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Month: November 2024

Central Notes: Antetokounmpo, Pistons, Cunningham, White

April 25th, 2023 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Giannis Antetokounmpo “pushed himself to exhaustion” and required a postgame IV after the Bucks’ Game 4 loss to Miami, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (video link). That’s one of the reasons why Antetokounmpo, who returned from a back injury suffered in Game 1, didn’t speak to the media afterward. He’s listed as probable to play in Game 5 on Wednesday, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • The Pistons are still conducting first-round Zoom interviews with head coaching candidates this week, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee, former Connecticut and Overtime Elite coach Kevin Ollie and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins are reportedly meeting again with the team’s brass this week on follow-up interviews. However, the Pistons don’t appear to be in any rush to name a replacement for Dwane Casey, who accepted a front office job.
  • Even if the Pistons slide to the fifth pick in the lottery, the return of Cade Cunningham next season will guarantee a much more competitive team, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com opines. GM Troy Weaver notes that stars like Blake Griffin and Joel Embiid dealt with major injuries early in their careers and wound up better for it. “It propelled them. I think the same thing will happen with Cade,” he said. “He won’t have a problem fitting in at all. I expect him to be full blast when it’s time.”
  • Bulls guard Coby White showed improvement at both ends of the floor this season as he enters restricted free agency, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes. White has gotten better with his play-making, decision-making and finishing at the rim. Defensively, opponents no longer hunted for his matchup. White will seek a suitor willing to give him an expanded role.
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Pelicans Notes: Valanciunas, McCollum, Murphy

April 25th, 2023 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

If the Pelicans decide to shake things up this summer, Jonas Valanciunas could be on the move, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. Valanciunas will have an expiring $15.435MM contract next season and the Pelicans’ coaching staff showed a lack of trust in the veteran center during high-leverage moments, Clark observes. He averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

We have more on the Pelicans:

  • The fact that CJ McCollum played 37 games with a torn ligament in the thumb of his shooting hand shouldn’t be overlooked, Rod Walker of the Times-Picayune opines. By doing so, McCollum displayed the importance of leading by example, a role he embraces both on and off the court. Despite the injury, McCollum averaged 20.9 points and 5.7 assists in 75 games this season.
  • The growth of Trey Murphy in his second season was one of the few bright spots for the franchise in 2022/23, Clark writes in a separate story. Murphy raised his scoring average from 5.4 points per game as a rookie to 14.5 PPG this season. He has developed into a prolific shooter, averaging 48.4% from the field overall, 40.6% on 3-point attempts and 90.5% from the free throw line.
  • In case you missed it, top executive David Griffin said he didn’t anticipate making “huge moves” this offseason.
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Northwest Notes: Alexander-Walker, Edwards, Markkanen, Jazz Staff

April 25th, 2023 at 8:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nickeil Alexander-Walker was basically a throw-in to the deal that brought Mike Conley to the Timberwolves in February but he has emerged as a playoff starter, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes.

Alexander-Walker moved into a more prominent role after Jaden McDaniels broke his hand during the regular season finale. Alexander-Walker has shadowed Jamal Murray during a portion of the series against the Nuggets and contributed a couple of key three-pointers in Game 4. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and hopes to stay with the Timberwolves.

“They gave me a chance,” he said of the Timberwolves. “I’ve been working very, very hard, relentlessly and sometimes I’m too hard on myself, for an opportunity. So for me to get that, I would love to come back. I believe in this group. Believe that we can figure it out together and do something special.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Anthony Edwards carried the Timberwolves to an overtime victory in Game 4 with 34 points but he wasn’t impressed with himself, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez relays. “I played terrible if you ask me,” Edwards said. “I took three bad threes, three terrible possessions, and I (darn) near shot us out the game. I didn’t play that good.”
  • After being named the league’s Most Improved Player, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen wants to find more ways to improve, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “I haven’t accomplished anything,” Markkanen said. “I’ve said this before, but I’m not trying to stop here. I’m just beginning. I want to get better this summer and make that next leap. I want to lead this team to the playoffs. Having this kind of season feels good, but I want to keep continually getting better. That’s my mindset.”
  • Jazz head coach Will Hardy is tweaking his staff as he heads toward his second season with the franchise. He is not retaining assistant coaches Alex Jensen and Irv Roland, Jones tweets.
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Ime Udoka Named Rockets’ Head Coach

April 25th, 2023 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

APRIL 25: Udoka has officially been named the Rockets’ head coach, according to a team press release.

