2022 October | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Robinson, Martin, Yurtseven, Lowry

October 26th, 2022 at 9:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coming off a frustrating year, followed by a summer of hearing his name in trade rumors, Heat swingman Duncan Robinson is approaching this season with a “big chip” on his shoulder, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Robinson put together two straight outstanding shooting seasons that earned him a five-year, $90MM contract last summer. The expectations that came with the new deal seemed to affect him, and Robinson was pulled from the starting lineup in March.

“You go through something like I went through last year, you definitely grow from that between the ears for sure,” Robinson said, adding that he became “hardened” by the adversity.

He’s off to a much better start this season, though his playing time is about half of what it used to be. Coming into tonight’s game, Robinson has made 6-of-12 three-point shots and hasn’t committed a turnover in 47 minutes of action.

There’s more on the Heat:

Caleb Martin may consider an appeal of his one-game suspension for fighting with Toronto’s Christian Koloko, Jackson adds in a separate story. Martin sat out Monday’s game, but he could still potentially recover the roughly $45K in salary that it cost him. “It’s tough watching knowing you can contribute to a win,” he said. “Overall I’m feeling like I definitely could have contributed for sure. Especially when you lose, you are going to think that loss is on you. That’s how you learn. I learned from that, make sure I don’t do it again.”
Omer Yurtseven is traveling with the team, but he’s not expected to play during the three-game road trip, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The back-up center has been sidelined with a left ankle impingement, and the coaching staff wants to be with him while he does rehab work. “I think I’m going to be back in less than a week, hopefully,” Yurtseven said. “But I’ve got to sacrifice and I’ve just got to take the pain that comes with it, and that’s what I’m going to do. But hopefully sooner rather than later. But less than a week is my hope.”
Kyle Lowry talks about the team’s early-season frustrations in another Winderman story. Lowry suggests there’s an adjustment period to having Tyler Herro in the starting lineup and trying to get more offense from Bam Adebayo, and says the players need time to get comfortable with the changes. In a mailbag, Winderman notes that last year’s Lowry trade didn’t look good for the Heat on Monday, with Precious Achiuwa grabbing 22 rebounds for the Raptors.

Raptors Notes: Barnes, Koloko, Ujiri, Porter

October 26th, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Scottie Barnes was one of the surprise stories of the 2021/22 season, winning Rookie of the Year honors and helping the Raptors return to the playoffs. In an interview with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Barnes said he understands the game even better now after spending a full season in the league.

“I really know the difference in what it takes to win and how hard each and every game is,” Barnes explained. “So it takes a certain amount of effort every night. I’m really trying to stay consistent with the effort I make on the offensive end and the defensive end. Trying to score points and make winning plays. Try to pull out these wins, because it’s hard to win a game in the NBA. Every possession really counts.”

The 21-year-old forward, who returned to the court tonight after an injury scare over the weekend, focused on off-the-dribble moves during the summer to expand his offensive arsenal. Coach Nick Nurse wants Barnes to become more aggressive in trying to score whenever he has a mismatch.

“I’m a natural passer,” Barnes said. “The first thing I look for, I try to make the right play. See who is open. Try to draw the defense. But it’s just … me trying to be more aggressive, they give me the confidence to do that. That allows me to try to find those mismatches in any way possible. Through pick and rolls or out on the floor. It doesn’t really matter who’s on me, I’ve got to try to do what I do.”

There’s more from Toronto:

Rookie center Christian Koloko was looking forward to his first matchup with Sixers star and fellow Cameroon native Joel Embiid tonight (video link). Koloko told reporters he hopes it will inspire youngsters in the African country to see two Cameroonian players face each other in the NBA.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri was fined $35K for approaching the scorer’s table during Saturday’s loss to Miami and “directing inappropriate remarks toward a game official,” the NBA announced (via Twitter).
Otto Porter Jr., who still hasn’t made his debut with the Raptors, missed another game tonight with a strained hamstring, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Nurse said Porter is getting closer to being ready, and with just one game over the next four days, there’s hope that he will benefit from extra practice time.

Ziaire Williams Out 4-To-6 Weeks With Patellar Tendinitis

October 26th, 2022 at 6:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies forward Ziaire Williams will miss another four-to-six weeks due to soreness in his right knee caused by patellar tendinitis, the team announced (via Twitter).

Williams began experiencing pain in his knee in early October, forcing him to miss the final two games of the preseason and the first four games of the regular season. Memphis had been treating him as a day-to-day situation.

