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Atlantic Notes: Mazzulla, Ujiri, M. Robinson, House

May 10th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Following a Game 5 loss at home on Tuesday, the Celtics are now one game away from elimination, heading to Philadelphia down 3-2 in the second round series. With Joe Mazzulla taking much of the blame for the Celtics‘ up-and-down play in the series, Marcus Smart jumped to the defense of the first-year head coach, telling Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com that “it’s not just one person’s fault.”

“We still believe in our coach. We believe in Joe to the fullest,” Smart said. “We haven’t lost faith in him and we won’t. He has a game plan; it’s on us to go out and execute it. We’re the ones out there playing, so we’ve got to help him. He’s been doing great.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • A rival general manager believes Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is “really, really frustrated,” pointing to Toronto’s disappointing season and Fred VanVleet‘s looming free agency as sources of Ujiri’s supposed discontent, according to Bulpett. “(VanVleet) hasn’t shown him any indication that he wants to stay. So I think he’s really down about that situation,” the GM told Heavy.com. “Maybe it’s because everything’s still so fresh, but there’s a lot they have to get done there. It didn’t surprise anyone that (head coach) Nick (Nurse) moved on.” The GM added that the Wizards, who are in the market for a new head of basketball operations, may pursue Ujiri again this spring.
  • Responding to a tweet claiming that he has been getting “abused” by center Bam Adebayo in the second round series against the Heat, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson pushed back, suggesting that he has to provide help “every time” on defense. Zach Braziller of The New York Post has the story.
  • Viewed as one of the Sixers‘ key additions last offseason, Danuel House has been out of the rotation in the playoffs. However, as Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, the veteran wing logged 15 minutes in the team’s Game 5 win and played well, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds. “My job is to bring energy, showcase a little something for the team, to guard the yard and make sure I’m executing plays,” House said after Philadelphia’s victory. “… It was a joy to be out there, to be honest.”
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Contract Implications Of Today’s All-NBA Announcement

May 10th, 2023 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will announce its All-NBA teams for the 2022/23 on Wednesday night, unveiling the First, Second, and Third teams during a TNT broadcast beginning at 6:00 pm Central time (Twitter link).

For many of this year’s All-NBA candidates, earning a spot on one of the three teams will simply bolster their career résumés, perhaps increasing their chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame down the line.

But there are a handful of players who have – or could have – a significant amount of money riding on tonight’s announcement. Those players would become eligible for a more lucrative contract by making an All-NBA team.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement typically restricts players who have six or fewer years of NBA experience from signing deals worth more than 25% of the salary cap. However, earning an All-NBA berth at the right time can make those players eligible to sign for up to 30% up the cap.

Similarly, players with between seven and nine years in the league are usually limited to signing contracts worth up to 30% of the cap, but an All-NBA nod can make them eligible to receive up to 35% of the cap instead.

We have more specific details on how Rose Rule deals and Designated Veteran contracts work in a pair of glossary entries, so you can check those out for more information. Here are the players who could be the most financially impacted by this year’s All-NBA voting results:

Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

Tatum will only have six years of NBA experience at the end of this season, so he’s not yet eligible to sign a super-max extension. However, assuming he makes an All-NBA team – which is a virtual lock – he’ll have met the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.

Players who have seven years of NBA experience and who made the All-NBA team in two of the last three seasons are super-max eligible. That means that an All-NBA nod tonight would put Tatum in position to sign a five-year DVE (worth 35% of the 2025/26 cap) in the 2024 offseason regardless of whether he makes an All-NBA team next season, since he’ll have done so in both 2022 and 2023.

Jaylen Brown (Celtics) / Pascal Siakam (Raptors)

We’re grouping Brown and Siakam together here, since they’re in identical situations. Both members of the 2016 draft class are finishing up their seventh year in the NBA and have contracts that expire in 2024.

If they earn All-NBA honors this season, both Brown and Siakam would be eligible to sign five-year Designated Veteran extensions that begin in 2024/25 and start at up to 35% of that season’s cap.

