Author: Luke Adams

Central Notes: Bucks, Giannis, Haliburton, Cavs

November 6th, 2024 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

Since 1970, a total of 150 teams have began a season with a 1-6 record (or worse). Only 12 of those 150 teams have made the playoffs, and five did so despite finishing with a losing record, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

The Bucks are one of two NBA teams who currently own a 1-6 mark this fall, but head coach Doc Rivers – informed of that statistic about the league’s slow starters over the past five-plus decades – expressed confidence that his team will become the 13th in that group to reach the postseason.

“We will make the playoffs,” Rivers said after Monday’s loss to Cleveland, per Nehm. “I’m not worried about that.”

Rivers said his team remains optimistic about its outlook despite the disappointing start, and pointed out that the numbers currently working against the Bucks would look much different once the team breaks out if its slump and wins a few games.

“The team’s very positive. I think they’re upbeat,” Rivers said. “No one wants to lose. We have some tough games coming up, but one win at a time. We win three or four in a row and then the numbers say if you’re 5-6 after that, you have an 80 percent chance to make the playoffs, you know? So that’s where numbers are so silly sometimes, especially early in the year. And we don’t pay much attention to them.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo went through the team’s morning shootaround on Monday before Milwaukee decided to give him a night off due to a right adductor strain, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. Although the club’s injury report for Thursday’s game vs. Utah is not yet out, it sounds like Antetokounmpo is considered day-to-day and that the Bucks don’t view the injury as something that will sideline him for long.
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports suggested on The Kevin O’Connor Show (Twitter video link) that Tyrese Haliburton‘s early-season struggles may be linked to a back issue that affected the Pacers guard near the end of last season. “I’ve had some sources around the league tell me that they believe it’s not his hamstring that’s the cause of his struggles this year, it’s his back,” O’Connor said. “He had back spasms in the postseason. He’s still wearing a heating pack on the bench. And I think that would make sense, with the trends and the way in which he’s playing, the declining efficiency. Because back issues are tough to deal with.” Haliburton is shooting just 38.2% from the floor, including 24.1% on three-pointers, through seven games.
The Cavaliers‘ impressive 8-0 start is a byproduct of selflessness, sacrifice, and camaraderie, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), who notes that the team is on board with new head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s philosophies. “I feel like everybody’s buying into the system, even though it’s different,” center Jarrett Allen said. “Props to Kenny. He’s done an excellent job finding out a way to mesh this team together and just try to bring the best out of everybody. It’s not just one person leading the charge. Everybody’s contributing in a different way at different times.”

Blazers Notes: Williams, Rebuild, Banton, G League Moves

November 6th, 2024 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers center Robert Williams was available to suit up on Monday for the first time in nearly a year, having recovered from last season’s knee surgery and a hamstring injury he sustained during training camp. His last appearance in an NBA game occurred on November 5, 2023.

However, Williams didn’t get off the bench in New Orleans as Portland leaned on Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan to man the middle — the duo combined for 23 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks in their 48 minutes of action.

While it’s unclear whether Williams will crack Portland’s rotation going forward, it’s a safe bet he won’t play in both ends of a back-to-back set anytime soon, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report.

Highkin predicts Williams will be active on Thursday in San Antonio and, if he sees any action in that game, would be held out of Friday’s contest in Minnesota.

Here’s more on the Blazers:

The Thunder’s incredibly successful rebuild in recent years serves as an aspirational model for the Trail Blazers to try to emulate, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscription required). However, Fentress acknowledges that Portland’s apparent lack of a potential franchise player to build around puts them a step behind the 2020-22 Thunder, who won just 46 games across two seasons but were led a budding superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Traded from Boston to Portland in a salary-dump deal in February, swingman Dalano Banton made an impact down the stretch last season, had his team option picked up, and has now had 50% of his 2024/25 salary guaranteed. Banton continued to show on Monday that he deserves his spot on the Blazers’ roster, scoring 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, all in the fourth quarter, to help the team secure a win over the Pelicans. “I wasn’t expecting that,” Billups told reporters, including Fentress (subscription required). “But he’s one of those types of guys that when he gets a rhythm, he’s a really tough cover with his size and his skill set, his handle, and things like that. So, I was just happy to see him get going. I thought he fueled us.”
The Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, has reacquired forward Alex Reese after he was waived by the Thunder, per the NBAGL transaction log. Reese suited up for the Remix last season and the team still controlled his returning rights.
The Remix also made a trade with the Windy City Bulls this week, acquiring the returning rights to former NBAers Frank Jackson and Daniel Oturu along with a 2025 international draft pick in exchange for the rights to center David Muoka (Twitter link). Muoka is the only one of those three players who is currently on a G League contract — Jackson and Oturu are playing in France and Turkey, respectively.

