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Southwest Notes: Whitmore, Green, Sengun, Morant, Zion, Paul

November 7th, 2024 at 8:48pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Rockets are assigning last year’s No. 20 overall pick Cam Whitmore to their G League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen reports (Twitter link).

Whitmore played a significant role for the Rockets in the second half of last season. In total, he appeared in 47 games (two starts) as a rookie and averaged an impressive 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per contest while shooting 35.9% from three on 4.7 attempts per game.

Whitmore began this season in the rotation, averaging 7.3 PPG in 13.6 MPG across the team’s first four games. However, with the second-year forward shooting just 38.7% from the field and not making a three-pointer until his fifth game, he fell out of the rotation and received a DNP-CD on Monday, then only received late-game minutes in a 27-point blowout on Wednesday.

Rookie Reed Sheppard‘s playing time has increased a bit as Whitmore’s has decreased, so he appears to be continuing to build a role in the rotation. It’s unclear what Houston’s exact plan with Whitmore is, but the Rockets’ hope is that he’ll find his shot in the G League, like he did last year when he made 38.9% of 10.1 three-point attempts per game with the development team.

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The Rockets awarded Jalen Green with a three-year, $106MM extension before the season, which came on the heels of a strong second half last season. Now, it looks as though the 2021 No. 2 overall pick is building on last season’s breakout, having averaged 22.6 points per game with a .382 3PT% through eight games this fall. With both he and 2021 classmate Alperen Sengun (No. 16 overall) having agreed to big extensions last month, Green has lofty expectations for the pair, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. “I love playing with [Sengun],” Green said. “We’ve had our ups and downs, I’ve played terrible, he’s been good the whole season — it was really me who was trying to find myself from a whole new system standpoint. The games that we won and both of us scored well, those are the games that will come when it’s playoff season. You see how [Nikola] Jokic and Jamal Murray are — I’m not saying we’re like them but they compare [Sengun] to Jokic all the time. So why can’t I be something similar to Jamal? Not saying I want to be, but someone that can get off too. It’s a two-man threat every night.“
Grizzlies star Ja Morant missed almost all of last season due to suspension and injury, but he’s back now and helping push Memphis toward being more competitive than it was last year. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes that even though the Western Conference landscape has changed since Morant was last fully healthy, he still has the utmost belief in his team. “Still confident,” the point guard said. “Two years ago passed. I don’t even know who won the championship two years ago … Two years ago don’t matter. Last year don’t matter either. So all we can focus on is now, and that’s getting our wins and handling our business. Confidence never left.“
Zion Williamson returned to action for the Pelicans on Wednesday after missing two games, then suffered another brief injury scare in the second quarter, Christian Clark of NOLA.com writes. Williamson exited early in the second quarter before returning after halftime. He finished with 29 points and should be fine moving forward.
Trey Murphy is close to returning for the Pelicans after suffering a multi-week hamstring injury in October. According to Clark (Twitter link), Murphy was upgraded to doubtful for Friday’s game against the Magic. While it sounds like he’ll likely miss that game, it appears as though his return isn’t far off.
The Spurs brought in Chris Paul this offseason to serve as a veteran leader and mentor for their young players, including Victor Wembanyama. Paul spoke about his role with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina (Twitter link). “You have to show guys that you can hoop,” Paul said. “I don’t go in there and try to be nobody’s coach and nobody’s daddy. First and foremost, I hoop.“

Spurs Notes: Paul, Wembanyama, Defense, Popovich

November 2nd, 2024 at 8:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul loves sharing his knowledge with younger players, and he has found an attentive group of students in his new Spurs teammates, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. According to Orsborn, Paul started his lessons shortly after signing with San Antonio this summer. He rounded up some teammates in Las Vegas and offered instructions throughout the five-on-five scrimmage.

“He’s like a player-coach,” Sandro Mamukelashvili said. “He is always so encouraging. Having him is such an advantage. He never says something that doesn’t make sense.”

