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Doncic, Young, Zion Headline Rising Stars Rosters

January 31st, 2020 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the 20 rookies and sophomores who have been named to the league’s Rising Stars game for All-Star weekend. Those 20 players, selected by assistant coaches from around the league, will be divided into a U.S. Team and a World Team, as follows:

U.S. Team:

World Team:

Williamson’s inclusion is notable since he has appeared in just four games due to injuries. It’s not surprising that the NBA found a way to get him into the game, since he’s one of the most exciting prospects to enter the league in years, but it’s a tough break for youngsters who have been on the court since the fall for contenders, such as Sixers wing Matisse Thybulle. or Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

Snubbed players like Thybulle, Porter, and others could eventually make their way into the Rising Stars game if players have to pull out due to injuries, or if All-Stars like Doncic and Young opt not to play in both events.

The Rising Stars game will take place in Chicago on Friday, February 14.

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Eastern Notes: Simmons, Parker, Magic

January 30th, 2020 at 7:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers could reduce Ben Simmons‘ role as a primary ball-handler, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

“That needs to be continued to be grown,” coach Brett Brown said of the primary ball-handling role. “It will mean. It will mean. I’m not saying, ‘It may mean.’ I’m saying it will mean that he’s not the primary ball-handler when you put him in those situations …

“So really, it’s a goal and sort of the growth of Ben to put him in all these environments where he’s really good at and can impact the game at.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • With the Sixers in action against Atlanta tonight, I examined which Hawks players Philadelphia should have interest in trading for. Jabari Parker might be the best fit, as the 76ers could use another scorer off the bench.
  • Orlando’s grip on a playoff spot is slipping and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at what strategy the Magic should take heading to the trade deadline. The team could use another wing if it intends on being a buyer at the deadline.
  • Should the Hornets trade Malik Monk? Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer gives his take on the former No. 11 pick.
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More Reactions To Kobe Bryant’s Death

January 27th, 2020 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

Despite some speculation that Sunday night’s games might be cancelled in the wake of Kobe Bryant‘s death, the NBA moved forward with those contests. Moments of silence were held before the games, eight- and 24-second violations were committed in Bryant’s honor, and many players admitted to being preoccupied with thoughts of the longtime Lakers star.

Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony, who played on multiple Team USA squads with Bryant, said that basketball “was the furthest thing on my mind,” but that he believed Kobe would have wanted him to play, per Jason Quick of The Athletic.

“This probably was the hardest game I ever had to play,” Anthony said after scoring 14 points in the Blazers’ home win over Indiana. “Just uh … I don’t know … whoooo. It was tough. It was tough.”

Kyrie Irving, who was held out of Sunday’s Nets contest in New York for “personal reasons,” was said to be devastated by the death of Bryant, who had been his idol growing up, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post details. According to Lewis, Irving left the arena altogether after hearing the news.

“I was with him. I’ll keep [the scene] private, but they were very close,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of Irving. “Tough, tough, tough, tough times.”

There were “heavy hearts” in the other Madison Square Garden locker room as well, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who suggests that many Knicks players didn’t feel like going forward with the game.

“Somebody said to me earlier, ‘Superman is not supposed to die,'” Knicks forward Marcus Morris said. “And to us, he was Superman. I just feel sorry for his family. And the other passengers on there, I feel sorry for their families. It’s just a tough day.”

Blake Murphy of The Athletic provides a look at the Spurs and Raptors players who were heartbroken by the news, while Chris Kirschner of The Athletic looks at the reaction of Hawks guard Trae Young, who received a congratulatory FaceTime call from Kobe and his daughter Gianna after he was named an All-Star starter. Young, who began the game wearing a No. 8 jersey, became the first player to record a 45-point double double on fewer than 25 field goal attempts since Bryant did it in 2006.

Here’s more:

  • According to a report from CBS Los Angeles, the nine people who were killed in Sunday’s helicopter crash have all been identified. Several of those victims have since been profiled by various outlets, with Alden Gonzalez of ESPN discussing Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, Scott Gleeson of USA Today writing about girls basketball coach Christina Mauser, and Molly Knight of The Athletic remembering Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter Gigi Bryant.
  • More details are emerging on the circumstances surrounding Sunday’s crash, according to Paula Lavigne of ESPN, who writes that the Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its helicopters on Sunday morning due to foggy conditions. It remains to be seen whether those visibility issues were the reason for the crash, and the full investigation may take weeks, writes Mark Medina of USA Today.
  • Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times explore how Lakers players reacted to the death of the franchise legend.
  • Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, who was one of a handful of full-time Lakers beat writers during Kobe’s early years, examines how Bryant evolved into an NBA icon.
  • The list of current players who looked up to Bryant and counted on him for advice is long, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic, who notes that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard were among the superstars who fit that bill.
  • An ESPN report details the worldwide impact of Bryant’s death, sharing reactions from around Europe and Asia.
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Parsons Returns Home For Rehab; Goodwin Makes Case For Promotion