Williams is coming off a strong rookie season that saw him start 31 of the 62 games he played while averaging 8.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per night. The 21-year-old was the 10th pick in the 2021 draft.

The Grizzlies had Williams focus on improving his play-making skills during Summer League, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Until Williams returns, rookies Jake LaRavia and David Roddy will continue to receive plenty of wing minutes, Cole adds.

Central Notes: Carter, Turner, Queen, Noel

October 26th, 2022 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

An offseason of intense work helped Jevon Carter win a spot in the Bucks‘ starting lineup, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. With Khris Middleton still recovering from offseason wrist surgery, there was an opportunity for Carter heading into training camp and he was ready to take advantage of it.

“That was on my mind all summer, to come in and prove that I’m more than what I’m looked as,” Carter said. “Just seeing it pay off is a hell of a feeling. I can’t even really describe it. I had a goal and I exceeded those goals, you know what I’m saying? It’s just a credit to the work that I put in.”

The Bucks signed Carter after he was waived by the Nets in late February, and he had the most productive stretch of his career over the final 20 games of the season, shooting 50.6% from the field and 55.8% on three-pointers. That success, and the opportunity to play for a title contender, convinced him to accept a new one-year contract with Milwaukee over the summer.

“Give yourself a new goal, new challenge,” he said. “This my fifth year going into the league, I still haven’t done what I want to do, what’s comfortable for Jevon Carter. Until I get to that point, which I don’t think I ever will, I’m going to keep fighting and grinding.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Pacers center Myles Turner is ready to make his season debut tonight, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Turner, who missed the team’s first four games with a sprained left ankle he suffered on opening night, will play against the Bulls as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks during warm-ups.
The Sixers waived Trevelin Queen a week before the roster deadline, giving him extra time to catch on with another team, notes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscription required). The 25-year-old combo guard wound up landing a two-way contract with the Pacers. “I just feel like they really want me here compared to a lot of other situations I was in,” Queen said. “It was a warm welcoming. “I looked at it as a young group of guys, a lot of opportunity and a lot of potential. It’s like a rebuilding process, coach said. So just coming here and taking advantage of the opportunity given. Whether I play or not, I just feel like it’s a great environment, a great culture, a great development staff. They’ve shown me nothing but love.”
Nerlens Noel hasn’t been through a full practice yet, but Pistons coach Dwane Casey believes the veteran center can play a few minutes on Wednesday if necessary, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

Lakers Notes: Davis, Reaves, Westbrook, Trade Talks

October 26th, 2022 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis admits there’s a “sense of urgency” surrounding the Lakers after their 0-3 start, but he adds that it’s important not to overreact to the first week of the season, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. was hoping for some early wins to change the narrative about the team after missing the playoffs last season. But the Lakers have played a strong schedule so far — losing to the Warriors, Clippers and Trail Blazers — and are facing a tough two-game road trip against the Nuggets and Timberwolves.

“You don’t want to dig yourself too big of a hole,” Davis said. “But we’ve got to stay even-keeled. We can’t get rattled or flustered and things like that. Just like if we win 12 in a row. We don’t want to get too high.”

Offense is the main issue in L.A. as the Lakers are last in the league in three-point shooting at 21.2% and Davis called their shot selection late in the Portland loss “very poor.” However, there has been improvement on defense as the team leads the league with 11.3 steals per game and ranks third in points per possession.

“We’re continuously learning each other,” Davis said. “The good thing about it is we’re playing defense, ranked third in the league in defense. In all the statistical categories, we’re top-10. We just got to keep pushing. Keep our head down and move forward with the mindset we’re going into Denver (tonight) to get a win.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Embattled guard Russell Westbrook is expected to miss tonight’s game with a hamstring injury and Austin Reaves will take his place in the starting lineup in a move that may become permanent, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link). Reaves saw time with the starting unit during the preseason, and his future in that role may depend on how the team looks against the Nuggets. Sources tell Charania that coach Darvin Ham has been working with Westbrook to figure out the best way to utilize him going forward. Westbrook hopes to be able to return Friday, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
In an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Woj stated that the Lakers haven’t discussed deals with the Pacers or Jazz – viewed as perhaps their two most likely trade partners – since the season began (video link). He adds that the only trades currently available are the ones L.A. refused to do during the offseason.
The Lakers have put themselves in an impossible situation by holding onto Westbrook for a second season, contends Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. He points out that not only is Westbrook in decline, but he doesn’t have chemistry with Davis and LeBron James, as the trio is just 11-13 in the 24 games they have all played together.

