Month: November 2024

Bucks Notes: Antetokounmpo, Holiday, Middleton

February 18th, 2023 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t participate in Saturday night’s skills challenge, but he doesn’t seem overly concerned about the right wrist sprain he suffered Thursday, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

The Bucks star brushed aside questions about his wrist Friday as he prepared for his role as a coach in the celebrity contest. It still hasn’t been determined if Antetokounmpo will try to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game, in which he will serve as captain for one of the teams.

Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer expressed optimism about Antetokounmpo’s condition following Thursday’s game, saying X-rays didn’t show any damage beyond the sprain. ESPN reported that he will continue to be re-evaluated while participating in All-Star Weekend.

“What fall?” Antetokounmpo responded when reporters asked about the play that led to the sprain. “That was yesterday, man. That’s old news. It’s a brand new day, man. A good day to be alive.”

There’s more on the Bucks:

The celebrity coaching experience may eventually lead to a new career for the two-time MVP. Antetokounmpo tells Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel that he’s considering coaching in the NBA once his playing days are over. “Afterward, when I retire, I want to be a head coach,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know that about me, but I want to be a head coach. I really want to be. It’s kind of hard, because you have no control. And, I know the game of basketball, I know how to play the game of basketball, so it’s hard.”
Jrue Holiday has agreed to take Antetokounmpo’s place in the skills challenge, Owczarski adds in a separate story. Holiday, who was also part of the skills competition during his last All-Star appearance in 2012/13, is enjoying the chance to return to the game after such a long absence. “I think just it being 10 years later,” he said, “me being able to just get a chance to perform at the highest level and on a really good team and just showcase my talent, just really being able to be the best that I can, it’s awesome to be recognized for it.”
In an interview with Mark Medina of NBA.com, Holiday says he originally wasn’t planning to watch the announcement of the All-Star reserves because he didn’t expect to be selected.
Khris Middleton was held out of the Bucks’ final game before the break because of soreness in his right knee, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Middleton recently returned from a knee injury, but Budenholzer indicated that his status on Thursday shouldn’t be considered a sign of trouble. “We just have to take it day by day, and in some ways, that’s how all the guys are,” Budenholzer said.

Hawks’ John Collins Enters Concussion Protocol

February 18th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks forward John Collins has entered the NBA’s concussion protocol, the team announced today.

Collins exited Wednesday’s game vs. New York after a collision and was reevaluated on Thursday, revealing the concussion. According to the Hawks, Collins will be monitored daily and his status will be updated when appropriate.

Through 50 games (31.1 MPG) in 2022/23, the six-year veteran is averaging 13.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 1.2 BPG. While his percentages on two-pointers (62.4%) and free throws (81.3%) are above his career marks, his three-point percentage is a career-low 24.8%. Collins dealt with a right ring finger injury last season, which may still be affecting his outside shot — his previous low mark over a full season was 34.0%.

The Hawks don’t play again until next Friday, so there’s a good chance Collins will be ready to go by then. If he does end up missing more time, trade deadline acquisition Saddiq Bey is a candidate to receive more minutes.

Atlanta is currently 29-30, the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Cavs, Kevin Love Complete Buyout; Heat In Lead To Sign Him

February 18th, 2023 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

3:46pm: The buyout is now official and Love has been waived, the Cavs announced in a press release.

“Kevin Love had an outstanding run with the Cavaliers, including memorable on-court moments, four NBA Finals appearances and an NBA Championship in 2016,” said president of basketball operations Koby Altman. “Kevin represented the organization and the city of Cleveland with the utmost charm and professionalism during his nine seasons in Northeast Ohio.

“He also embodied everything a franchise would want in a player, and the admiration and gratitude we have for him will ultimately land his jersey in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. We thank Kevin for his impact and wish him nothing but the best, knowing that he has solidified his place in the hearts of Cavaliers fans and this organization forever.”

11:07am: The Cavaliers and Love have completed a buyout, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Wojnarowski confirms that Miami is the frontrunner to sign Love, but says he intends to talk to to the Sixers before finalizing a decision.