The 39-year-old point guard has been around the NBA long enough to know that there are various ways to get through to different players. For instance, Orsborn relays that Paul didn’t offer any advice to Victor Wembanyama after he was held to six points in Wednesday’s loss at Oklahoma City. Wembanyama responded with one of the best games of his career the next night at Utah.

“Everyone you see in the league is always learning more,” Paul said. “(Wembanyama) has already been a pro for a long time. You give advice here and there, but he is going to be one of the greats.”

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Wembanyama’s line against the Jazz included 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks, making it the 23rd 5×5 performance in league history, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. He joined Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrei Kirilenko as the only players to accomplish the feat twice. “It tells me that I need to get my standards up,” Wembanyama said afterward. “It tells me that I’m able to help my team in all of those areas and that this should be a consistent thing. As I’ve said before, I thought this was a game that we must have. So I was glad that I was able to help my team in every area.”
The Spurs are responding to coach Gregg Popovich‘s training camp emphasis on improving the defense, Orsborn adds in a separate story. They forced 25 turnovers against Utah, the highest total for the franchise in nine years, and recorded nine steals in the third quarter while holding the Jazz to 14 points. “We’re not ready to be a top-five defensive team by any stretch of the imagination, but we know that is the focus and we have played good defense throughout the season,” Popovich said. “We picked up where we left off from last year. I am really impressed with their understanding and enjoying what the defense can do for them.”
Popovich is missing tonight’s game with Minnesota due to an illness, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson is taking his place on the sidelines.

Spurs Notes: Branham, Paul, Vassell, Cissoko, G League

October 29th, 2024 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

It remains to be seen whether there will be a regular role for him once the Spurs‘ roster is fully healthy, but Malaki Branham continues to take advantage of an early-season opportunity and is making a case for consistent playing time, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

After providing the Spurs with 14 solid minutes on Saturday, Branham had his best game of the season in Monday’s five-point loss to Houston, scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just under 17 minutes of action. His plus-22.6 net rating through three contests is easily the best mark of any San Antonio rotation player — the team’s overall rating is minus-6.0.

“He’s been a pro,” head coach Gregg Popovich said of the third-year guard. “He’s done what he needed to do at practice and shootarounds. He came in and was ready to go. A class act.”

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In an entertaining feature story for The Athletic, Fred Katz takes an in-depth look at Chris Paul‘s history of mentorship, speaking to former teammates like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Payne about what they learned from the future Hall of Famer and exploring how the Spurs will benefit from his presence. “There has been a mentorship dynamic with everybody because Chris is Chris,” Popovich said. “His experience and his intelligence, as we know, is off the charts. … He talks to everybody on the court: big, little. (He’s) just been fantastic in that regard.”
The Spurs are sending Devin Vassell and Sidy Cissoko to Austin to participate in training camp with their G League team, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is in the final stages of his rehabilitation following offseason foot surgery, while Cissoko hasn’t seen any game action yet this season for San Antonio and could use the reps.
Speaking of the Austin Spurs, they officially announced their training camp roster on Tuesday (via Twitter). Malachi Flynn, Jamaree Bouyea, and Jameer Nelson Jr. (the son of former NBA point guard Jameer Nelson) are among the notable names on the 14-man squad.

Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Paul, Sochan, Castle

October 25th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Playing extended minutes for the first time since the Olympics, Victor Wembanyama admitted conditioning was a factor in Thursday’s loss at Dallas, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The Spurs were careful with their star big man during the preseason, limiting him to about 40 combined minutes in two games. Coach Gregg Popovich gave him a breather less than five minutes into Thursday’s contest.

“Some moments felt great,” Wembanyama said. “A little hard conditioning-wise at first, of course [as] I expected. But I think we had some good basketball moments and some really bad ones.”