January 24th, 2020 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Chandler Parsons, who was injured in a car accident, remains in the first stage of the NBA’s concussion protocol and continues to be treated for whiplash and his cervical disc injury, the Hawks announced on Thursday in a press release. According to the team, Parsons has returned home to California to continue his recovery and rehab process. He remains out indefinitely.
  • Hawks two-way player Brandon Goodwin is making a strong case to be promoted to the club’s 15-man roster, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic details. Goodwin’s teammates are among his biggest advocates for a promotion and a guaranteed standard contract. “Hell yeah,” John Collins said. “B.G. has been around here and done everything the team has asked him to do and (then) some. If he keeps continuing to play like this, there is no reason to say he shouldn’t (get a 15-man roster spot).”
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Hawks Were Concerned About Drummond's Contract Demands

January 23rd, 2020 at 9:52am CST by Luke Adams
  • As a report last week confirmed, the Hawks and Pistons had been discussing a trade that would have sent Andre Drummond to Atlanta for a package headlined by Chandler Parsons‘ expiring contract and the Nets’ lottery-protected 2020 first-round pick. Multiple league sources tell O’Connor that the Hawks ended up being unwilling to include that first-rounder due to concerns about how high Drummond’s contract demands are.
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Evan Turner Talks Hawks, Possibility Of Buyout, More

January 21st, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Since he told reporters on January 4 that the Hawks would be making him and Chandler Parsons inactive going forward, Evan Turner hasn’t played a single minute for Atlanta. The Hawks have focused on their youth movement, which has essentially made Turner an afterthought — unless his expiring $18.6MM salary can be used in a trade that nets the club a future asset.

It’s a new experience for Turner, a former No. 2 overall pick who has appeared in more than 700 career regular season games and had never averaged fewer than 22 minutes per contest entering this season. Still, he tells Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, he understands the Hawks’ position and is remaining positive even as his role has disappeared.

As Turner continues to work out and stay in game shape in the hopes of eventually getting an opportunity to return to the court in Atlanta or elsewhere, the 31-year-old spoke to Kirschner about his experience with the Hawks this season, whether or not he’ll seek a buyout next month, and his outlook on the team’s future.

Here are a few highlights from the discussion, which is worth checking out in full if you’re an Athletic subscriber:

On why he thinks things didn’t work out after the Hawks brought him in to be Trae Young‘s backup:

“I’ve been injured some, and being Trae’s backup means he’s averaging 36 (minutes) per game, so what would I be playing? Like three minutes at a time? That’s not like any type of diss or anything like that. If you don’t know the conversation we’re having, you get a bitter individual. That’s not the case. You say Trae’s backup, and that’s 12 minutes, maybe. I also understand that it’s about development. Like Brandon (Goodwin), he’s gotten a great opportunity to continue to vibe in this league, and I’m excited for him for that.”

On how long it took him to accept his role – or lack thereof – in Atlanta:

“To be completely honest, when we started the season, you could see that we had already broken down, and we’re rebuilding, rebuilding. You see signs pointing toward it. I try not to dwell on that stuff. I do my best to try to control what I can control. When it comes down to it, the one thing I try not to do, as a man, is I don’t like the front-running s–t. ‘When s–t is going well for me, I’m happy, and when it’s not going well for me, I’m b—hing.’ Nah. For me personally, there’s never been a moment where I’ve been like that.”

On whether he might seek a buyout in search of a new opportunity next month:

“You just walk out and say, ‘Look, bruh, this little buyout means I’m going to get all my bread, right?’ If he says no, you say, ‘Well, you might as well learn my favorite color.’ You let your agent worry about that stuff, though. I think (GM) Travis (Schlenk) is a classy dude. I’ve never gotten the sense from him where he’s not going to be honest or do you right. I don’t think it’s going to be too much of a haggle. I’m not saying he owes me anything, and I don’t owe him anything, but I just think I’ve never gotten the sense from him where we’ll be arguing over a few pennies. I’m not going to worry about that, and wherever it takes me, it’s all good. It’s all going to be OK.”

On the Hawks’ long-term potential:

“I think the biggest thing is if they have established roles and figure it out, I think we could be dangerous. These aren’t little kids. You have a guy like De’Andre (Hunter), who’s 6’8″ and like 220 (pounds). You have a kid like Cam (Reddish), who’s had up and down moments but when he gets going, he has All-Star written on him. … You have dudes like Trae, who can do what we needs to do and is a possible All-Star this season. John Collins is going to be legit. I think if they turn the right corner, they have pieces you can trade for. I think they’re going to be OK.”

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Jabari Parker Out At Least Two More Weeks

January 21st, 2020 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

After being re-evaluated by the team, Hawks forward Jabari Parker has been cleared to move onto the next stage of his rehab process, but his return from a shoulder injury still isn’t imminent, according to the team.

The Hawks announced in a press release that Parker’s next steps will include “controlled movement and gradual reloading of his rotator cuff.” The former No. 2 overall pick will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the club said.

Parker, who had been Atlanta’s third-leading scorer this season, has been limited to just 15 total minutes since Christmas due to his shoulder ailment, which will now sideline him into February. When healthy, he has been a solid contributor for the Hawks, averaging 15.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG on 50.4% shooting in 32 games (26.2 MPG).

