2023 January | Hoops Rumors

Community Shootaround: Cleveland Cavaliers

January 26th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers expected to be competitive in 2022/23 after trading for Donovan Mitchell, who is having a career year in Cleveland. That has certainly been the case — the Cavs are currently 11th in offense, second in defense, and third in the league in net rating, per NBA.com.

However, the season has been a little bit of a roller coaster, though there have definitely been more highs than lows. For example, the Cavs have had four winning streaks of three-plus games (three, four, five and eight), but also two losing streaks of three-plus games (three and five).

After starting 22-11, Cleveland has gone 7-9 over the past 16 games to currently sit with a 29-20 record, the fifth seed in the East. Interestingly, while trading for Mitchell has raised the team’s ceiling, the Cavs were actually 30-19 at this point last year before a disappointing finish (largely due to injuries) — they went 14-19 down the stretch and lost both play-in games.

Injuries to Mitchell, Darius Garland, Kevin Love and Dean Wade haven’t helped in 2022/23. But the one area people pointed to as a weakness entering the season — the small forward position — has yet to be solidified. Caris LeVert, Lamar Stevens and Isaac Okoro have all gotten starting opportunities, but none have really taken hold of the job.

Regaining a top-four seed will be crucial for a possible playoff run — the Cavs are 20-5 at home, but only 9-15 on the road. Cleveland will almost certainly attempt to upgrade the roster in the next couple weeks, but it doesn’t have many assets to work with, as no first-round picks are available to trade after acquiring Mitchell.

We want to know what you think. Who should the Cavs be targeting ahead of the trade deadline? Do you think they’ll be able to acquire them? Head to the comments and let us know what you think.

Clippers Notes: Jackson, Powell, Morris, Kennard

January 26th, 2023 at 3:19pm CST by Rory Maher

After starting his first 38 games of the season, Clippers guard Reggie Jackson was moved to a reserve role earlier this month in favor of Terance Mann. The 12-year veteran still exudes positivity despite the role change, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register.

“I just want to win so I don’t care how much I am playing, I really don’t,” Jackson said. “As long as we win, I’ll be alright. I’m an end-goal person. It’s a process. I’m just interested in the end goal. That’s it.”

The 32-year-old is in the final year of his contract, which pays him $11.2MM in 2022/23, so he will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Teammates responded positively to Norman Powell‘s speech earlier this month amid a losing streak that stretched to six games, Carr writes in another story for The Orange County Register. “We had gotten off to a bad start and needed some guy to step up and speak up,” Nicolas Batum said. “No one took it personally. Sometimes things like that are good.” The Clippers have gone 5-4 since Powell told the team changes were needed, and currently have a three-game winning streak.
Marcus Morris exited Tuesday’s victory over the Lakers after just 10 minutes of action due to a rib contusion, Carr adds. The veteran forward is officially listed as questionable for Thursday’s contest against San Antonio. Morris has been one of the healthier members of the team, having missed just four games to this point.
Sharpshooter Luke Kennard could return to the lineup on Thursday, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. “I’ve been doing on-court stuff and playing live so it’s just making sure that it’s gone 100%,” Kennard said before Tuesday’s game. “I left the last road trip to come back and speed it up a little bit more. I’m ready. It’s frustrating, it’s annoying, so it’s time to come back.” The 26-year-old has been dealing with a calf strain, which he originally injured on November 15, but aggravated on January 6. He has missed nine straight games with the injury and is also listed as questionable.

Moses Moody Assigned To Warriors’ G League Affiliate

January 26th, 2023 at 2:24pm CST by Rory Maher

Moses Moody, the 14th overall pick of the 2021 draft, has been assigned to the Warriors‘ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced (via Twitter).

Still just 20 years old, the second-year wing has struggled to land a regular spot in head coach Steve Kerr‘s rotation this season. He did not play at all in three of the last four games, so obviously the Warriors want him to get more reps in.

Through 39 games (14.8 MPG), Moody is averaging 5.2 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .452/.367/.703 shooting. The former lottery pick made 10 total appearances (Showcase Cup, regular season and postseason) with Santa Cruz as a rookie, but this is his first G League stint during the 2022/23 season.

After defeating Memphis on Wednesday night, the defending champions are now 24-24, the No. 8 seed in the West.