Wembanyama struggled with his shooting, scoring 17 points while going 5-of-18 from the field and 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. But veteran point guard Chris Paul was encouraged that San Antonio only trailed by two points and halftime and was able to remain competitive against the defending Western Conference champions without having Wembanyama at his best.

“I love the fight we showed,” he said. “There are no moral victories, but we played against a team that went to the Finals. So, there’s a continuity they have. For me, not knowing what to expect in the preseason is one thing. The regular season is another thing. But I’m honestly so excited about the spurts that I’ve seen and what I know our team is capable of.”

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Mavericks coach Jason Kidd doesn’t mind seeing Paul getting close to him for second place on the career assists list, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Kidd believes the new partnership with Wembanyama will make it easier for Paul to eclipse his total. “When you have a target like Victor, he shouldn’t be thinking about my spot,” Kidd said, “but maybe John (Stockton)‘s.”
Back at forward after last season’s ill-fated point guard experiment, Jeremy Sochan tied for the team lead with 18 points, McDonald adds. Sochan appears more relaxed now that he’s locked into his natural position. “You grow up every year, you learn some things,” he said. “My situations a little different than last year. It’s just me playing with energy, playing hard, trying to be everywhere.”
Popovich was happy with the competitive fire shown by lottery pick Stephon Castle, whose first NBA action included time guarding Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Popovich warned Castle about the challenge prior to the game. “I said, ‘You know, basically you’re a sophomore in college,’” Popovich told reporters. “‘At some point in the game, you’re going to guard the possible MVP of the NBA.’ It kind of hit him. It’s a little different.”

Southwest Notes: CP3, Flynn, Pippen, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Hawkins

October 18th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the hundreds of players currently on NBA rosters, only two are older than 39-year-old Chris Paul. While the Spurs point guard’s days as an NBA player may be numbered, he’s still not sure what the next stage of his career will look like, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

One potential path that intrigues Paul is being part of an NBA team’s ownership group, which he acknowledges is a little ironic, given that he served as the head of the National Basketball Players Association earlier in his career.

“I definitely want to be part of an organization because being the president of the union, I am probably the only guy who knows from being a player to ownership to the business side of it and all that,” Paul said. “There is probably nobody else who has the lens and the views I have.”

NBA general managers recently voted Paul as the active player who would make the best head coach after retiring. While coaching has never been atop CP3’s list of goals, he admitted that he hasn’t ruled out the idea.

“I was talking to my wife today because I have always said I would never coach,” he said. “But just thinking about it, I don’t know. Trying to figure it out. My wife and friends are always telling me I have so much knowledge and love for the game that I could coach. But I also think about being a dad because I have missed so much of my kids’ lives. So, yeah, I don’t know.”

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Although fifth-year guard Malachi Flynn joined the Spurs hoping to earn a spot on the team’s regular season roster, he knows his non-guaranteed contract makes him more likely to be cut before opening night. In that scenario, he may end up playing for the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, which is a scenario he’s open to, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio-Express News (subscription required) details. “There’s a history of what (the Spurs) have been able to do with people, if they do end up going to the G League, they have a good success rate at that,” Flynn said. “It felt like a good spot for me.”
Scotty Pippen Jr.‘s new four-year standard contract with the Grizzlies is worth his minimum in all four seasons, for a total of $9,608,931, Hoops Rumors has learned. Memphis used a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing and gave Pippen two guaranteed seasons, with a $350K partial guarantee in year three. The deal includes a fourth-year team option that would be partially guaranteed for just under $397K if it’s exercised.
With Pippen elevated to the standard roster, the Grizzlies have a two-way slot open ahead of the season. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal considers the candidates for that spot, speculating that Yuki Kawamura is the frontrunner, with Maozinha Pereira representing his top competition and Armando Bacot and Miye Oni representing longer shots. While those four players are all on Exhibit 10 contracts that could be converted to two-way deals, Memphis could also look outside the organization to fill that two-way opening.
Head coach Willie Green‘s ability to adapt to and maximize an unorthodox Pelicans roster will be a key factor in determining the team’s upside in 2024/25, writes Will Guillory of The Athletic.
Green said on Friday that second-year shooting guard Jordan Hawkins will “absolutely” be part of the Pelicans‘ regular rotation this season, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Hawkins saw his minutes fluctuate during his rookie year and averaged just 7.3 MPG in 14 appearances in March and April.