Sixers Notes: George, Offense, Embiid

November 6th, 2024 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

Paul George wasn’t pleased with how he performed on Monday in his Sixers debut. The star forward committed six turnovers and made just 4-of-14 shots from the field (including 1-of-7 three-pointers) in the loss to the Suns.

After the game, George referred to his outing as “bad” and admitted he was “gassed” at times during his 32 minutes, but said he was encouraged by how his knee felt following his recovery from a bone bruise, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I was able to go out there and compete free of any thoughts of my body not holding up,” George said. “I felt completely fine. That was the positive in it. But all around, it was definitely a rusty game.”

While George is still on the Sixers’ injury report, he’s listed as probable to play on Wednesday and there has been no indication he won’t suit up. The game against the Clippers in Los Angeles will represent a reunion for George and his old team — he left L.A. over the summer after spending five seasons with the Clips.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Although George wasn’t at his best and the Sixers fell to 1-5 with Monday’s loss to Phoenix, the star forward’s debut provided some much-needed hope for Philadelphia, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who notes that the offense looked better with George on the floor than it had for most of the season. “He takes a lot of the pressure off all of us,” guard Tyrese Maxey told Jones. “With him on the floor, you can see it. We’re a lot more balanced. I didn’t have to do as much, so I was a lot more fresh. It just helps all of us, having him back.”
League sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that Joel Embiid‘s left knee “wasn’t a concern, or even a topic of discussion” among Team USA brass during the Olympics, though team sources say they were managing and monitoring the knee on their end. Within his story on Embiid’s status, Amick also suggests the big man wants to avoid a repeat of last season, when he attempted to play through a minor left knee ailment and suffered a more serious injury to that knee when Jonathan Kuminga fell on it during a January 30 game. That’s one reason why he and the team are taking a cautious approach this fall.
Both Amick and Howard Beck of The Ringer write that the 76ers’ lack of transparency regarding Embiid’s knee injury in recent weeks is a result of an attempt to honor the former MVP’s desire to keep his health issues as private as possible. “He doesn’t want his injuries discussed or explained, by anyone,” Beck writes, arguing that being more forthcoming about his condition would help improve Embiid’s public image. “Every Sixers administration has bowed to those wishes, repeatedly obfuscating on his behalf.”
In case you missed it, Embiid will begin serving his three-game suspension for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes on Wednesday and is on track to make his season debut next Tuesday vs. the Knicks.

NBA Suspends Embiid Three Games For Altercation With Columnist

November 5th, 2024 at 7:26pm CST by Luke Adams

7:26pm: Embiid’s suspension will cover Wednesday’s game against the Clippers, Friday’s contest against the Lakers and Sunday’s game against the Hornets, ESPNs Shams Charania tweets. He’ll be eligible to make his season debut next Tuesday in the NBA Cup opener against the Knicks at Philadelphia.

3:35pm: Sixers center Joel Embiid has been suspended for three games without pay for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the team’s locker room on Saturday, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link).

“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” the league’s head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. “While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.”

Embiid called out Hayes last week for columns in which he harshly criticized the former MVP and was reportedly particularly upset about one piece in which Hayes said the injured center isn’t providing a good example as a father for his son Arthur, who was named after the 30-year-old’s late brother. Hayes mentioned Embiid’s son and brother by name in the original version of the column before later removing the reference.

Embiid confronted Hayes in the locker room following Saturday’s loss to Memphis and reportedly had a heated discussion with the veteran columnist, directing some profane comments his way before shoving him.

Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer shared more details on the altercation earlier this week, writing that Hayes attempted to apologize to Embiid but “was rebuffed before the confrontation turned physical.” Hayes said he met with Sixers president Daryl Morey and GM Elton Brand and that they apologized, asked for his side of the story, and “agreed that Embiid’s actions were unacceptable,” Mizell relays.

Embiid has yet to make his debut this fall due to left knee injury management and his suspension won’t begin until he’s healthy enough to play. That may happen soon — Sam Amick of The Athletic reported this morning that there was hope within the organization that the star big man could play his first game of the season on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.