9:29am: The Heat have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Kevin Love once he finalizes a buyout agreement with the Cavaliers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Charania explains, other teams with interest in signing Love believe he favors Miami due to the Heat’s ability to offer a defined role, as well as their position in the standings.

The Heat are currently the seventh seed in the East, but have a three-game cushion on the eight-place Hawks and are within striking distance of the Knicks and Nets, the two teams directly ahead of them for the East’s final two guaranteed playoff berths.

Miami has been on the lookout all season long for power forward help following P.J. Tucker‘s exit in free agency last summer. Caleb Martin has served as a de facto starter at that spot for much of the season, but the 6’5″ wing lacks the size to match up with stronger, more physical fours.

Love, who has been out of the Cavs’ rotation and is said to be nearing a buyout, can’t replicate what Tucker did for the Heat last season, since he’s not as stout or as versatile defensively. But the 34-year-old can bring some size, scoring, and rebounding to a Miami team that ranks 26th in the NBA in offensive rating (111.1) and 27th in rebounds per game (41.4).

Love’s averages of 8.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG on .389/.354/.889 shooting in 41 games (20.0 MPG) for the Cavs this season are somewhat underwhelming, but he put up 13.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and a .430/.392/.838 shooting line in a similar role (22.5 MPG) across 74 appearances for Cleveland last season.

The Heat have an opening on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move would be necessary to add Love, though there are still a few steps to go before the move can become official. The Cavs will need to formally buy out and waive Love, then he’ll spend two days on waivers. Once he become a free agent, Miami would still need to hold off a last-minute push from rival suitors to make things official with the five-time All-Star.

The Suns are among the teams believed to have interest in Love, while the Lakers were also reportedly “kicking the tires,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a TV appearance (YouTube video link).

Community Shootaround: Golden State Warriors

February 18th, 2023 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Maher

During the 2021/22 regular season, the Warriors went 53-29 and had the league’s 16th-best offense and second-best defense, good for the fourth-best net rating. They led the NBA in net rating during the playoffs, winning their fourth title in eight years.

Expectations were understandably high entering the season as Golden State looked to defend its championship. The Warriors lost some bench depth, but that didn’t seem insurmountable with the primary core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole still in place.

Things haven’t gone according to plan. The Warriors dropped three of their last four games entering the All-Star break and have already equaled last season’s loss total, currently sitting at .500 with a 29-29 record. Entering the break last season, they were 42-17.

Their offense has actually improved — it’s up four spots to 12th in the league. The primary culprit has been the defense, which has fallen all the way down to 20th. Golden State’s net rating in ’22/23 isn’t much better, currently sitting at plus-0.1, which ranks 19th in the NBA.

Injuries to Curry and Wiggins haven’t helped. Wiggins is healthy now, but there’s still no timeline for Curry’s return to action following a left leg injury.

The team’s lone trade ahead of the deadline — sending out former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to bring back defensive stalwart Gary Payton II — has to be considered a disappointment on several levels. Not only did selecting Wiseman not work out, but Payton’s physical was flagged and he’s expected to miss an extended period of time with an abdominal injury.

The five-man unit of Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Green and Looney has been absolutely dominant, recording a plus-21.9 net rating with what equates to the league’s best offense and defense. It has been far and away the most effective five-man group in the league that has played 300-plus minutes.

However, the bench has been a problem the entire season, and the team’s reliance on making jump shots has hurt when trying to close out games — the Warriors are last in the league in free throw attempts (they were 26th last season, but the defense was much, much better).

If the season ended today, the No. 9 seed Warriors would need to win a couple of games in the play-in tournament to reach the postseason. Their spot is tenuous, as they only hold a one-game lead on the Jazz and Trail Blazers, the current No. 11 and No. 12 seeds.

However, the West is so close, they’re also only 2.5 games back of the No. 4 seed Clippers, so a strong finish to the season could secure them homecourt advantage in the first round — the Warriors are 22-7 at home, but only 7-22 on the road.

Assuming Curry is healthy and they get in, no one will want to play the Warriors in the playoffs. They have been the most successful team in the league over the past decade and their core has a wealth of experience. But trying to get there has been a bumpy road.

We want to know what you think. Will the Warriors make a late-season push and secure a playoff spot outright? Or will they be stuck in the play-in mix for their final 24 games?