“We are excited to welcome Ime to the Houston Rockets,” Stone said in a statement. “Ime’s intelligence, drive and toughness were the traits we were looking for in a coach to lead our team through this next stage of our development as we strive to become a champion.

“We were honored to have the opportunity to speak to multiple outstanding candidates throughout the interview process and felt that Ime’s vision best aligned with the goals the Fertitta Family and myself have for the future of the Rockets.”

APRIL 24: Former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has reached an agreement with the Rockets to become their next head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Udoka replaces Stephen Silas, whose team option for 2023/24 was declined after the season.

After leading Boston to the NBA Finals last season, Udoka was suspended by the club this season for an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Udoka essentially became a free agent when the Celtics removed the interim tag from his replacement, Joe Mazzulla, in mid-February.

Udoka was prominently mentioned during the Rockets’ search right from the start and the team’s interest in him grew after their initial meeting, according to Wojnarowski’s sources (Twitter link).

Udoka and Houston GM Rafael Stone remained in communication and reached an agreement over the last 24 hours. A young roster, salary flexibility and a 14% chance to land Victor Wembanyama at the No. 1 overall pick swayed Udoka to take the job.

Houston was tied with San Antonio for the league’s second worst record at 22-60.

The Rockets also interviewed several other prominent coaches for the job, including former Lakers coach Frank Vogel, former Hornets coach James Borrego and former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. Sixers assistant Sam Cassell, Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin and Suns assistant Kevin Young were also in the mix and Houston also had reported interest in Nick Nurse, who recently parted ways with the Raptors.

Vogel was also considered particularly impressive in his interview, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.

Udoka was considered a serious candidate for the Toronto job before coming to terms with the Rockets.

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Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Grimes, Hartenstein, Horford

April 25th, 2023 at 6:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It remains unclear whether or not the Sixers will have Joel Embiid for the start of their second round playoff series but he’ll wear a brace around his right knee if he plays, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The superstar center is nursing a sprained lateral collateral ligament and didn’t practice on Tuesday.

“There really isn’t any update yet,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said. “We won’t know anything for at least another couple of days probably before we can move forward.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Knicks guard Quentin Grimes is questionable to play in Game 5 on Wednesday due to a right shoulder contusion, the team’s PR department tweets. The 2021 first-round pick is averaging just 3.7 points in the series against Cleveland.
  • The Knicks are one win away from their first series victory in 10 years. With New York leading 3-1, center Isaiah Hartenstein says the team can’t get complacent and allow the Cavs to rally back in the series, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes.  “I was telling the guys before, we still have one more game to go,” he said. “And I think even if it’s 3-1, I’ve seen a lot of teams come back from that. So you have to approach it the same way. Take it game by game.”
  • The Celtics are once again showing a burning desire to reach the Finals for the second straight season, Israel Gutierrez of ESPN writes. They feel a renewed sense of purpose in the playoffs. “Early in the year [the Finals defeat] was fuel, it really got us going,” big man Al Horford said. “We kind of got away from it a little bit. But now that we’re in the playoffs, we’re not addressing it as a group, but when we talk about it individually, it’s something that’s still there.”
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Paolo Banchero Named Rookie Of The Year

April 25th, 2023 at 6:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been named the league’s Rookie of the Year, NBA on TNT tweets.

Orlando selected Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick ahead of Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. The former Duke Blue Devil immediately made the Magic look good with a 27-point, nine-rebound, five-assist debut against Detroit.

Banchero went on to average 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 0.8 steals per game in 72 starts. He’s Orlando’s first Rookie of the Year since Mike Miller in 2001.

Banchero easily topped the other finalists, Thunder forward Jalen Williams and Jazz center Walker Kessler, for the award. Banchero received 98 out of 100 first-place votes, according to an NBA press release. Williams finished second and Kessler, who picked up the other first-place votes, was third.

Williams averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 75 games, including 62 starts. The No. 12 pick in the draft came on strong after the All-Star break, averaging 18.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 4.3 APG down the stretch.

Kessler was part of the Rudy Gobert blockbuster deal between Utah and Minnesota. The big man, selected with the No. 22 pick, averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 74 games, including 40 starts. Kessler ranked fourth in the league in blocks per game.

Bennedict Mathurin, Keegan Murray, and Jaden Ivey were the only other rookies to receive votes, finishing fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

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Raptors’ Otto Porter Exercises Player Option

April 25th, 2023 at 3:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Raptors reserve combo forward Otto Porter Jr. has exercised his player option for 2023/24, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

As Charania notes, Porter appeared in a scant eight contests during his inaugural stint with Toronto this year. He underwent a season-ending surgery in January to correct a left foot ailment, described as a dislocated left toe. The Raptors filed for a $3MM disabled player exception following the operation.

