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Month: November 2024

Knicks Notes: Hartenstein, Grimes, Brunson, Randle

February 16th, 2023 at 11:43am CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Hartenstein has been more productive since shaking off the effects of an Achilles injury, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The Knicks’ backup center is averaging 6.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks during his past 12 games and is helping the team survive while Mitchell Robinson is sidelined with a broken thumb.

“I feel like I can do the role that I need to do here a lot better with how good my Achilles is now feeling,” Hartenstein said. “… My main thing was helping the team win. Now it’s coming back where I’m doing the little stuff to help the team win.”

Hartenstein and Jericho Sims have been handling center duties since Robinson was injured on January 18. New York has gone 8-6 without its starting center, who is expected to return after the All-Star break, according to Braziller.

“Anytime someone goes out, and you hate to see anybody be injured, it’s an opportunity for someone else to step in and grow,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I think Jericho getting into that role has really been helpful for him and for us. I said this earlier, I love the depth we have at that position. … I don’t want to overlook the contributions Isaiah’s made. Isaiah has found a really good rhythm. He’s playing really well on both sides of the ball. So we’re getting really good production out of that position.”

There’s more from New York:

  • Quentin Grimes has remained in the starting lineup since the addition of Josh Hart, but his playing time has been reduced, Braziller notes in a separate story. Instead of being upset, Grimes is determined to learn from his new teammate. “He’s definitely a guy you watch out there, see how hard he plays,” Grimes said. “Just go out there and try to match it, because he’s definitely going to make winning plays on and off the ball.”
  • Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News examines how Jalen Brunson‘s father, Knicks assistant Rick Brunson, taught him from a young age to shoot with his left hand. Jalen is naturally right-handed, so he’s comfortable attacking defenses from either direction. “There’s not a lot of lefties,” he said. “So I guess everything is the opposite for defenders. I just think it’s a little unorthodox.”
  • Julius Randle has been selected to replace Anfernee Simons in this weekend’s three-point contest, the NBA announced (via Twitter). The Trail Blazers guard suffered a sprained right ankle Tuesday night.
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Clippers Talking To Russell Westbrook

February 16th, 2023 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers have begun talks with Russell Westbrook after being granted permission by the Jazz, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

L.A. has been prominently mentioned as a possible destination for Westbrook if he agrees to a buyout with Utah. He’s established in the city after playing the past year and a half with the Lakers, and the Clippers are in need of point guard help after failing to upgrade that position at the trade deadline.

Paul George and Marcus Morris both publicly endorsed the idea of adding Westbrook to the team last week.

Westbrook appears to have several options if he accepts a buyout, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioning the Wizards as being interested during Wednesday night’s NBA Countdown. Westbrook helped Washington secure a playoff berth in his lone season with the team before being traded to the Lakers.

The Bulls, with Westbrook’s former Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan, and the Heat, who also need backcourt help, are believed to be other leading contenders to sign the 34-year-old guard.

Westbrook was sent to the Jazz as part of a three-way trade at last week’s deadline following a tumultuous stay with the Lakers. He adapted to a bench role this season, but still struggled with his shot, connecting at 41.7% from the field and 29.6% from three-point range.

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Pacific Notes: LeBron, Payton, D. Green, George

February 16th, 2023 at 10:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Foot and ankle issues prevented LeBron James from playing with his new teammates until Wednesday night, but he liked what he saw as the revamped Lakers hammered the Pelicans. Dave McMenamin of ESPN points out that James’ return resulted in L.A.’s 30th different starting lineup in 59 games, but the combination of him with Anthony Davis and the newly acquired D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt was effective right away.

Russell and Beasley provide what James calls “lasers” — outside shooters that the Lakers lacked earlier this season. Vanderbilt brings more size and energy to the front line and the team has more depth as well, with 10 players logging at least 15 minutes against New Orleans.

“First of all, I shout out and salute the guys that left,” James said. “(Russell Westbrook), (Patrick Beverley), (Juan Toscano-Anderson), (Damian Jones) and Thomas (Bryant). Those five guys. We all started the season together and tried to work to make some things happen and be the best that we could be out on the floor. So I salute those guys and their commitment to us trying to be as good as we could be on the floor. And right now, I mean, I like the guys that we have coming in. I mean, it’s going to take some time for us to get to know one another, but I know that they play the game at a high level.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The finding by team doctors that Gary Payton II has a core muscle injury that will prevent him from playing for at least a month had a “devastating effect” on the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State brought back Payton to shore up a shaky defense, but he’s not expected to be on the court until well after the All-Star break.
  • Draymond Green called out the Warriors‘ defensive effort after giving up 134 points in Tuesday’s loss, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “It has to come from within,” Green said. “Defense is all about will, a want to defend. Defense isn’t fun. You’ve just got to do it if you want to win, and we haven’t.”
  • In an interview with Joseph Bien-Kahn of GQ, Clippers star Paul George talks about maturing as a player, his approach to pressure situations and the “guilt” he felt watching the Pacers break up after his devastating leg injury in 2014. As a native of Southern California, George also said, “A championship with the Clippers 100% will outweigh a championship being with the Lakers.” 
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Celtics Promote Joe Mazzulla To Head Coach

February 16th, 2023 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Joe Mazzulla is officially the head coach of the Celtics, with the interim tag now removed from his job title, the team announced (via Twitter). Mazzulla also received a contract extension, although terms of the deal weren’t released.