That obviously won’t happen now, but if Embiid is medically cleared to return, he could begin serving his suspension that night. In that scenario, he’d also miss Friday’s game vs. the Lakers and Sunday’s matchup with the Hornets before potentially suiting up next Tuesday vs. the Knicks.

The suspension will cost Embiid $1,063,778 of his $51,415,938 salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Nuggets’ Gordon To Miss Multiple Weeks With Calf Strain

November 5th, 2024 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be sidelined for “multiple weeks” as he recovers from a right calf strain, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

Gordon was listed on Denver’s injury report with right calf inflammation ahead of Monday’s game vs. Toronto. He was cleared to play, but logged just four minutes before exiting with what the team called a calf strain.

“Honestly, I was a little surprised he played last game,” head coach Michael Malone said after the game, per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. “The schedule has not been overly kind to us early. I think he’s dealing with just bumps and bruises, nothing long-term. But I’ll have to talk to our training staff to get an update on that.”

Based on Charania’s reporting, it sounds like the prognosis for Gordon is worse than Malone had hoped. The veteran forward is the second Nuggets starter to go down with an injury in the early going of the season — point guard Jamal Murray has missed the past two games while in the concussion protocol.

A key connecting piece for the Nuggets on both end of the floor, Gordon was averaging 17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 34.7 minutes per game, with an excellent shooting line of .529/.550/.846, entering Monday’s game. The team has posted a +10.3 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a -14.0 mark when he’s not.

The 29-year-old signed a long-term extension with Denver prior to the start of the season and is now under contract through at least 2028 (he holds a player option for ’28/29).

Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and Zeke Nnaji all established new personal season highs in minutes played on Monday and are among the top candidates for increased playing time for as long as Gordon remains unavailable. Second-year forward Hunter Tyson will also be in that mix.

Knicks Officially Complete Three Roster Moves

November 5th, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have formally completed a trio of roster moves, per the NBA’s official transaction log. The three moves, which were previously reported, are as follows:

Signed Matt Ryan to a standard contract (story)
Promoted Ariel Hukporti from a two-way contract to a standard contract (story)
Signed Boo Buie to a two-way contract (story)

As we detailed in our individual stories on the signings, the Knicks had been carrying 12 players on standard contracts and had to get to 14 by Tuesday, since teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time. New York had done so since the regular season begin two weeks ago.

Elevating Hukporti from his two-way deal to the standard roster created a two-way opening, which the Knicks filled by signing Buie. The team now has 17 total players under contract.

Ryan’s new deal with the Knicks is a one-year, minimum-salary contract that is non-guaranteed, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv and Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter links). The first year on Hukporti’s new contract, previously said to be a two-year deal with a second-year team option, is also non-guaranteed, Begley adds (via Twitter).

Ryan’s prorated cap hit is $1,919,558, while Hukporti’s is $1,064,049. Those two cap charges bump the Knicks’ total team salary to $188,350,128, giving the team nearly $581K in breathing room below its $188,931,000 hard cap.

New York could swap in a new 14th man by waiving Ryan before his salary becomes fully guaranteed on January 7. If Ryan remains on the roster and the team doesn’t make any trades, the front office will have to wait until February 25 to be able to squeeze in a 15th man on a veteran’s minimum contract below the hard cap, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Landry Shamet is a player to watch over the course of the season, since he appeared to be on track to claiming a roster spot out of training camp before dislocating his shoulder. If he recovers from that injury in the coming months, he could eventually supplant Ryan as the 14th man or fill the open 15th slot (after Feb. 25).

Community Shootaround: NBA’s Last Two Undefeated Teams

November 5th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA season tipped off two weeks ago today and 28 of the league’s 30 teams have lost at least once since then. In fact, 25 of 30 have already dropped at least three games.

One team in each conference still has an unblemished record though, with the Cavaliers leading the Eastern Conference at 8-0 while the Thunder sit atop the Western Conference at 7-0.

Oklahoma City’s performance so far is probably less of a surprise, given that the team’s projected over/under of 56.5 wins during the preseason was four games ahead of any other Western team — we knew the Thunder were going to be really good.

Still, OKC deserves kudos for living up to the hype in the early going despite missing top offseason free agent addition Isaiah Hartenstein, who has yet to make his regular season Thunder debut due to a fractured hand.