Northwest Notes: Nowell, Wolves Centers, Kessler, Blazers

January 26th, 2023 at 12:47pm CST by Rory Maher

Part of the reason the Timberwolves were willing to part with Patrick Beverley and Malik Beasley in the Rudy Gobert trade was because they wanted to give Jaylen Nowell an opportunity to have a regular spot in the rotation. The fourth-year guard admitted a couple weeks ago that his season was “not going well,” and Monday’s loss to the last-place Rockets was further evidence of that, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

In nearly 19 minutes of action, Nowell finished 3-of-8 from the field for seven points, and committed three turnovers with zero assists. He also struggled defensively, Krawczynski notes, which has been an ongoing issue.

Obviously, the loss was not solely on the 23-year-old, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. But if the Wolves want to make a real playoff push, they’ll need Nowell to provide a more consistent offensive spark off the bench, says Krawczynski.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined since late November due to a calf strain, and Gobert missing nine games with various injuries, the Timberwolves‘ center depth has been a positive in 2022/23, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune details. Naz Reid, Nathan Knight and Luka Garza have all been given opportunities at various points during the season, and while they’re all trying to earn minutes, they also support each other. “You still want them to be successful,” Reid said, per Hine. “So you talk to each and every one of those guys. I might see something on the court, say something to them adjustment-wise of whatever the case may be and they might say something to me. At the same time, we’re all trying to help each other get better.”
Walker Kessler has had an impressive rookie season for the Jazz, and is already one of the top shot blockers in the league. He has been starting at center in place of the injured Kelly Olynyk (ankle), but how can he land the job full time? Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune has the story.
The Trail Blazers have had a rocky season, currently sitting at 23-25, the No. 12 seed in the West. While Damian Lillard has been as great as ever, scoring a season-high 60 points (on 21-of-29 shooting) in Wednesday’s win over Utah, there has been “little to zero” indication that Portland can make a legitimate playoff push, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. Ahead of the trade deadline, Quick believes the simplest route to infuse more talent on the roster would be to land in the lottery again, as the Blazers will lose their 2023 first-rounder if they reach the playoffs. However, that’s complicated by the fact that Lillard wants to be “in the best position to win.”

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 1/26/2023

January 26th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The transcript of our weekly Thursday chat can be accessed here.

Please join Luke Adams for our next live chat on Tuesday at noon CT.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Chats

Nuggets Notes: Jokic, Porter, Murray, Schedule

January 26th, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

Nikola Jokic returned to action on Tuesday after missing two games due to left hamstring tightness and looked like his usual self, posting a 25-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple double in a one-point win in New Orleans. However, the Nuggets star was sidelined again on Wednesday in Milwaukee, ruled out due to hamstring tightness.

According to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link), Jokic’s absence on Wednesday appeared to be simply precautionary on the second night of a back-to-back set. The two-time MVP took part in pregame warmups prior to tip-off on Wednesday, and there was no indication that he aggravated his hamstring injury in his return on Tuesday.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. missed a third consecutive game on Wednesday for personal reasons. He has been out since word broke on Sunday that his younger brother, University of Denver sophomore guard Coban Porter, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and reckless driving, as Shelly Bradbury of The Denver Post details. Coban Porter crashed into another car around 2:00 am on Sunday morning and the driver of the other vehicle died at the scene. Police alleged the 21-year-old ran a red light before the collision and smelled like alcohol and was slurring his words following the incident.
Jamal Murray has averaged 21.6 PPG on .477/.449/.905 shooting over his last 16 games, but there are still moments when he doesn’t feel all the way back from the ACL tear that cost him all of last season, he admits to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Examining Murray’s journey back from that injury and the Nuggets’ chances of winning a championship, Amick suggests that the 25-year-old guard may represent the key to Denver’s title hopes.
What should have been a showdown between two recent MVPs on Wednesday turned into a bit of a dud when the Nuggets sat Jokic, Murray, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back. Head coach Michael Malone expressed some disappointment that the NBA didn’t “set this game up to be a little bit more of a marquee matchup,” but added that he sympathizes with the schedule-makers, according to Singer of The Denver Post. “The league has an impossible job,” Malone said.

Celtics Notes: Gallinari, Poeltl, Hernangomez, Frontcourt

January 26th, 2023 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

After tearing his ACL during a World Cup qualifying game in August, Danilo Gallinari is considered highly likely to miss the entire 2022/23 NBA season, but the Celtics forward hasn’t given up on the idea of returning to action this spring, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

“My mindset is that I want to play, and that I’m going to play at the end of the season,” Gallinari said. “I want to play in the playoffs. So that’s the mindset that helps me every day get better and motivates me even more.”

