There were some complaints this fall about the unique court designs that debuted in the NBA’s first in-season tournament, with some fans viewing the bold-colored floors as eyesores. Joe Dumars acknowledged that those courts would be up for discussion next season, but the NBA’s head of basketball operations told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic that he was a fan of the way they immediately identified a game as part of the tournament.
“I did like the idea that if you were flipping the channels and you saw one of those courts, you knew immediately, ‘Oh, man,'” Dumars said. “Even if you have forgotten that was a Tuesday or Friday, you’re flipping channels and you saw that court, you immediately knew.”
Dumars told Vorkunov that he thinks next season’s in-season tournament final will once again be played in Las Vegas and also discussed a couple other topics, including the thinking behind the league’s indefinite suspension for Warriors forward Draymond Green. Dumars explained that the NBA viewed Green’s case as a “special situation” and felt it was important to give him time to get help for his behavior.
“The only thing we really want to see him do is get better so when he comes back, we’re not dealing with the same issues over and over again,” Dumars said. “And so that was the whole purpose behind indefinite, and when he is ready, then he’ll come back. When we feel like he’s ready, he’ll come back. When the team feels like he’s ready, he’ll come back.
“… “He’s been very receptive to this right here. He’s not pushed back on this. He has agreed this is what needs to happen. He hasn’t been defiant about this at all.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- How likely are the Bulls and Lakers to be trading partners this season? The Athletic’s Bulls beat writer, Darnell Mayberry, thinks all signs are pointing toward the two teams making a deal, but his colleague, Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha, is skeptical that they’ll find common ground. Buha, who previously reported that the Lakers have more interest in DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso than Zach LaVine, discusses the possibilities with Mayberry in a story for The Athletic.
- A pair of former NBA guards are reportedly on track to join new teams in Italy. Shabazz Napier is said to be making the move from Crvena Zvezda in Serbia to Olimpia Milano, according to Eurohoops, while Dario Skerletic of Sportando reports that Nico Mannion is headed to Pallacanestro Varese after starting the season with Baskonia in Spain. The Warriors continue to retain Mannion’s rights as a two-way restricted free agent in the event that he returns to the NBA.
- In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Jeremy Woo makes Alexandre Sarr‘s case to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. There’s no consensus top player in this year’s draft class at this point, so ESPN will likely follow up with similar articles discussing other candidates for the No. 1 spot.
I wished there was a time machine and send Draymond Green back in time and let him play against the Bad Boys of Detroit. I don’t think Dramond would last more than a few possessions before he flat out left the arena.
He tries to play dirty now because he knows nobody will fight back. I know this would never happen but it would be great if the NBA put out a statement saying if a player hits you that you can fight back. But this his to be a 1 on 1 thing. I sign the biggest guy I can find to a 10 day contract when the Warriors are on the schedule and let the guy go wild on Draymond.
I watched some of Karl Malones old dirty plays last night on YouTube …. Man it makes this current stuff look like child’s play today. You got a free free throw back then ha
Stockton as well use to clothesline folk like the WWE not too long ago – How quick we forget
Different times , Forgot that Karl impregnated a 13 yr old when 20 his rookie year. As well –
Actually it was his Sophomore season at LA tech, still disgusting either way. What’s worse is he didn’t and won’t even acknowledge the kid.
So edgy…pretty sure no one forgot but you’re a hero for reminding us
what an intelligent, thought out statement. very revealing
When he comes back if I’m a team playing the warriors i definitely talk a little to him and poke at him some. See if the time off helps or not. So far he has been easily agitated and costing his team.
The Los Angeles Lakers do not have any assets anybody wants to trade, and are over the salary cap. Let’s not do this again. They don’t even have the assets for Alex Caruso, who NBA writers keep mistakenly saying the Bulls want 2 1st round picks. The Bulls know you can’t get that for Caruso. I don’t even think the Lakers have a pick to offer for the next 10 years.
If Caruso isn’t worth two firsts the Lakers have the assets to get him….
They have 29 pick and 30 swap for parcel
If your going to say these writers are off the mark it helps to know the subject matter yourself
RealGm is the best website to use for traded picks if your interested
Lakers cannot trade their 2024 or 2025 first round pick because they owe one of them to the Pelicans. Cannot be used in a deal right now.