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Spurs, Kennard, Rockets, Ingram, Zion

October 16th, 2024 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks star Luka Doncic likely won’t play in the team’s preseason finale vs. Milwaukee on Thursday, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters today. However, Doncic went through a full practice on Wednesday and did “really, really well,” Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link).

Doncic was diagnosed with a left calf contusion during the early days of training camp. At the time, it was deemed a minor injury that wasn’t expected to affect his availability for the team’s regular season opener on October 24.

Despite the fact that Doncic may not end up playing a single minute this preseason, it still doesn’t sound as if his ability to return for next Thursday’s game vs. San Antonio is in any doubt, given that he’s fully participating in practice more than a week out from opening night.

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Based on the way Gregg Popovich has managed his rotation this preseason, it appears likely the Spurs will open the season with a starting five of Chris Paul, Julian Champagnie, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, and Victor Wembanyama, with Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle, Zach Collins, and Blake Wesley also getting regular minutes, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). However, Popovich said his rotation isn’t set in stone yet, and obviously it’s subject to change once Devin Vassell is ready to return from his foot injury, Orsborn notes.
The Spurs received $2MM in cash from the Kings in the Jalen McDaniels trade, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Marks also fills in the cash details from a couple of the Spurs’ offseason trades, confirming that San Antonio received $1MM from the Pacers for moving from No. 35 to No. 36 in the draft and $110K from the Hornets in the Devonte’ Graham salary dump.
Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard was feeling some soreness in his foot after Monday’s game in Indiana, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins, who said that Kennard may have to miss some time as a result of the ailment (Twitter link via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal).
The Rockets‘ preseason win over New Orleans on Tuesday showed how they can benefit this fall from offseason continuity after making significant roster changes in 2023, says Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “We’ve been playing with each other since last year,” veteran forward Jeff Green said. “We know what we want to do. We know what the goal is out there.” As Christian Clark of NOLA.com observes, Tuesday’s game was the first of the preseason for Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, while Zion Williamson sat out for what head coach Willie Green called a “rest day.”

Southwest Notes: Eason, Wembanyama, Paul, Irving, Ingram

October 10th, 2024 at 2:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After a promising rookie season in which he played all 82 games, Rockets forward Tari Eason played just 22 times in his sophomore season due to a leg injury. Now, Eason is reestablishing his value this preseason, Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle writes.

Eason, when healthy, is an integral part of the Rockets’ present and future. A strong defensive-minded wing, he holds averages of 9.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 104 career games. The preseason minutes Eason is receiving represent his first NBA action since Jan. 1.

“I don’t think there were too many jitters just because this is my third year, and I try not to overcomplicate things,” Eason said. “The anticipation was real, but I don’t like to say jitters or nerves. When you spend your time worrying, I think that affects performance. So, I try not to worry too much, be as comfortable as possible, trust myself, trust my game, trust my work.”

Eason projects to be a key reserve for the team alongside other young players like Amen Thompson (if he isn’t promoted to the starting lineup), Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore.

“For me, it was just trying to figure out a way to fit in as well as possible with that second unit,” Eason said. “[I’m] just figuring it out.”