And-Ones: Tanking, Expansion, Ignite, Dumars, Mekel

October 26th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After Baxter Holmes of ESPN reported on comments Adam Silver made during a Q&A with Suns employees, the NBA commissioner appeared on ESPN’s NBA Today on Monday to further discuss some of the points he made during that session. In addition to clarifying that he wasn’t “deadly serious about relegation” when he broached that subject, Silver explained why he believes the league’s revamped draft lottery system reduces the incentive for teams to tank (link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).

“You’re dealing with a 14% chance of getting the first pick,” Silver said. “I recognize at the end of the day analytics are what they are and it’s not about superstition. A 14% chance is better than a 1% chance or a no percent chance. But even in terms of straightforward odds, it doesn’t benefit a team to be the absolute worst team in the league, and even if you’re one of the poor-performing teams, you’re still dealing with a 14% chance.

“It’s one of these things where there’s no perfect solution, but we still think a draft is the right way to rebuild your league over time. We still think it makes sense among partner teams, where a decision was made where the worst-performing teams are able to restock with the prospects of the best players coming in. So we haven’t come up with a better system.”

Silver also addressed the topic of expansion. As Marc Stein relays (via Twitter), the commissioner said that Las Vegas would “make a great location from a franchise someday,” but repeated his usual line about the need for patience. Expansion won’t be on the table, according to Silver, until after the league has a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and television deal in place. The current CBA will expires in 2024, while the TV deal runs until 2025.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Senegalese guard Babacar Sane, a graduate of the NBA Academy, has signed with the G League Ignite, according to a press release from the team. Sane, 19, has represented Senegal in World Cup qualifiers and played in the Basketball Africa League. He signed with the Ignite for two years and will be eligible for the 2024 draft. Marc J. Spears of Andscape talked to the young guard about his G League deal and a potential path to the NBA.
NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars spoke to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today about his new role, explaining how he has adjusted to acting in the best interest of the league instead of any particular team. Dumars, whose position was previously held by Kiki VanDeWeghe, is in charge of player discipline — he was the one who announced, for instance, Grant Williams‘ suspension on Wednesday.
Veteran Israeli point guard Gal Mekel, who attended Wichita State and played for the Mavericks and Pelicans from 2013-14, has retired, according to agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link). Although Mekel’s time in the NBA was brief, he has enjoyed a 14-year professional career, playing in Israel, Italy, Russia, Serbia, and Spain during that time.

Pacific Notes: Fox, Crowder, Booker, Klay, Wiggins

October 26th, 2022 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The Draymond Green Show, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox recounted his reaction to the news that Sacramento had traded Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana at last season’s deadline, explaining that he viewed the deal as a strong message from his team.

“For me, it’s like yo, they believe in me,” Fox said, per Ajayi Browne of Slam Online. “But two, it’s like motherf—-r, we just traded somebody who could be a franchise point guard either here or somewhere else. So, you better get on your s–t; you better start winning.”

The Kings received plenty of outside criticism for their decision to trade a rising star like Haliburton in his second NBA season, but Fox is determined to prove that the Kings made the right move by handing him the undisputed reins at point guard.

“Does it add pressure? Yeah, a little bit,” Fox said. “But, at the end of the day, I’ve been trying to get us in the playoffs for years, so it’s a little added pressure. It ain’t hurt anybody.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter video link), Suns forward Jae Crowder pushed back against the idea that he demanded a trade because he was told he wouldn’t be a starter. “I do not want to get into the details just yet,” Crowder said, as Haynes relayed during a TNT appearance. “But it’s definitely not true, the narrative being pushed about me not starting or not, I can honestly say that.”
Asked about his impressions of Devin Booker so far this season, head coach Monty Williams described the Suns‘ star guard as “probably the most complete player in the league right now” (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). Booker has averaged 32.5 PPG on .530/.480/.882 shooting through four games (38.8 MPG).
Williams’ comments on Booker came after a Suns victory over the Warriors in which sharpshooter Klay Thompson was ejected for the first time in his NBA career. Kendra Andrews of ESPN has the story on the chippy game between two Pacific rivals, Thompson’s first ejection, and Booker’s account of what Klay was saying to him before he left the floor: “They have four rings, repeated over and over.”
In a conversation with Mark Medina of NBA.com, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins explained that he took a pay cut on his new four-year, $109MM extension with Golden State because he didn’t want to leave a “winning organization” that treats him well. Wiggins’ goal is to eventually join teammates like Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry as “Bay Area legends,” he told Medina: “Hopefully by the time I’m done, people will look at me like that. I just have to keep putting in the work and accomplish what they have accomplished.”