Recoveries from ACL tears often take a full calendar year, but that’s not always the case. Another veteran returning from a torn ACL, Danny Green, is on track to make his season debut next week, less than nine months after he sustained his injury. A similar timeline for Gallinari could put him in line for a return in May — it’s certainly possible the top-seeded Celtics will still be playing at that point.

However, as Himmelsbach observes, even if Gallinari’s recovery process moves quickly, the Celtics would likely be reluctant to bring him back in such a “high-intensity, high-stakes” environment when he hasn’t played for the entire season. The 34-year-old recognizes that and is prepared to accept the possibility of being sidelined until the fall, but he doesn’t want to give up hope on this season quite yet.

“My mindset is there is definitely a chance,” he said. “So when I think about the season, it’s definitely not a lost season for me. So, we’ll see. That’s the mindset that helps me and pushes me to get better every day. If it happens, it’s going to be great. If it doesn’t, I’m looking forward to next season.”

Here’s more out of Boston:

Jay King of The Athletic poses three key questions facing the Celtics at the trade deadline, including whether they’ll acquire more frontcourt help. Although King’s sources confirmed that Boston is scouring the market for big men, those sources downplayed the odds of the team making a play for Spurs center Jakob Poeltl, suggesting that if Poeltl is moved, it’ll be to a team that’s a better long-term fit for him.
Poeltl is one of the players on a list of six potential Celtics frontcourt targets compiled by Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Naz Reid of the Timberwolves and Willy Hernangomez of the Pelicans are among the other options Forsberg explores. A report earlier this week from Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo suggested the Celtics and Heat are among the teams keeping an eye on Hernangomez, as Eurohoops relays.
The 35-14 Celtics have proven that they’re a legitimate championship contender, so the primary goal for the rest of the season should be managing minutes for their top eight players and ensuring they’re as healthy as possible entering the postseason, contends Chad Finn of The Boston Globe, writing that head coach Joe Mazzulla should be prioritizing June over January.

And-Ones: Lin, Hawks, C. Grant, All-Star Game, T. Terry

January 26th, 2023 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA guard Jeremy Lin is resuming his playing career in Taiwan after parting ways with the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association last month.

Lin, who appeared in a total of 480 regular season NBA games across nine seasons, announced on his Instagram account that he’s joining the Kaohsiung Steelers. The club, which competes in the P. League+, Taiwan’s top basketball league, confirmed the news in an Instagram post of its own.

Lin last played in the NBA as a member of the champion Raptors during the 2018/19 season. Since then, he has continued to play in Asia and the G League — before he suited up for Guangzhou earlier this season, the 34-year-old spent time with the Beijing Ducks in 2019/20 and ’21/22, and with the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2021.

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

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last week that the Hawks were in serious talks to hire former Cavs general manager Chris Grant as a senior advisor in their front office, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has heard that it won’t happen. “From what I’m told, even though they were interested in bringing him in, Chris has actually pulled his name from consideration,” Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast, per RealGM. “He’s going to stay with the Spurs (in a scouting role). He’s happy in San Antonio.”
The NBA announced this week (via Twitter) that it will have its All-Star captains pick their 12-man squads right before the All-Star Game begins, rather than days in advance. The captains will be announced tonight when the league reveals the five All-Star starters from each conference.
Former second-round pick Tyrell Terry, who made a surprising retirement announcement last month at age 22 for mental health reasons, spoke to Julie Kliegman of SI.com about why he opted to give up basketball and why he isn’t regretting the decision. “If you Google my name it’ll probably be, ‘Ex-Athlete Steps Away From the Game for Mental Health,'” Terry said. “But when I read some of the DMs that people have sent me – I’ve had phone call conversations with parents of athletes who are struggling – and just the kind words and the gratitude that they’ve showed me, it pushes those second thoughts to the side and makes them less relevant.”

Knicks Notes: Reddish, Quickley, McBride, D. Rose, More

January 26th, 2023 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

There have been multiple reports on the Knicks‘ asking price for Cam Reddish in recent weeks, with at least one story indicating the team wants two second-round picks while another suggested that just one would do the trick.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks have expressed to certain teams that they want a pair of second-rounders for Reddish, but sources from rival clubs believe New York would be amenable to accepting just one.