With Atlanta out of the playoff race and headed for a top spot in the lottery, Parker looked like a potential trade candidate. Now that there’s no guarantee he’ll be back on the court in time for the February 6 deadline, the odds are against him being involved in a deal.

Assuming he finishes the season with the Hawks, the 24-year-old will face a decision this offseason on whether to remain in Atlanta, since he holds a $6.5MM player option for the 2020/21 season.

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Northwest Notes: Crabbe, Paul, Blazers, Nuggets

January 21st, 2020 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

As one of three Hawks veterans with a big expiring contract, Allen Crabbe entered the season as a trade candidate and it didn’t come as a huge shock when the team moved him last week. Still, the new Timberwolves swingman admits he was caught off guard by being dealt, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes.

“I was taken aback,” Crabbe said on Monday. “I didn’t hear anything leading up to this. … It definitely was a shock to me, but it’s not my first time being traded. It’s the business side. The only thing you got to try to do is pack up, get to your new team, get implemented and show up and go to work.”

It remains to be seen whether Crabbe will see an uptick in minutes – or in his team’s playoff odds – in Minnesota, but as a player who likes to shoot from outside, the 27-year-old believes the Timberwolves will be a good fit for his skill set.

“I mean, it’s a match made in heaven,” Crabbe said, per Hine. “They like to shoot threes, I love to shoot threes. So I can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • When Chris Paul was first traded to the Thunder, there was an expectation that he wouldn’t be satisfied to stay in Oklahoma City. However, Paul has found happiness in OKC as the team has exceeded expectations this season, writes Rohan Nadkarni of SI.com. Within Nadkarni’s feature, CP3 also made it clear he has no interest in waiving his 2021/22 player option to accommodate a trade: “No chance. That’s not happening. Nope.” Paul’s player option is worth $44.2MM for his age-36 season, so the idea that he’d give it up to be traded was never a realistic one.
  • As part of their trade with Sacramento, the Trail Blazers used Anthony Tolliver‘s outgoing salary to match Caleb Swanigan‘s incoming contract rather than taking on Swanigan using their disabled player exception, tweets Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights. As a result, Portland won’t create a $1.62MM traded player exception, but will still have its $2.86MM disabled player exception available. The DPE will expire on March 10, while the TPE would’ve been available for a year.
  • With Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Paul Millsap all banged up and the Nuggets not looking to rush them back, the team’s depth is coming in handy, according to Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post. Players who have been in and out of the rotation – such as Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley, and Torrey Craig – have all seen regular action with those starters sidelined.
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Lawyers Say Parsons “Seriously Injured” In Car Accident

January 20th, 2020 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Hawks forward Chandler Parsons has retained the services of the law firm Morgan & Morgan after being involved in a car accident last Wednesday, as Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports relays (via Twitter). Parsons was traveling home from practice when his car was struck by a driver who was subsequently arrested for drinking and driving.

“Morgan & Morgan has been retained by Mr. Parsons to help preserve all of his rights and navigate the legal process on his behalf in the wake of this terrible automobile crash,” attorneys John Morgan and Nick Panagakis said in a statement. “Chandler was seriously injured in this crash, which never should have occurred.”

According to that statement, Parsons suffered “multiple severe and permanent injuries” in the collision, including a traumatic brain injury, disc herniation, and a torn labrum. Morgan & Morgan’s statement indicates Parsons was in “peak physical condition” before the accident and is now working with a team of doctors to regain his health. The statement also suggests the accident has the potential to end Parsons’ playing career.

When the Hawks first announced Parsons’ injuries last week, the team only diagnosed him with a concussion and whiplash, entering him into the NBA’s concussion protocol. It’s unclear if the disc herniation and torn labrum mentioned in Morgan & Morgan’s statement reflect injuries later identified by team doctors or if Parsons sought outside opinions.

Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes (via Twitter) that the Hawks have updated their injury report to mention an “associated disc injury” in addition to “concussion/whiplash” for Parsons.

Parsons wasn’t part of the Hawks’ rotation before last week’s accident, having appeared in just five games this season for the team. Now that he’s out indefinitely, it appears he may have played his last game for the franchise — his contract will expire at season’s end. Hopefully the 31-year-old can fully recover from his injuries and eventually make it back to the court.

The Hawks are ineligible to apply for a disabled player exception to replace Parsons even if his injuries are deemed season-ending, since they’re under the cap and the January 15 deadline has passed.

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Kings Still Hoping To Trade Dewayne Dedmon

January 18th, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings aren’t done shaking up their roster after agreeing to a five-player trade with the Trail Blazers. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that Sacramento is still looking for a way to get rid of Dewayne Dedmon, who has been unhappy with his playing time.

The 30-year-old center was fined earlier this month for making his trade request public. The Kings signed Dedmon to a three-year, $40MM contract over the summer, but he quickly slipped behind Richaun Holmes in the rotation. Dedmon has played just 26 games and is averaging 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per night.

A report earlier this week suggested the Hawks might be interested in reacquiring Dedmon, who was their starting center for the past two seasons. Atlanta has enough available cap room that Dedmon’s salary wouldn’t be a burden, but the Kings are reportedly asking for more in return than the Hawks are willing to pay.

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