Grant Williams Suspended One Game By NBA

October 26th, 2022 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Grant Williams has been suspended for one game without pay for an incident that took place in Monday’s game, the NBA announced today in a press release.

Williams, upset with a pair of foul calls during the fourth quarter on Monday in Chicago, was ejected from the game for bumping a referee (video link). Following his ejection, he aimed some choice language at the officials before heading to the locker room.

In today’s announcement, the NBA indicates that Williams’ suspension is for “recklessly making contact with and directing inappropriate language toward a game official.” As a result of the one-game ban, the forward will miss Friday’s game vs. Cleveland, further depleting a Boston frontcourt that’s already missing Robert Williams and Danilo Gallinari.

In his first four games this season, Grant Williams is averaging a career-high 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 24.8 inutes per contest, with a scorching shooting line of .706/.667/.857.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter), Williams will lose $29,698 as a result of the suspension. That’s 1/145th of his 2022/23 salary (approximately $4.3MM). The Celtics will also receive a tax variance credit for $14,849, half the amount of Williams’ lost salary, Marks notes.

Knicks Pick Up Options On Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes

October 26th, 2022 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Knicks have exercised their team options for 2023/24 on guard Immanuel Quickley and wing Quentin Grimes, the team announced today (via Twitter). The Knicks also confirmed that they’ve picked up Obi Toppin‘s ’23/24 option, as was previously reported.

Quickley, 23, was the 25th overall pick in the 2020 draft. He has been a go-to reserve for New York since entering the league, averaging 11.4 PPG as a rookie and 11.3 PPG last season. He has struggled with his shot (.320 FG%, .200 3PT%) through three games in 2022/23, but is filling up the box score with 5.0 APG and 5.3 RPG.

Grimes had a promising rookie season in 2021/22 after being drafted at No. 25 overall in 2021, shooting 38.1% on three-pointers and showing some real defensive upside. He was expected to vie for the starting shooting guard spot this season, but has been hampered by a left foot issue and has yet to make his regular season debut.

Quickley will earn a guaranteed $4,171,548 salary in 2023/24. Grimes’ salary for that season is now a guaranteed $2,385,720.

Quickley will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2023 and for restricted free agency in 2024, while Grimes still has one more option (for ’24/25) on his rookie contract — the Knicks will have until next October 31 to make a decision on that option.

All of this year’s rookie scale option decisions can be found right here.

Bucks, Heat Have NBA’s Oldest Rosters; Thunder Youngest

October 26th, 2022 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have the NBA’s oldest opening night roster this season, per a 2022/23 roster survey published by the league on Tuesday.

According to the NBA’s data, the average age of a Milwaukee player is 29.47 years old, with 36-year-olds George Hill and Wesley Matthews and 35-year-old Joe Ingles among the veterans contributing to that league-high average. The Heat (average age of 28.13 years old), Suns (28.05), Clippers (27.98), and Mavericks (27.89) have the next-oldest rosters, according to the NBA.

On the other end of the spectrum, no team has a younger roster than the Thunder, whose current group includes just one player older than 27 (Mike Muscala, who is 31). The average age of a Thunder player is just 23.14 years old, putting them ahead of fellow rebuilding teams like the Rockets (23.58), Spurs (23.84), and Magic (23.94). Interestingly, the Grizzlies (24.27) are the league’s fifth-youngest team, despite coming off a 56-win season.

Here are a few other tidbits of note from the NBA’s roster survey for the 2022/23 season:

The Bucks and Thunder are also the most and least experienced NBA teams, respectively. The average Milwaukee player has 7.24 years of NBA service, while the average Oklahoma City player has just 1.94. That puts the Bucks comfortably ahead of the Clippers (6.56) and Celtics (5.82), while the Thunder are well behind the Rockets (2.29) and Magic (3.00).
Kentucky (27) and Duke (25) have the most players currently in the NBA of any college program. No other school has more than 12 (UCLA).
The average NBA player stands at 6-foot-6.74, weighs 217.62 pounds, and is 26.01 years old. The league identifies Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks (6-foot-6.5, 220 pounds, and 26 years old) as the player who most closely resembles the league’s “composite” player in terms of height, weight, and age.
There are 13 sets of brothers currently in the NBA, including three Antetokounmpos (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Kostas Antetokounmpo) and three Holidays (Jrue Holiday, Justin Holiday, and Aaron Holiday).
The league’s survey also includes some data on the youngest and oldest players, which we previously outlined here.

Month: September 2024