Even without Hartenstein, the club has the NBA’s best net rating (+17.1), buoyed by a defensive rating (93.8) that is over eight points per 100 possessions better than that of the second-place Warriors (102.1). The Thunder have won every single one of their games so far by at least 12 points, going 4-0 on the road and 3-0 at home.

Their schedule has certainly helped. Four of the Thunder’s seven wins have come against lottery teams from last season (the Bulls, Hawks, Spurs, and Trail Blazers), while two others have come against teams who have key players injured (the Clippers and Magic). OKC’s most impressive win was its season-opening victory in Denver against a Nuggets team that hasn’t quite looked like itself in the early going.

Still, the Thunder have easily handled the opponents across the floor from them, which is all you can ask for. As they look to extend their win streak, they’ll visit Denver again on Wednesday before beginning a six-game homestand that includes matchups against the Rockets (this Friday), Warriors (Nov. 10), Clippers (Nov. 11), Pelicans (Nov. 13), Suns (Nov. 15), and Mavericks (Nov. 17).

Over in the East, the Cavaliers were considered a potential top-four seed, but few were counting on them to come out of the gates quite like this.

The Cavs have had the NBA’s second-best offense (121.0 rating) and its fifth-best defense (108.3) so far, for an overall net rating of +12.7. They rank atop the league in true shooting percentage (63.0%) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.28-to-1).

Like the Thunder, Cleveland has been missing a key rotation player – starting small forward Max Strus – but has done a good job of getting by in his absence, with Dean Wade, Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill, and Isaac Okoro all providing solid minutes on the wing, while Ty Jerome has thrived as the team’s backup point guard after missing nearly all of last season due to an ankle injury.

The Cavs’ schedule to open the season was somewhat soft, with their first three victories coming against Toronto, Detroit, and Washington. They’ve also benefited from getting to play the Magic (without Banchero) and the struggling Bucks (twice) at the right time. But they had good wins over the Knicks (in New York) and the Lakers (by 24 points).

The Cavs will be in New Orleans on Wednesday before hosting the Warriors and Nets for a back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday. Next week, they play in Chicago (Nov. 11) and Philadelphia (Nov. 13), then return home to face the Bulls (Nov. 15) and Hornets (Nov. 17).

We want to hear your early impressions of the league’s two remaining undefeated teams.

When do you expect the Thunder and Cavaliers to take their first loss? Could they stay perfect for another week or two? Are their hot starts the beginning of big seasons in Oklahoma City and Cleveland, or do you expect the two clubs to start sliding in the standings a little after their win streaks come to an end? Has their play this fall made you any more bullish about their chances to get past the second round of the playoffs in the spring?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Lakers Notes: Davis, Centers, Reddish, Christie

November 5th, 2024 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers big man Anthony Davis is averaging a league-leading 32.6 points per game on a career-high 57.1% field goal percentage through seven games, but he aggravated a left foot injury in the fourth quarter of Monday’s disappointing loss in Detroit, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Sources tell McMenamin that Davis has not yet been ruled out for Wednesday’s game in Memphis, which is the last stop on the team’s five-game road trip. However, the Lakers figure to be cautious with the nine-time All-Star, who dealt with the foot issue from the end of last season through the Paris Olympics.

“I’ll talk to my trainer and just kind of figure out what exactly is going on,” Davis told reporters. “I’ve been managing it since this summer, honestly, and my goal for every game is to be on the floor. And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that’s been killing me. So, we’ll figure it out.”

The Lakers’ other star, LeBron James, declined to speculate on how the club might handle a situation in which Davis misses time, but he acknowledged it would be difficult to replace the league’s leading scorer in the lineup.

“I don’t play the ‘if’ game,” James said, per McMenamin. “We’ll go off what AD says and see how he feels over the next couple of days and go from there. But it don’t take a rocket scientist to know (the impact) if AD’s in or out. C’mon.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