Head to the comments and share your thoughts on the Warriors’ outlook for the rest of the regular season.

Clippers Notes: Kawhi, Westbrook, PG, Powell

February 18th, 2023 at 1:44pm CST by Rory Maher

After entering the season with championship expectations, the Clippers have to be disappointed with their 33-28 record to this point. They are just 21st in the league in offensive rating and 10th in defensive rating, good for a middling plus-0.3 net rating, which ranks 16th in the NBA.

While those numbers look troubling, it somewhat obscures the fact that Kawhi Leonard has returned to his dominant two-way form over the past several weeks. As Michael Pina of The Ringer details, the Clippers are 23-11 with Leonard in the lineup and boast the league’s the league’s best offensive rating and fourth-best defensive rating when he’s on the court.

Leonard, who missed all of 2021/22 with a torn ACL, is averaging 27.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .515/.465/.922 shooting over his past 17 games (36.5 MPG). Teammates and coaches have noticed the difference, Pina writes.

“He’s back to his normal self. I think the minutes is back to where he’s comfortable on the floor,” Paul George said. “No restrictions on him. So I think, you know, his flow, his timing, I think his touch, I think everything kind of just came back to normal for him, and he’s looking like the Kawhi when we first got here, pre-injury. He looks back to that level, and some.”

The two-time Finals MVP’s health will ultimately determine the Clippers’ ceiling, and he has missed 27 games for various reasons and still isn’t playing back-to-backs. Still, if he’s in the lineup, the Clippers are a fearsome opponent, Pina notes.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

George and Marcus Morris have publicly campaigned for the team to add Russell Westbrook via the buyout market, and George said Leonard likes the idea as well. Westbrook plans to meet with the Clippers’ two star forwards soon to discuss the possibility of teaming up, according to Law Murray of The Athletic.
While George advocated for adding Westbrook, he also likes the team’s trade deadline moves (they acquired Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland) and thinks the Clippers have all the necessary pieces in place, Murray adds. “We got everything we need,” George said. “We got play-making, we got scorers. We got defensive stoppers. We just had to bring that all together, and find an identity as a group that carry us throughout games. Because again, it’s going to be a long — we plan on having a long postseason. So we got to have an identity that carries us through that long stretch.”
Reserve guard Norman Powell missed Thursday’s game against Phoenix due to right knee soreness, but Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times says (via Twitter) his “prevailing sense” is that there’s minimal concern about the injury and he was likely just held out to give him extra rest heading into the All-Star break. Powell is the team’s third-leading scorer, averaging 17.0 PPG on .486/.417/.805 shooting through 50 games (25.8 MPG).

And-Ones: Mbah A Moute, Draft, Second-Round Picks, Cap Room

February 18th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA forward Luc Mbah a Moute, a 12-year veteran who last played in the league in 2020, has joined CAA as an agent, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. According to Shelburne, Mbah a Moute’s work as a player rep will focus on Africa.

Mbah a Moute has been hosting basketball camps in his home country of Cameroon since his NBA playing days ended, Shelburne writes. Through those camps and his new role with CAA, the 36-year-old is hoping to unearth more African talent that might otherwise have slipped through the cracks.

“I’m not saying we’ll find another Joel (Embiid) or Pascal (Siakam),” he said. “But from what I’m seeing, Africa’s not benefiting from its athletes the way it should. There’s a lot more players who need to get an opportunity, whether it’s becoming a pro or a coach or even a GM, like Masai Ujiri.”

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

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic explores how the 2023 NBA draft will be impacted by the deals made at last week’s trade deadline. Among his other observations, Vecenie points out that the swap rights the Pelicans have with the Lakers don’t appear nearly as valuable as they did earlier in the season. The two teams were separated by 8.5 games near the end of December, but there are only three games between them now, and L.A. has upgraded its roster while New Orleans continues to play without star forward Zion Williamson.
After second-round picks changed hands in trades at an unprecedented rate this season, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports considers what we learned about those picks and their value — and whether we should expect teams to continue to play “hot potato” with second-rounders going forward.
Which teams project to have cap room this summer and which ones are already into tax territory? Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a look at all 30 NBA clubs and breaks down their salary commitments for 2023/24.