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The Spurs signed NBA legend Chris Paul this offseason, but Victor Wembanyama was blunt in his assessment of where the team stands. According to San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff McDonald, Wembanyama cautioned that flashy plays like lobs are among the first things opposing teams think to guard. That connection looked ahead of schedule in San Antonio’s Wednesday preseason game against Orlando, but Paul agreed that fundamentals need to be the first focus of synergy. “The game is tough,” Paul said. “A lot of people think it’s just going to be lob, lob, lob. But there’s a lot of regular, fundamental basketball we’ve got to play to hopefully at some point get to that.“
Kyrie Irving helped lead the Mavericks renaissance that culminated in them reaching the NBA Finals last season. In an extensive interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Irving spoke on several Mavs and personal topics, including how he’s feeling content with a veteran role in Dallas. “I used to think leadership is just this lonely, lonely, lonely thing, and it’s not,” Irving said. “It’s literally surrounding yourself with great-minded people, great-hearted people, and being able to ask them to push you at times when you’re not able to push yourself.“
Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram won’t make a preseason appearance until the finale next Tuesday against the Rockets, NOLA.com’s Christian Clark tweets. Ingram is out for undisclosed reasons until then. “He’s fine,” head coach Willie Green said.

Southwest Notes: Hawkins, Morant, Kawamura, Flynn, CP3, Wemby

October 9th, 2024 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Jordan Hawkins made just 38.2% of his shots from the floor as a rookie, he knocked down a respectable 36.6% of his three-point tries and was a regular part of the Pelicans‘ rotation for much of the season. The team believes Hawkins has more to contribute in 2024/25, with head coach Willie Green giving him the green light to fire away from beyond the arc and teammate Zion Williamson stating that the second-year wing “can bring a lot to this team,” per Christian Clark of NOLA.com.

“He’s special, man,” Green said. “The force and speed he comes off of plays with. His gravity creates a domino effect. We want to incorporate him in our offense. Sometimes we are playing through him.”

Hawkins’ shooting ability made him the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft and helped him stay on the floor in his rookie year, but he knows he has to perform more consistently on the other end of the court to earn a consistent bump in minutes in year two, as Clark relays.

“I think the defensive end, I’ve trended on the way up since last year,” Hawkins said. “I’m doing a lot more things I’m comfortable with. I know the rotations, the NBA defense. It’s different from the college defense.”

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Ja Morant, who tweaked his ankle during Monday’s preseason opener, has formally been diagnosed with a “mild’ sprain, according to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, who said he expects his starting point guard to be ready for opening night (Twitter link via Chris Herrington of Daily Memphian). Still, the team will take a cautious approach, so it remains to be seen whether Morant will play in any of Memphis’ four remaining preseason contests.
Grizzlies camp invitee Yuki Kawamura, a 5’8″ Japanese guard, has earned praise from his teammates for his competitiveness and fearlessness, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While Kawamura won’t make the standard roster, there’s a chance his Exhibit 10 contract could be converted into a two-way deal if the club creates a two-way opening by promoting Scotty Pippen Jr. to the standard roster, Cole adds. “He’s fierce, he’s a competitor and he loves the game of basketball,” Luke Kennard said. “I like what I’ve seen from him for sure. He’s talented. He’s going to make a lot of money playing the game.”
Malachi Flynn isn’t one of the 15 Spurs players with a guaranteed contract for 2024/25 and isn’t eligible for a two-way deal, but he has made a positive impression on head coach Gregg Popovich over the past week, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “He’s had a good camp,” Popovich said after Flynn racked up nine points, two assists, and two steals in eight minutes in Monday’s preseason opener. “He’s a tough nut. He shoots the heck out of the ball. He takes no prisoners. He works very hard. With the limited time he had, I thought he did well.”
Chris Paul will make his Spurs debut and reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama will make his 2024/25 debut on Wednesday vs. Orlando, notes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com.

NBA GMs High On Thunder’s Offseason Moves, Celtics’ Title Chances

October 8th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder made the best roster moves during the 2024 offseason, according to the NBA’s general managers. Within his annual survey of the league’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 37% of his respondents picked Oklahoma City as having the best summer, with the Sixers coming in second place at 33%. The Knicks got 20% of the vote share, while no other club received more than a single vote.

It was one of many favorable outcomes in the survey for the Thunder, who were overwhelmingly selected as the team with the best young core — 60% of GMs selected OKC, compared to 20% for the second-place Magic.

