from Bulls)
  20. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Nuggets)
  21. Golden State Warriors (from Raptors)
  22. New Orleans Pelicans (from Jazz)
  23. Boston Celtics
  24. Milwaukee Bucks
  25. Miami Heat (from Sixers)
  26. Washington Wizards (from Mavericks)
  27. Golden State Warriors
  28. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Heat)
  29. Portland Trail Blazers (from Grizzlies)
  30. Indiana Pacers (from Suns)
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2022 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results

April 18th, 2022 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA conducted a series of random tiebreakers today to determine the 2022 draft order. These tiebreakers involved teams that finished the regular season with identical records.

The results are as follows, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link):

  • Chicago Bulls (No. 18) over Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 19)
  • San Antonio Spurs (No. 20) over Denver Nuggets (No. 21)
    • Note: The Spurs are receiving this pick from the Raptors.
  • Philadelphia 76ers (No. 23) over Milwaukee Bucks (No. 24) over San Antonio Spurs (No. 25)
    • Note: The Nets have the option of acquiring this pick from the Sixers or passing on it and instead acquiring Philadelphia’s 2023 first-round pick.
    • Note: The Spurs are receiving this pick from the Celtics.
  • Miami Heat (No. 27) over Golden State Warriors (No. 28).

While the tiebreaker winner will pick ahead of the loser(s) in the first round, that order will be flipped in the second round. For instance, the Timberwolves’ second-round pick will be at No. 48, while the Bulls’ second-rounder (traded to Sacramento) will be No. 49.

Now that Philadelphia won the three-way tiebreaker for the No. 23 pick, Brooklyn will be faced with an interesting decision. If they decide to pass on receiving the Sixers’ 2022 first-rounder, the Nets would instead receive Philadelphia’s unprotected 2023 first-rounder.

With a full season of James Harden, the Sixers could be even better next year, pushing their pick later in the first round — but that’s certainly not a lock, and Brooklyn could decide to roll the dice by deferring the pick. The Nets have until June 1 to make that decision, per Marks (Twitter link).

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Memphis’ Jalen Duren Entering 2022 NBA Draft

April 18th, 2022 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Memphis freshman center Jalen Duren will enter the 2022 NBA draft and will forgo his remaining college eligibility, signing with agent Chafie Fields of Wasserman, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Duren averaged 12.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 29 games (25.3 MPG) during his first and only college season, earning AAC Freshman of the Year honors and making the All-AAC First Team. Givony currently has Duren ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect on ESPN’s big board and says the big man is the youngest college player projected to be drafted in 2022.

In his scouting report, Givony refers to Duren as a “major force inside the paint” on both ends of the floor, lauding his ability to protect the rim on defense and to finish at the basket on offense. The youngster also showed some promising signs as a passer and shooter, Givony adds, but even without taking major strides in those areas, he could be ready to step into a regular NBA role right away.

“A guy like Evan Mobley — he had a big impact defensively on the Cavs-bringing size, length, mobility. I want to be that kind of guy early on, have that same type of impact,” Duren told ESPN. “I also study guys like Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jokic. The ball runs through them and they can really pass. My game fits that. I can guard 1-5. Hedge and switch on ball-screens and read all the pick and rolls. I’ve developed all those things very well.”

Duren joins our ever-growing list of early entrants for the 2022 draft, which can be found right here.

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NBA G League Announces 2021/22 All-NBAGL Teams

April 18th, 2022 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets two-way player Trevelin Queen, who was named the NBA G League MVP and the G League Finals MVP this season, has added two more honors to his impressive 2021/22 résumé.

Queen headlined this year’s All-NBA G League First Team and also earned a spot on the NBAGL’s All-Defensive team, as the league announced today in a press release.

The complete list of the 2021/22 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players who finished the season on NBA contracts are noted with an asterisk (*), while those on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).

All-NBAGL First Team

All-NBAGL Second Team

All-NBAGL Third Team

NBAGL All-Rookie Team

  • Charles Bassey (Delaware Blue Coats) *
  • Luka Garza (Motor City Cruise) *
  • Carlik Jones (Texas Legends)
  • Mac McClung (South Bay Lakers) ^
  • Micah Potter (Sioux Falls Skyforce)

NBAGL All-Defensive Team

  • Charles Bassey (Delaware Blue Coats) *
  • Braxton Key (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
  • Tacko Fall (Cleveland Charge)
  • Shaquille Harrison (Delaware Blue Coats)
  • Trevelin Queen (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) ^

All 19 players who earned a spot on one of the G League’s All-NBAGL, All-Rookie, or All-Defensive teams this year were on some form of standard, two-way, or 10-day NBA contract during the 2021/22 season.

Of those 19, Tillman is the only player who has yet to make his NBA debut, as he didn’t appear in any games after signing a 10-day deal with Atlanta in December.

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Poll: Who Should Win 2021/22 NBA Awards?

April 18th, 2022 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2021/22 finalists for its six major awards on Sunday, revealing the top three vote-getters for Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player.

Our writers already shared their picks for this year’s awards (though not all of them made the cut when the finalists were announced). Now we want to know what you think.

Select your winners for this year’s major NBA awards in the six polls below, then head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts.

Our polls only include the three finalists in each category, but if you think someone else deserves to win one of these awards, be sure to use the comment section to “write in” that pick and explain your reasoning.

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