“As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader,” said president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. “He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission. We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future.”

Mazzulla took over when Ime Udoka was suspended in September following an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Mazzulla has guided the Celtics to a league-best 41-17 record, winning Coach of the Month honors for October and November, and will coach Team Giannis in this weekend’s All-Star Game.

The team’s official announcement acknowledges that Mazzulla replaces Udoka, who led Boston to a 51-31 mark and an NBA Finals appearance in his only season at the helm.

Despite the circumstances that led to his dismissal, Udoka is expected to be a strong candidate for any head coaching jobs that open up after this season, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

Mazzulla, 34, joined the Celtics staff as an assistant in 2019. After playing college basketball at West Virginia, he held coaching jobs in the NCAA and with Boston’s G League affiliate.

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Central Notes: D. Green, Bulls, Wall, Wiseman, Bucks

February 16th, 2023 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers and Danny Green had some discussions when he reached free agency in 2021, but Cleveland was coming off a 22-50 season at that time and Green – focused on contending – ended up signing a two-year deal with the Sixers, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). After signing with the Cavs on Wednesday, Green reflected on that decision and observed that the club’s outlook has changed substantially in the last two years.

“That was before we knew how good they could be,” Green said. “They have grown since then. I wouldn’t say we kept in touch, but I’ve always been watching them and what they’ve been doing.”

As Fedor writes, Green received interest from the Suns, Celtics, and Lakers upon reaching a buyout agreement with Houston following last week’s trade deadline. He ultimately chose the Cavaliers, who offered him $2MM for the rest of the season but gave him no assurances about playing time, per Fedor.

“The atmosphere, the culture seems to be really great,” Green said, explaining why he signed with the Cavs. “They’re doing some good things. They had an opportunity to make it happen and they were the most interested, which made it seem like it was a good fit and good spot. A team that really wanted me, needed me.

“Good opportunity to probably get some minutes on the floor with a team that’s going to be in the playoffs. That was a big emphasis for me. They are one of the teams that fit that category. They haven’t let me down yet. It’s still early, but it’s a great fit so far and culture is great.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • The Bulls have been in contact with John Wall‘s representatives, a source confirms to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Johnson previously reported that the Bulls have been in touch with Patrick Beverley‘s camp. The team has also been repeatedly linked to Russell Westbrook, who remains under contract with Utah.
  • Head coach Dwane Casey said before Wednesday’s game that the Pistons intended to give James Wiseman regular minutes and made good on that promise by playing Wiseman nearly 24 minutes in his first game with the club (Twitter link via James L. Edwards III of The Athletic). The former No. 2 pick had 11 points and five rebounds, but believes he has room for improvement on both ends of the floor. “My wind got to me a little bit,” Wiseman said, per Edwards. “I’m going to do way better when I get my conditioning up.”
  • The Bucks‘ 11-game win streak, including a Tuesday victory over the Celtics, has pulled them within one game of Boston for the Eastern Conference lead. However, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo suggested after Tuesday’s game that Milwaukee isn’t focused on chasing that No. 1 seed down the stretch. “We’re playing good basketball, that’s what I care about,” Antetokounmpo said, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Now if we finish first, good. If we finish second, great. If we finish third, better. It doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, you’ve got to prepare your mind that in order for you to win a championship, you’ve got to play hard teams.”
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Kevin Love, Cavaliers Nearing Buyout Agreement

February 16th, 2023 at 12:11am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Longtime Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love is working toward a buyout agreement with the team, sources inform Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.

Love is currently making $28.9MM in the final season of a four-year, $120MM contract extension he signed with the team in 2018. The deal kicked in the following season.

According to The Athletic’s writers, the Heat are already said to be interested in procuring Love’s services. Given Miami’s issues with floor spacing and its lack of traditionally sized power forwards, this would feel like a natural fit.

The 34-year-old big man has been with the Cavaliers since he was traded to the club by the Timberwolves ahead of the 2014/15 NBA season.

Love, a five-time All-Star, won a title in Cleveland in 2016 alongside All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. As Charania and Lloyd note, the former No. 5 pick out of UCLA was the only remaining player from that title team who was part of the exciting ’22/23 club that is currently the fourth seed in the East.

The 6’10” vet had fallen out of Cleveland rotation last month around the same time Dean Wade returned from a shoulder injury. Love played what could be his last game for the team on January 24, a 105-103 loss to the Knicks.

Even before that, Love had taken more of a backseat to Cleveland’s starting frontcourt tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen this season. 6’7″ Cedi Osman has taken on more minutes as the team’s de facto reserve power forward of late.