Unlike Tatum, neither Brown nor Siakam is a slam dunk to make an All-NBA team. The odds of both players making the cut are probably slim, but they each have a chance at a Third Team spot. I’d view Brown as the slightly stronger candidate, given Boston’s regular season record relative to Toronto’s.

Ja Morant (Grizzlies)

Morant has actually already signed a rookie scale extension, completing that deal with the Grizzlies last offseason. However, its exact value will look drastically different depending on whether or not Morant makes an All-NBA team tonight. If he earns a spot, his contract would start at 30% of the 2023/24 salary cap; if he misses out, his deal would start at 25% of next season’s cap.

Based on a $134MM salary cap, the difference between Morant’s two possible deals is nearly $40MM — he’ll earn a projected $233MM across five years if he’s named to an All-NBA team and about $194MM if he’s not.

Morant looked like a safe bet to earn All-NBA honors during the first half of the season, but an eight-game suspension for waving a gun in a Colorado strip club derailed his second half and made him more of a borderline candidate. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t make it.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Cavaliers guard Darius Garland also signed Rose Rule rookie scale extensions last summer and would have salaries worth 30% of the 2023/24 cap (instead of 25%) if they make an All-NBA team. That won’t happen for Williamson, who was limited to 29 games this season. It probably won’t happen for Garland either, though he has a far better chance to show up on some ballots.

Non-eligible candidates

To be eligible for a super-max extension worth 35% of the cap, a player can’t have been traded since his second NBA contract began. That rule will make Kings center Domantas Sabonis ineligible for a super-max deal even if he shows up on the All-NBA Third Team tonight.

Several other All-NBA candidates, including Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, could become super-max eligible down the road, but don’t have enough NBA experience to qualify yet. They would each need to make at least one more All-NBA team in a future season to become eligible, regardless of what happens this year.

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NBA Announces 2022/23 All-Defensive Teams

May 9th, 2023 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2022/23 season.

A total of 100 media members vote on the All-Defensive awards, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote. This year’s All-Defensive teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Unsurprisingly, Jackson – who was this season’s Defensive Player of the Year – received the most First Team votes (96) and showed up on the most overall ballots (99). Only one voter didn’t have Jackson on either All-Defensive team.

Milwaukee teammates Holiday (94) and Lopez (85) received the second- and third-most First Team votes. No other player earned more than 50.

While the Bucks have two players on the First Team, it’s a bit surprising to see former DPOY Giannis Antetokounmpo miss out altogether. Antetokounmpo earned 16 First Team votes and 28 Second Team votes for a total of 60 points, the most of any player who didn’t earn All-Defensive honors. Although he received more total points than Brooks or Adebayo, Giannis didn’t make the cut because there were four forwards with more points than him.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (40 points), Celtics guard Marcus Smart (35), Nets guard Mikal Bridges (33), and Nets center Nic Claxton (25) would have joined Antetokounmpo on a hypothetical All-Defensive Third Team as the highest vote-getters who fell just short.

A total of 38 players showed up on at least one ballot — the full voting results can be viewed here.

Being named to an All-Defensive team will benefit a pair of players financially, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). White earned a $250K bonus for his Second Team nod, while Holiday will receive $129,600 for making the First Team.

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Celtics Notes: G. Williams, R. Williams, Smart, Griffin, Brown

May 6th, 2023 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

While his Celtics teammates were celebrating their Game 3 victory Friday night, Grant Williams was in a dentist’s chair, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Williams had to get treated by the Sixers’ team dentist after Joel Embiid accidentally stepped on the back of his head while chasing a loose ball in the fourth quarter (video link).

“A swollen nose,” Williams said. “That’s about it and stitches in the mouth. I think it was three or four.”

Williams added that he didn’t need to be checked for a concussion and he expects to be ready when the series resumes on Sunday. The only change is that he’ll have some extra protection.