Porter inked a two-year, $12.3MM deal with Toronto last summer after serving as a critical bench contributor for the title-winning 2021/22 Warriors. He is now set to earn $6.3MM in the second year of the deal.

When he did play, the 6’8″ wing averaged 5.5 PPG on .500/.353/1.000 shooting across those eight games for a 41-41 Raptors club. He also chipped in 2.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 1.0 APG.

Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca tweets that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Toronto explores a potential trade to offload Porter’s salary this summer, given how close the team may be to the league’s punitive luxury tax.

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Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Green, Looney, Thompson

April 25th, 2023 at 1:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins has been a surprisingly excellent two-way contributor in the team’s 2-2 series against the Kings, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The 6’7″ swingman had been away from the team since February 13 tending to personal issues, but hasn’t missed a beat in his return — he has played a total of 139 minutes in the series, a total just below those of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. He’s averaging 19.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.3 BPG across the first four games of the series.

There’s more out of Golden State:

  • Following his very public physical training camp altercation with teammate Jordan Poole, Warriors power forward Draymond Green felt he had to work to regain his standing in the locker room, he tells Shams Charania of The Athletic. “We all know the situation,” Green said. “And I felt like I had to earn my voice. A voice isn’t given. For me, I wanted to do things to earn that back… I needed to earn respect and I needed to earn a voice. And not just because you’re Draymond… you’ve done this, you’ve done that in this organization and everyone’s just supposed to listen.”
  • Starting Warriors center Kevon Looney, who once again has emerged as a major figure in these playoffs, recently detailed how a rigorous yoga routine keeps him, well, centered, per Scott Cacciola of The New York Times. Looney, who has struggled with injuries in the past, has not missed a single game over the past two season, a fact he credits to “Jana Joga,”
  • Though Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson has yet to submit a massive offensive showing through four playoff games against Sacramento, history suggests that one is forthcoming, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “He’s in that weight room every day, training room every day,” Green said. “As far as him competing and looking like Klay? It’s April. That is who Klay Thompson is. He is one of the biggest and best winners I’ve been around, and that’s what matters most to him.”
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Raptors Notes: Ujiri, Poeltl, Coaching Search, Nurse

April 25th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors lost in the play-in tournament and parted ways with their head coach, but comments from president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri at last week’s press conference indicate that he believes the team is close enough to being a contender that he won’t try to rebuild, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

Ujiri emphasized the parity throughout the league this season, noting that 26 teams still had a path to the playoffs heading into the final two weeks. He also pointed out that Toronto was 15-10 after acquiring Jakob Poeltl from the Spurs at the trade deadline.

“I think Jakob has a lot of high basketball IQ and he’s a pass-first center,” Ujiri said. “I call players like that a championship piece because you can put him on any of the teams (still playing) except the one’s that already have great centers. But you can put a player like that on that team and he fits in right away.”

Grange notes that Ujiri appears to have more belief in the Raptors’ future than Nick Nurse, who didn’t seem to mind being replaced as head coach with a year left on his contract, or Ime Udoka, who accepted an offer from the Rockets on Monday without giving Toronto an interview.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes this summer. Ujiri faces significant decisions on potential free agents Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. as well as possible trades involving Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, but he seems to believe the organization is capable of turning around quickly.

“We’ve got to build spirit back here, the culture, those things that bring us together to move like we’ve always done here. We need that back,” Ujiri said. “This is very crucial for us. With our culture here, I’ll continue to say that. It’s very vital for us to have incredible energy that lifts people and gets us to work together.”

There’s more from Toronto:

  • The Raptors don’t appear close to finding their next coach, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Udoka’s deal with the Rockets takes away the presumed leading candidate, so the team may wait to see if any prominent coaches unexpectedly become available as the postseason plays out. Lewenberg notes that Ujiri wants to have his next coach in place before the draft, so the process could take up to two months.
  • The front office sounds willing to shake things up, but the Raptors will be working with a few limitations, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Toronto doesn’t have an obvious path to clear cap room, leaving the team with just the $10MM mid-level exception to pursue free agents. The Raptors’ first-round pick is likely to be in the late lottery, and they don’t have a second-rounder this year and probably won’t have a first-round selection in 2024.
  • In another Toronto Star story (subscription only), Smith takes an inside look at what went wrong during Nurse’s final season as head coach.
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