New Thunder guard Alex Caruso was chosen by general managers as the most underrated offseason acquisition, receiving 23% of that vote share, while last year’s Most Valuable Player runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was picked as this year’s MVP favorite (40%), narrowly edging Mavericks star Luka Doncic (30%).

The Thunder also received a handful of votes from the league’s GMs as the team that will win the 2025 NBA Finals, but at 13%, they finished a distant second to the Celtics, who earned a whopping 83% of the vote. Besides those two clubs, only the Mavericks (3%) received a vote to become this season’s champions.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

New Sixers forward Paul George got 60% of the vote as the offseason acquisition who will have the biggest impact in 2024/25, followed by new Knicks Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns at 13% apiece. The Towns trade, meanwhile, was named the most surprising offseason move, eking out George leaving Los Angeles for Philadelphia (27% to 23%).
Unsurprisingly, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming choice (77%) for which player the GMs would most want to start a franchise with. Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic each earned three votes in that category, while Doncic got one.
The league’s general managers are high on No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard — the Rockets‘ guard is their pick to win the Rookie of the Year award (50%) ahead of betting favorite Zach Edey of the Grizzlies (30%). Sheppard also comfortably received the largest vote share (43%) when the GMs were asked which rookie will be the best player in five years. Spurs guard Stephon Castle (17%) and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (13%) were the runners-up in that category.
There was no consensus among the GMs on which 2024 draftee was the biggest steal. Wizards guard Carlton Carrington, Kings guard Devin Carter, Pacers wing Johnny Furphy, Lakers forward Dalton Knecht, Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon, and Thunder guard Nikola Topic each received three votes to lead the way.
Among newly hired head coaches, Mike Budenholzer of the Suns is the one GMs feel will have the biggest impact on his new club. Budenholzer received 40% of the vote, beating out Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons (20% apiece). Meanwhile, Spurs guard Chris Paul (30%) and Raptors guard Garrett Temple (20%) are the active players that GMs feel would make the best head coaches down the road.
Asked what they’d change about the NBA, 20% of GMs said the rules related to the tax aprons, trades, and roster construction are too restrictive and/or should be “indexed to (a) team’s market,” per Schuhmann, making it the top response.

Western Notes: Lee, Billups, Wembanyama, Paul

October 6th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After being sidelined all of last season due to a right knee injury, Suns guard Damion Lee expects to play a limited role in the early going, according to The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin.

“I don’t anticipate or expect myself to come out early in the season and play 30 minutes a game,” Lee said. “I know what I do. I know what my role is and when the time comes for me to out there and contribute, then I will and I’ll try to do it to the best of my abilities.”

Lee appeared in 74 games for Phoenix in 2022/23, averaging 8.2 points in 20.4 minutes per contest.

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Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame next weekend. Billups, the Final MVP with the Pistons in 2004, was in a state of disbelief when he got the call that he had been elected, in part because of the timing. “(When the Hall) actually called, they picked a (heck) of a day. It was April Fool’s. It was on April 1,” Billups told the Denver Post’s Sean Keeler. “So when they called, I just kept saying, ‘If y’all are playing this sick joke on me, man, I’m never speaking to any of y’all again. That’s the worst.’”
Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul are among the Spurs who won’t suit up for their preseason game against Oklahoma City on Monday, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News writes. There are no injury concerns — San Antonio is simply easing its stars into the preseason schedule. Both participated in all five practices last week, Orsborn notes.
Wembanyama worked on his ball-handing and moves with longtime NBA guard Jamal Crawford this offseason, Orsborn reports in a separate story. The Spurs big man believes that work will pay off this season. “It was my first time working for a long period of time with an actual retired NBA player,” Wembanyama said. “I learned a lot because the view he has of the game is different from a coach’s because he understands the player maybe more than any coaches I have worked with before. It was a great experience. I would do it again.”