“I thought it would be a smart decision to throw a mouthpiece in there,” he said at Saturday’s practice. “My parents have been getting on me for the past three years for not wearing a mouthpiece. Let’s just say last night didn’t help.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

  • Robert Williams also had an injury scare on Friday night, hurting his right arm while saving a loose ball in the fourth quarter, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Doctors examined the arm after he was taken out of the game, and he was diagnosed with a right forearm contusion. Williams wore a sleeve on the arm today, but said he was feeling fine. He expects his team to face an even tougher test in Game 4. “We know what we’re coming into,” he said. “The crowd was crazy, we could barely hear each other last night. But the same fight, man. We expect to leave out the game with more scars than yesterday.”
  • Marcus Smart has been listed as questionable for Game 4 with a sprained left ankle, Terada, adds in another MassLive story. Smart was questionable for Game 2 of the series with a chest contusion, but wasn’t on the injury report for Game 3. Blake Griffin, who was a late scratch for Friday’s game because of low back pain, is also considered questionable for Sunday. The veteran big man hasn’t played yet in the Sixers’ series and made just one brief appearance during the first round.
  • Jaylen Brown‘s defense on James Harden has played a huge role in turning the series around, observes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. After Harden’s 45-point outburst in the series opener, the Celtics began using Brown as the primary defender on him. Harden has been limited to 12 and 16 points the last two games and shot a combined 5-of-28 from the field.
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Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Harden, Borrego, Nets

May 6th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who finished fourth in Most Valuable Player voting this season, was motivated on Friday night by watching Joel Embiid receive his MVP trophy before Game 3 of the Sixers/Celtics series in Philadelphia, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.

It wasn’t exactly Hakeem Olajuwon dominating David Robinson and the Spurs following Robinson’s MVP ceremony in 1995, but Tatum led the Celtics to a 114-102 win in Game 3, scoring a team-high 27 points and helping Boston reclaim home-court advantage in the series.

“It just got me really ready to play,” Tatum said of the pregame ceremony, per Collier. “You could feel the energy from the crowd and the building. I’m happy for (Embiid). He earned it, he deserved it, but I was just focused on trying to win tonight.”

In addition to his 27 points, Tatum grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds, handed out five assists, and had a a pair of steals and a block, earning praise from his teammates for a “superstar” performance.

“He played a terrific game all around, but he finished a tough game on the road in a hostile environment for us,” Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “That’s what superstars do.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • After scoring 45 points on 17-of-30 shooting in Game 1, James Harden has totaled just 28 points on 5-of-28 shooting in his last two games, both Sixers losses. Embiid wants to see his star teammate be more assertive on offense going forward, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “I mean, you just talk to him and you keep telling him to keep shooting,” Embiid said after Friday’s loss. “Be aggressive. Can’t get too high, can’t get too low. Some nights you’re going to make lots of other shots, a lot of tough ones, and some nights you’re not going to make them. So it’s about finding other ways to impact the game.”
  • After Marc Stein suggested that the Nets could be one of the teams with interest in James Borrego as an assistant coach, a league source confirms to NetsDaily that Brooklyn is “100%” in on pursuing Borrego for a spot on Jacque Vaughn‘s staff. The Nets, who are parting ways with multiple assistant coaches, also expressed interest in Borrego last year, per NetsDaily.
  • Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required) poses four questions for the Nets to answer this offseason, including what their long-term plan is at point guard and what the cost will be to re-sign restricted free agent Cameron Johnson.
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Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Butler, Celtics, Embiid

May 4th, 2023 at 11:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson continues to deal with the sore right ankle that caused him to be listed as questionable ahead of New York’s second game against the Heat.

Brunson ultimately played and performed well in the Knicks’ 111-105 Game 2 win. He scored 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe. His status for Game 3 in Miami, however, remains murky.