If Davis does have to miss Wednesday’s game or any time beyond that, the Lakers will find themselves pretty shorthanded in the middle, notes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Jaxson Hayes remains available despite the NBA reopening its investigation into a 2021 domestic incident, but Christian Wood (knee surgery) and Christian Koloko (return-to-play conditioning) are out, as is small-ball center Jarred Vanderbilt (foot surgeries). When Hayes isn’t on the floor, L.A. might have to turn to rookie two-way big man Armel Traore or use a small lineup with James or Rui Hachimura at the five, according to Buha, who says neither option would be ideal.
Veteran forward Cam Reddish played a season-high 14 minutes on Monday after appearing in just one of the Lakers’ first six games. He didn’t score, but he grabbed five rebounds and was a plus-10 in the 12-point loss to the Pistons, as Khobi Price of The Orange County Register writes. Head coach J.J. Redick said that Reddish “earned some trust” as a result of his showing on Monday. LeBron also lauded the former first-round pick for stepping in and acquitting himself well. “Cam was great,” James said. “He did exactly what was asked of him. He came in and he defended at a high level. He was great.”
Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times takes a closer look at how veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell attempted to pull struggling teammate Max Christie out of his slump and increase his confidence ahead of Monday’s game in Toronto. Christie – who signed a four-year, $32MM contract over the summer – had his most effective outing of the season, with seven points and five rebounds in 13 minutes, but was unable to carry that momentum into Wednesday’s contest. He played just four first-quarter minutes against Detroit, with Reddish taking his spot in the rotation for the rest of the night.

Atlantic Notes: Kolek, Queta, Dick, Barnes

November 5th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

After playing a rotation role in each of the Knicks‘ first five games, veteran point guard Cameron Payne was unavailable on Monday in Houston due to a hamstring strain. That resulted in rookie guard Tyler Kolek seeing his first meaningful minutes of the season for New York.

Kolek was only on the court for 5:32 and was a minus-four in his limited playing time. Still, he knocked down his only field goal attempt (a three-pointer) and has made a positive impression on a head coach who typically doesn’t make a habit of playing rookies.

“I really like (Kolek) a lot,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “I think he’s learning like most young guys coming into the league. He’s a gym rat. Works extremely hard. Puts a lot of time into film study. Extra work. Practice. He’s around really good veterans. That helps move it along in terms of how you learn. And then a big part of it is the trial and error of getting out there and doing it. So I think he’s putting everything he has into it. So we’ll see.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Having seen his rotation role increase over the past week, Celtics center Neemias Queta earned his first career start on Monday in Atlanta and delivered with 10 points, seven rebounds, and a plus-31 mark in just 23 minutes. As Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes, Queta’s transformation into a rotation player gives Boston more insurance up front behind veterans Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. “He’s grown a lot as a player and quite honestly he doesn’t know how good he can be,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Queta after Monday’s win. “He’s got a great ceiling and so the standard is very high and I thought he did some great things for us tonight.”
Following an up-and-down rookie season, Raptors sharpshooter Gradey Dick is showing early signs of breaking out in his second year, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who takes a closer look at how 2023’s No. 13 overall pick is thriving so far this fall. With a 26-point outing on Monday in Denver, Dick is up to 21.6 PPG on .473/.383/.929 shooting in his first eight games as an NBA sophomore.
After a meeting with doctors on Monday, the Raptors determined that injured forward Scottie Barnes won’t require surgery to repair the right orbital fracture he suffered last week, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. A surgical procedure likely would’ve extended the recovery timeline for Barnes, who will be reevaluated in about two weeks.

Onuralp Bitim Returning To Europe

November 5th, 2024 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

After spending the 2023/24 season in the NBA, Turkish forward Onuralp Bitim will head back overseas for the ’24/25 campaign, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

According to Urbonas, Bitim is on track to sign a long-term contract with the Istanbul-based club Fenerbahce. However, Fenerbahce has a crowded rotation on the wing, so the team is expected to loan the 25-year-old to Bayern Munich in Germany for the rest of this season.

Having played professionally in Turkey for several years, Bitim made the move stateside in 2023 and opened the NBA season on a two-way contract with the Bulls. He was promoted to Chicago’s standard roster in February and began to see some action at the NBA level around that time.

Bitim, who made his NBA debut on Feb. 22, ultimately appeared in 23 total games for Chicago, averaging 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .381/.273/.800. His season ended due to a detached retina, which required multiple surgeries and an uncomfortable recovery process.

Bitim remained under contract with the Bulls until last month, when he was among the club’s preseason cuts.

While Bitim’s NBA numbers were underwhelming, he was a solid contributor at the G League level in 22 games for the Windy City Bulls, putting up 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on .415/.363/.909 shooting in 30.1 minutes per contest. In 2022/23, he made the All-EuroCup Second Team for Bursaspor in Turkey after averaging 18.1 PPG and 3.2 APG in 18 EuroCup outings.

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