Across 41 games while still in the team’s rotation, Love posted averages of 8.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG, with shooting splits of .389/.354/.889.

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Atlantic Notes: Finney-Smith, Bridges, Embiid, Poeltl

February 15th, 2023 at 11:34pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies reportedly offered four first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, but he wasn’t the only new Nets addition that drew interest from rival teams. Sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) that “multiple teams offered two firsts” for Dorian Finney-Smith, who was acquired from Dallas in the Kyrie Irving trade.

A strong, versatile defensive player and solid three-point shooter (36% career), Finney-Smith is in the first year of a four-year, $55.6MM extension, so he’s under contract long term (the final year is a player option for $15.4MM).

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • Bridges exploded for a career-high 45 points (on 17-of-24 shooting) during Wednesday’s victory over Miami, as Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post relays. “If we keep learning and growing together, I feel like we’ll be a scary team that teams don’t want to play against,” said Bridges, who stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. “Defense comes first before anything.” The Nets lost major star power at the trade deadline, but Bridges has given the team hope that he can take his game to a new level, Sanchez writes.
  • Sixers star Joel Embiid might not compete in the All-Star Game, as he’s been dealing with a nagging foot injury, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. “I’m not sure, I’m not healthy,” Embiid said when asked if he’d play in Sunday’s game. “I haven’t been healthy for the past three weeks or month, I was just trying to get to the All-Star break without missing games and stuff. I feel like I’ve reached the point where I really need to follow the doctor’s advice and miss, back then he said I should have been sitting for two weeks. Going to see how the next few days go and go from there.”
  • The Raptors re-acquired center Jakob Poeltl, whom the team drafted ninth overall in 2016, ahead of last week’s trade deadline. In his third game back with the Raptors, he became just the second player in NBA history (David Robinson is the other) to record 30-plus points without making a free throw or a three-pointer while also registering at least five blocked shots, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. The Austrian big man recorded 30 points (on 15-of-17 shooting), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and six blocks in Tuesday’s victory over Orlando.
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D’Angelo Russell, Lakers Have Mutual Interest In Extension

February 15th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers acquired D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota last week as part of a three-team blockbuster trade that also sent Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles.

Russell is playing on a $31.38MM expiring contract and could hit free agency this summer. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on NBA Countdown (YouTube link) that there’s mutual interest between Russell and the Lakers in discussing a contract extension.

Based on Wojnarowski’s wording, those conversations have yet to begin, but there’s an expectation the two sides will come together in the coming weeks and months.

The Lakers don’t view Russell as a mere rental player, with Wojnarowski noting that they gave up their 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected) and a couple of second-rounders as part of the deal. There’s hope that the 26-year-old could be a “solution at that point guard position,” Wojnarowski said.

Russell is having a strong year from an efficiency standpoint, posting a .465/.387/.853 shooting slash line for a career-high .601 true shooting percentage. Through 56 games (32.9 MPG) with the Wolves and Lakers, he’s averaging 17.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.1 SPG.

In other Lakers-related news, LeBron James (foot/ankle) returned from a three-game absence on Wednesday, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Head coach Darvin Ham used a new starting lineup featuring Russell, Beasley, James, Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis.

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Southwest Notes: Irving, Mavs, Kennard, Bassey

February 15th, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was a late addition to Wednesday’s injury report due to low back tightness. He was first listed as questionable, but was downgraded to out a couple hours later (Twitter links).

Wednesday is Dallas’ final game before the All-Star break, as the team won’t play again until February 23. However, Irving was voted to the All-Star team for the eighth time last month — it’s unclear if the back issue will prevent him from suiting up for the exhibition event.

Christian Wood also saw his name pop up on the injury report due to an illness. He was originally considered a game-time decision, but he’ll be active tonight in Denver, the Mavs announced (via Twitter).

Here’s more from the Southwest:

  • In an appearance on Get Up, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (YouTube link) said he believes “it’s more likely than not” that Irving will re-sign with the Mavericks as a free agent this summer. Wojnarowski points out that Dallas gave up a pretty significant haul to acquire Irving from Brooklyn and the Mavs have a history of paying players that want to play for them.
  • The Grizzlies traded for Luke Kennard in order to bolster their three-point shooting, but it might be difficult for him to get a significant amount of playing time, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. As Cole notes, replacing Dillon Brooks with Kennard in late-game scenarios would help offensively, but hurt the team’s defense. Kennard played 21 minutes in each of his first two games with Memphis.
  • Spurs center Charles Bassey recently received a promotion to a standard contract, signing a four-year, $10.2MM deal, including $5.2MM guaranteed. Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link) reports that Bassey’s contract features non-guaranteed salaries in years three and four and he was paid $3MM up front for the 2022/23 season. The 22-year-old called it a “surreal” experience. “I’m not going to lie, it felt good,” Bassey said. “I feel like the Spurs believe in me and believe in what I bring to the team. They trust me, and I just appreciate that.”
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