Per Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Tom Thibodeau claimed Brunson “didn’t do much” in the team’s practice Thursday, and is considered “day-to-day.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • Given the uncertain availability of Heat All-NBA swingman Jimmy Butler, the Knicks are gearing up to play against two iterations of Miami on Saturday, per Peter Botte of The New York Post: one with Butler and one without him. “The good thing about the situation that we just went through is we played one game where he played and one game where he didn’t play,” Thibodeau said. “So we know style of play, what he brings, how they’ll be different when he plays. We also know how they’ll play when he doesn’t play.”
  • The Celtics worked hard to earn a 121-87 blowout victory over the Sixers to even their series to a 1-1 record, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston point guard Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, made it a priority to lock down Philadelphia’s backcourt. “Our defense has been slipping,” Smart said, “and we just wanted to come out and get back to what we do best.”
  • Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said today that MVP center Joel Embiid‘s knee is responding well following his return to the floor for a Game 2 loss to Boston, per Rich Hoffman of The Athletic (Twitter video link). “Just his speed that he reached, his explosions, they were very close to normal,” Rivers said. “That was great for us to see and more importantly, great for him to be able to do it and see that he can do it, and have very little swelling or anything like that.” Embiid scored 15 points, blocked five shots and pulled down three boards in 27 minutes of action, playing in his first game back from an LCL sprain.
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And-Ones: Hustle Award, Free Agent Guards, Brooks, Hawkins

May 4th, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Celtics guard Marcus Smart has won the NBA’s Hustle Award for 2022/23, the league announced in a press release (story via Brian Martin of NBA.com). The 29-year-old also won the award last season, becoming the first back-to-back winner, and has now been the recipient three times in the past five seasons.

This is the seventh season for the Hustle Award, which was created in ’16/17, Martin notes. It is a merit-based award reflective of NBA.com’s hustle stats, including charges drawn, loose balls recovered, deflections, box outs, screen assists and contested shots.

The top-five finishers for the award, in order, were Smart, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and Pelicans forward Herbert Jones.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at the best guards available on the 2023 free agent market and their potential landing spots. Pincus thinks a team with cap room might try to pry restricted free agent Austin Reaves from the Lakers with a large offer sheet, but he thinks L.A. will ultimately match.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic, who used to work for the Grizzlies and was part of the front office that drafted Dillon Brooks, believes the small forward can still be a positive contributor for a number of teams as long as he can toe “The Line” between “competitive and crazy.” Teams over the cap but below the luxury tax line could offer the impending free agent the full mid-level exception, and Hollinger points to the Bulls, Hornets, Mavericks, Kings, Trail Blazers and Hawks as clubs that could use defensive help on the wing. As for teams with cap room, the Pistons, Rockets, Pacers and Jazz might be interested in Brooks if they miss out on pricier targets, according to Hollinger.
  • UConn guard Jordan Hawkins has been invited to the NBA draft combine, which takes place later this month, according Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Considered one of the best shooters in the 2023 class, Hawkins is a potential lottery pick, currently ranked No. 13 on ESPN’s big board. As Zagoria previously reported, Hawkins will be joining a couple of his teammates (Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo) at the combine.
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Joel Embiid Cleared To Return For Game 2

May 3rd, 2023 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

6:38pm: Embiid will be in the Sixers’ starting lineup for Game 2, tweets Charania.

9:05am: Newly crowned Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid is on track to return to action in Game 2 of the Sixers‘ second round series against the Celtics, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania’s report suggests Embiid is expected to play on Wednesday night in Boston as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks today.

Embiid has been sidelined since Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first round win over Brooklyn due to a sprained LCL in his right knee. He reportedly received a PRP injection last week to promote healing in the knee. Although he was ruled out for Game 1, reports at the time indicated there was “optimism” about his chances of making it back for Game 2.

According to Charania, after Embiid was officially named MVP on Tuesday night, he turned to the team during a brief celebration and announced, “I’m back.”

If Embiid does return on Wednesday and remains healthy for the remainder of the series, the 76ers have a legitimate opportunity to upset the Celtics, who entered the second round as the favorites to come out of the East.

An Embiid-less Sixers squad pulled out a Game 1 win on the road as James Harden matched a career postseason high with 45 points. That victory ensured the team will return to Philadelphia for Game 3 with no worse than a split of the first two games.