As Katz observes, the deal the Lakers and Wizards made for Rui Hachimura might actually hurt the Knicks’ market for Reddish, even though Hachimura is also a restricted free-agent-to-be and netted Washington three second-rounders.

Hachimura was a regular contributor in Washington, whereas Reddish hasn’t played for nearly two months. Additionally, the Lakers were viewed as a prime suitor for Reddish, but no longer seem like a probable landing spot for the fourth-year forward, reducing the Knicks’ leverage in trade discussions.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Elsewhere in his story on the Knicks’ trade deadline considerations, Katz confirms that the team has become increasingly resistant to the idea of trading Immanuel Quickley after having been open to moving him earlier in the season and cites league sources who say New York has “decisively” turned down inquiries on reserve guard Miles McBride. McBride isn’t currently a major part of the Knicks’ rotation, but the team likes him “for the long haul,” Katz explains.
If Derrick Rose remains on the roster through the trade deadline, buying him out and allowing him to sign with a contender is a possibility, according to Katz. But the Knicks have also discussed the idea of hanging onto the point guard into the offseason in case his $15.6MM team option for 2023/24 becomes a useful salary-matching asset in a trade for an impact player.
Reserve center Isaiah Hartenstein was happy to be able to contribute to the Knicks’ win over Cleveland on Tuesday with some key defensive plays in crunch time, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. “It’s big. It’s kind of what I came here for,” Hartenstein said. “I know for myself if I’m not playing as good as I’m supposed to be playing I feel like I’m kind of letting the fans down, the city down a little bit. But I’m just going to keep getting better because I know I can do it. So keep getting better and keep representing for New York.”
Head coach Tom Thibodeau likes what he’s seeing from a second unit that features Hartenstein, McBride, Quickley, and Obi Toppin playing alongside starter RJ Barrett, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “Huge. I mentioned it earlier that the bench was playing really well prior to RJ getting hurt, then Obi got hurt and we haven’t found our rhythm,” Thibodeau said. “Now I think we’re starting to find that rhythm again.”

Lakers Notes: Davis, Hachimura, Pelinka, Walker, Reaves

January 25th, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are using Anthony Davis off the bench in his return to action tonight after he missed five-and-a-half weeks with right foot issues, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. It marks just the sixth time in Davis’ career that he will be a reserve and the first since the 2013/14 season. Team doctors gave him clearance to play after watching his pre-game warmup.

“I’m happy for him, first and foremost,” coach Darvin Ham said. “I know how frustrating this process has been for him, especially at the level at which he was playing. I’m just happy for him, and definitely happy for us. We’ll get him out there, we won’t go too crazy with his minutes, and see how he responds.”

Davis will be kept on a restriction for a while, expected to begin at about 20-24 minutes per game. Ham told reporters he plans to arrange Davis’ playing time so he’s available late in the fourth quarter in case games are close. He also expressed confidence that Davis is fully ready to return after completing rehab.

“He’s gone through some rigorous therapy, weight training, weight-bearing exercises, activity on the court — both individually and some group workouts,” Ham said. “We would save him from himself if we thought there was any type of threat or harm that he could do to himself. So he had these boxes that he had to check, and he’s checked all of them. So we feel comfortable with him appearing tonight.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

Newly acquired Rui Hachimura should take minutes away from Troy Brown, Wenyen Gabriel and Juan Toscano-Anderson in the Lakers’ frontcourt, Jovan Buha of The Athletic states in a discussion with fellow Athletic writer Josh Robbins about Monday’s trade. Buha sees Hachimura as an upgrade in terms of size and athleticism, though Robbins cautions that he focused too much on scoring with the Wizards and didn’t develop other parts of his game.
After the Hachimura deal, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said the Lakers will only consider trading their 2027 or 2029 first-round picks if the deal makes them a championship “front-runner,” but Buha observes in a separate story that there doesn’t appear to be an available trade that would do that. Pelinka promised that the team will remain active in the trade market, but Buha doesn’t believe expectations should be high.
Lonnie Walker and Austin Reaves will both be reevaluated Friday before the Lakers leave on a five-game road trip, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Walker, who was listed as questionable for tonight’s game, has left knee tendinitis, while Reaves is recovering from a strained left hamstring.

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