Poll: Who Will Win 2023 Three-Point Contest?

February 18th, 2023 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s 2023 three-point contest will take place on Saturday night as part of All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City.

The league’s announcement of this year’s participants resulted in a few raised eyebrows, since none of the eight players who will take part in the contest ranked among the top 10 shooters in the league – based on 3PT% – when they were selected.

Sharpshooters like Isaiah Joe (45.2%) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (45.0%) were among the league leaders not believed to have received an invite, while stars like Stephen Curry (42.7%) and Desmond Bane (42.7%) presumably turned down invitations.

The NBA’s picks for the event reflect the league’s focus on stars over role players and its preference for volume three-point shooters over those who have high percentages but only attempt three or four shots per game from beyond the arc. The resulting field is as follows:

Buddy Hield (Pacers): 42.6% on 9.0 attempts per game
Lauri Markkanen (Jazz): 41.2% on 7.4 attempts per game
Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers): 39.9% on 7.2 attempts per game
Kevin Huerter (Kings): 39.2% on 6.8 attempts per game
Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers): 37.2% on 11.2 attempts per game
Tyler Herro (Heat): 36.9% on 8.1 attempts per game
Jayson Tatum (Celtics): 35.7% on 9.3 attempts per game
Julius Randle (Knicks): 33.8% on 8.0 attempts per game
- Note: Randle is an injury replacement for Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.

None of the eight players taking part in this year’s event participated in last year’s three-point contest, so there won’t be anyone defending his title — last year’s champion, Karl-Anthony Towns, is on the shelf due to a calf injury.

There is one former champion in the field, however, as well as two other players who have competed in this event in the past. Lillard and Tatum have each been in previous contests, while Hield took home the hardware in 2020.

The highest-percentage shooter among this year’s eight-man group, Hield is the co-favorite to win this year’s event, along with Lillard, per BetOnline.ag. Huerter has the third-best odds, followed by Herro and Haliburton. Tatum and Markkanen are tied for the second-worst odds, while Randle is a significant underdog.

But the three-point contest is unpredictable, since one well-timed hot streak – or poorly-timed cold stretch – can be the difference between winning and losing. So we want to know what you think.

Who will win this year’s three-point contest? Do you expect one of the favorites to come out victorious, or are you riding with an underdog?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts!

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Jeffries, Raptors, Boucher, Dedmon

February 18th, 2023 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

Since trading away three players in their deal for Josh Hart at this month’s trade deadline, the Knicks have been carrying just 13 players on standard contracts. The NBA-mandated minimum is technically 14, but teams are permitted to be below that minimum for up to two weeks at a time.

It has been nine days since the trade deadline, meaning New York has five more days to fill at least one of its two open roster spots. And according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, one contender to claim one of the Knicks’ roster openings is two-way player DaQuan Jeffries.

Jeffries isn’t a prototypical candidate for a promotion from a two-way contract. Not only has he not been a part of the Knicks’ rotation so far this season — he hasn’t even appeared in a single game at the NBA level since signing his two-way deal in November.

However, the 25-year-old swingman has had a strong season in the G League for New York’s affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. In 32 total games (Showcase Cup and regular season), he has averaged 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks on .485/.328/.691 shooting in 33.5 minutes per contest. If there aren’t any free agents who appeal to the Knicks, it might make sense to lock up Jeffries to a team-friendly deal that includes non-guaranteed money beyond this season.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

While the Raptors‘ trade deadline may have been quieter than widely expected, Toronto’s front office would push back on the notion that the team didn’t do anything “big” last week, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. As Smith explains, the Raptors believed they had three pressing needs (size, depth, and shooting) and addressed two of them (size and depth) with their acquisition of Jakob Poeltl.
Within the same story, Smith notes that the Raptors may have a tough time avoiding the luxury tax next season if they’re intent on re-signing Poeltl, Gary Trent Jr., and Fred VanVleet. According to Smith, the club believes it could move off Otto Porter Jr.‘s guaranteed $6.3MM salary for next season if necessary, but isn’t enthusiastic about the idea of trading Chris Boucher (who is owed $11.75MM). “Sure, we could,” a team source told Smith when asked about the possibility of dealing Boucher to help cut costs. “But why? We like him a lot.”
One of Dewayne Dedmon‘s first NBA contracts, a 10-day deal, came back in 2014 with a 19-63 Sixers team that had just launched “The Process.” Back in Philadelphia nine years later and with over 500 NBA games under his belt, Dedmon appreciates how far both he and the team have come since then. “It’s great growth for the organization, you know what I’m saying?” Dedmon said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Doing big things. Just the whole processing years have turned out some really good things going on here. And for myself, just keep working and it’s paying off. I’m back here now and I’m ready to win.”

Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Williams, Hyland, Nuggets Bench

February 17th, 2023 at 10:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Tony Jones of The Athletic believes it’s “very, very unlikely” that Russell Westbrook will ever play a game for the Jazz, noting that the veteran guard wouldn’t receive much playing time as the team prioritizes its younger players (Twitter links).

According to Jones, the two most likely scenarios for Westbrook are securing a buyout if he finds a situation he likes, or remaining on Utah’s roster but away from the team.

While that’s hardly surprising news, it’s still noteworthy that Westbrook might finish the season not actively playing. On the other hand, if he joins another team and things go awry, that could hurt his value ahead of free agency.

The 2016/17 MVP has made over $300MM in his career, so it’s not like he needs more money, but it’s a lot easier for a team to move on from a player who isn’t making much money than one who is. It’s a tricky balance to strike for a decorated player who was often criticized (sometimes unfairly) on his last team.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Thunder swingman Jalen Williams has flown under the radar a bit in ’22/23, but he’s having an outstanding rookie season, averaging 12.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.2 SPG on .508/.324/.759 shooting. He recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about a number of topics, sharing an amusing story about how he first met head coach Mark Daigneault.
Bones Hyland was traded to the Clippers last week after a rocky end to his Nuggets tenure. The second-year guard explained that he had “great communication” with Denver’s front office, but not so much with the coaching staff. “Yeah, I feel like it could’ve been done better on both ends,” Hyland said, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscriber link). “Just more communication. I’ve got so much love for Denver, but I just feel like the communication was just so low. I had a lot of mixed emotions, and we didn’t come together and just make it better.”
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone suggested he’s going to run a five-man bench lineup of Reggie Jackson, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun, Vlatko Cancar and Thomas Bryant once Jackson is activated after the All-Star break, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. A notable omission from that group is veteran forward Jeff Green, who has consistently been in the rotation when healthy and scored a season-high 24 points in Wednesday’s victory over Dallas. Malone has tweaked the bench rotation multiple times this season, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that five-man group changes over time.

Fred VanVleet Switches Agents Ahead Of Possible Free Agency

February 17th, 2023 at 8:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is widely expected to turn down his $22.8MM player option for 2023/24 in order to become a free agent this summer. After parting ways with his longtime agent last month, VanVleet will now be represented by Klutch Sports Group, the agency formally confirmed (Twitter link).

Reports first surfaced in late January indicating that VanVleet would likely land with Klutch Sports.

A first-time All-Star last season, VanVleet has seen his three-point percentage decline to 34.4% in ’22/23 (he’s at 37.5% for his career). However, the rest of his averages are in line with what he’s posted the past few years, as he’s recording 19.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.6 APG and 1.6 SPG through 50 games (36.9 MPG).

VanVleet, who turns 29 next week, was involved in plenty trade rumors leading up to the deadline, but the Raptors decided to hold onto him. He has been particularly impressive over the past 15 games (37.8 MPG), averaging 24.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.7 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .433/.383/.914 shooting. Toronto controls his Bird rights, giving the team the ability to offer him more years and more money than a rival club, assuming he enters free agency.

A five-year, maximum-salary contract for VanVleet is projected to be worth $233.16MM. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll receive that much money, but Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported last month that VanVleet might be seeking a deal in the range of $30-35MM per year, and that seems attainable.

The Raptors will have several difficult decisions entering the offseason. Fellow guard Gary Trent Jr. is also expected to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent, while center Jakob Poeltl will be unrestricted too. The roster could get quite expensive going forward if all three players are retained and no other moves are made.

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