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Celtics Notes: Horford, Brown, Tatum, Smart

May 3rd, 2023 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid‘s absence wasn’t supposed to work in the Sixers’ advantage, but Al Horford believes that’s what happened in Game 1, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. The Celtics knew for several days that Embiid was unlikely to play because of a sprained LCL in his right knee, and Horford believes his team wasn’t as focused as it needed to be.

“We didn’t do as good a job defensively as we could,” he said. “I really believe that it happened to us last year when one of their main players was missing, and Embiid being out tonight. As much as you don’t want to say it wasn’t a factor, I think it was. We have to be better. We have to understand that we have to be able to play with whatever happens, whatever variables.”

Horford pointed out that Boston lost several times this season against teams that were missing one of their best players. He cited Game 5 of the first-round series against the Hawks when Atlanta won in Boston while Dejounte Murray was suspended, along with regular season defeats to the Thunder without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Suns without Devin Booker.

There’s more from Boston:

  • The Celtics need to make sure Jaylen Brown stays involved in the offense, observes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Brown was 6-of-7 from the field in the first quarter of the series opener, but he took just three more shots during the rest of the game. He told reporters afterward that he’s not sure what led to his reduced role.
  • Jay King of The Athletic examines how Brown and Jayson Tatum learned to mesh their games, which included watching film together last season. King notes that players typically study game film as a team or individually, but Tatum and Brown were able to use those sessions to figure out how to be effective together at a time when many observers were wondering if they should be split apart. “I felt like it was a breaking point,” Tatum recalled. “It was either going to make or break the season. And we got closer instead of separating.”
  • Coach Joe Mazzulla expects Marcus Smart to be ready for Game 2, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Smart is listed as questionable with a chest contusion.
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Community Shootaround: NBA Playoff Check-In

May 3rd, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

After meeting in the NBA Finals a year ago, the Celtics and Warriors will have to overcome early second-round deficits if they hope to compete again for a title this June.

The Celtics lost the first game of their second round series to the Sixers on Monday, despite the fact that the game was played in Boston and Philadelphia was missing MVP center Joel Embiid. The Warriors lost Game 1 to the Lakers on Tuesday even though they made 21 three-pointers to L.A.’s six. The two teams’ disparate styles were on full display, as the Lakers knocked down 15 more two-pointers and 20 more free throws than Golden State.

Even though Embiid is on track to return in Game 2 on Wednesday and Boston has lost its home court advantage, the Celtics are still the favorites to advance beyond the second round, per BetOnline.ag. That’s not the case for the defending champions though, as the Lakers are now considered the betting favorites in the West’s No. 6 vs. No. 7 matchup.

Neither the Celtics (-158) nor the Lakers (-155) are overwhelming favorites in their respective series, but they’re still viewed as better bets to make the conference finals than either the Heat (-118) or Knicks (-102), according to BetOnline.ag.

That matchup of Eastern Conference upstarts is essentially viewed as a toss-up, with the Heat’s split of the first two games in New York having been negated by Jimmy Butler‘s uncertain status going forward after he missed Game 2 with a sprained ankle. Miami is already playing without Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo — missing Butler may leave the team with too little firepower to knock off the Knicks, but if he’s able to return for Game 3 on Saturday, the Heat’s position looks much stronger.

Of the eight teams in the second round, the Nuggets (-430) are the biggest favorites to make the conference finals after registering two strong home wins over the Suns. But with the series heading back to Phoenix, a home victory or two for the Suns could significantly alter the outlook of that matchup.

If the Suns hope to mount a comeback, they’ll likely have to do so without Chris Paul, at least for the next two or three games. The future Hall of Famer has a strained groin and isn’t expected to return to action before next week.

With the first round behind us and this year’s potential title contenders emerging, we want to check in on your thoughts on this spring’s playoffs. Has your NBA Finals pick changed since the postseason tipped off? Which four teams do you expect to make it through to the conference finals? Are the Nuggets the best bet to advance, or is there another team you’re more confident in?

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

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