- A pair of Mavericks assistant coaches have entered the health and safety protocols, per head coach Jason Kidd, who said the team will be without Jared Dudley and Darrell Armstrong for the short term (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).
- In his latest ESPN.com mailbag (Insider link), Kevin Pelton explores how the Grizzlies are winning without Ja Morant and whether the Mavericks can count on regression to the mean for several slumping shooters.
Mavericks second-year wing Josh Green has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Green, the 18th overall pick of the 2020 draft, hasn’t seen much action so far this season, appearing in 17 games for a total of 125 minutes (7.4 MPG). He’s averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.5 RPG.
Rookie Ziaire Williams has entered the protocols for the Grizzlies, writes Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Williams, the 10th overall pick of the 2021 draft, has also been dealing with an ankle sprain that has sidelined him for the past six games. Through 19 games (17.8 MPG), the 20-year-old is averaging 4.7 PPG and 1.5 RPG.
Timberwolves wing Josh Okogie has entered the protocols as well, the team announced (via Twitter). In 20 contests this season (13.9 MPG), Okogie is averaging 2.6 PPG and 2.2 RPG.
If the three players tested positive, they will need to isolate for at least 10 days or until they return two consecutive negative PCR tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.
Here are a couple more COVID-19 related updates:
- Grizzlies star Ja Morant has exited the health and safety protocols, Barnes writes in a separate piece. Memphis is taking a “wait and see” approach with its star point guard, as he’s still dealing with a knee sprain suffered in late November. However, Morant is back with the team and will likely be on the bench tonight against Portland, Barnes tweets. The Grizzlies have surprisingly gone 10-1 without Morant and currently hold the fourth seed in the West with a 19-11 record.
- Head coach Rick Carlisle is back with the Pacers after exiting the health and safety protocols, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Carlisle led Indiana’s practice Sunday and is expected to coach the team Tuesday at Miami, Boyd relays.
Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, the team announced on social media (Twitter link).
Bullock becomes the sixth player to be placed in protocols today, joining Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Miles McBride, Evan Mobley and Marcus Morris. According to our tracker, a total of 59 players are currently waiting to exit the protocols.
Dallas will be without Bullock, along with Willie Cauley-Stein (personal), Luka Doncic (ankle soreness), Josh Green (illness), Frank Ntilikina (illness) and Eugene Omoruyi (right foot) for its game against the Timberwolves on Saturday.
Bullock signed a three-year, $30.5MM contract to join the team in free agency. In 27 games this season, he’s averaged just 5.6 points per contest, shooting 35% from the floor and 27% from three-point range.
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic was ruled out for Wednesday’s contest against the Lakers and will miss the team’s game at Minnesota on Sunday as he continues to rehab his sore left ankle, Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News relays. The Mavs lost to the Lakers in overtime, 107-104.
Dennis Smith Jr., the Mavericks‘ lottery pick a year before the team selected Luka Doncic, quickly bonded with his new teammate upon Doncic’s arrival in 2018, forming an off-the-court friendship. However, Dallas’ front office and then-coach Rick Carlisle didn’t believe the two guards were an on-court fit and were already planning to “blow it up,” according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who says Carlisle had wanted to draft Donovan Mitchell in 2017 and had quickly soured on Smith.
In the months before Smith was sent to New York in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Carlisle was hard on the former N.C. State standout — he accused DSJ of being jealous of Doncic and seemed determined to make him miserable, multiple former players and staffers told ESPN. The treatment was “appalling” to Doncic, who resented Carlisle’s apparent desire to pit him against his teammate and friend, writes MacMahon.
As MacMahon outlines, the Smith situation represented the beginning of years-long tension between Carlisle and Doncic.
“It wasn’t really about how Rick treated Luka,” a Mavs player on the 2018/19 team told ESPN. “Luka hated how Rick treated other people.”
For what it’s worth, Smith replied to MacMahon’s article on Twitter and said the details about his time in Dallas were “spot on,” adding, “Y’all don’t even know the half.”
Here are a few more of the most interesting details from the ESPN report, which is worth checking out in full:
- Shortly before he resigned as the Mavericks’ head coach, Carlisle – who had two years left on his contract – approached team owner Mark Cuban about the possibility of an extension, but was shot down, says MacMahon. Carlisle, recognizing that he’d likely enter the 2021/22 season on the hot seat if he remained in Dallas, decided to leave once he was confident he’d be able to quickly secure another head coaching job. Doncic never called for Carlisle’s dismissal, sources tell ESPN.
- According to MacMahon, the Mavericks came to regret releasing J.J. Barea prior to the 2020/21 season, since the veteran guard had served as “connective tissue” between Doncic and Carlisle and between Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, helping manage those relationships. When Doncic and Porzingis had communication issues last season, Carlisle wasn’t in position to smooth them over since he didn’t have a great relationship with either player, MacMahon adds.
- Porzingis was so disillusioned entering the 2021 offseason that he would’ve welcomed a trade, MacMahon reports. However, the big man has felt rejuvenated since Carlisle’s departure under new head coach Jason Kidd, who was the only candidate the Mavs seriously considered during their coaching search, per MacMahon.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says his club hasn’t had any trade discussions with the Nets about point guard Kyrie Irving, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Cuban is responding to a report from Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who heard from sources that the Mavs are among the teams to have reached out to Brooklyn to inquire about Irving. Begley stated that Kristaps Porzingis‘ name was brought up in those discussions, but added that it’s unclear if the talks progressed beyond the preliminary stage.
Whether or not the Mavs and Nets had a conversation about Irving, it certainly sounds – based on both Begley’s report and Cuban’s dismissal – as if there’s no momentum toward a deal.
Cuban has repeatedly shot down trade rumors involving Porzingis, denying that Dallas has shopped him at all. The Mavs’ owner said last month that he came into the season believing the former Knick had yet to play his best basketball. Porzingis, who has dealt with some minor injury issues in 2021/22, has averaged 19.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 20 games (29.8 MPG) under new head coach Jason Kidd.
Irving, meanwhile, hasn’t played at all this season due to a vaccine mandate in New York City and the Nets’ decision not to make him a part-time player in road games. If Irving were traded to a team in a city without a similar mandate (essentially anywhere but New York, Golden State, or Toronto), he’d be eligible to play without being vaccinated.
Multiple reports have suggested Brooklyn is willing to listen to inquiries on Kyrie, but a report on Monday indicated there was “renewed optimism” about the possibility of the seven-time All-Star playing for the team this season. It’s unclear if Irving has become more open to being vaccinated or if the Nets may decide to allow him to play in road games.
All-Star Mavericks guard Luka Doncic will be sidelined for “multiple games” as a result of a sore left ankle, starting tonight against the Thunder, per Marc Stein of the Stein Line (Twitter link).
Stein adds that Dallas does not yet know when Doncic might return. He will miss his fifth game of the 2021/22 NBA season.
Doncic, who apparently entered the team’s training camp out of shape, has nevertheless enjoyed a solid season when available, averaging 25.6 PPG, 8.5 APG and 8.0 RPG across 21 games.
At 12-13, the Mavericks are currently the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The club is just 3-7 across its last ten contests, and without its best player in the lineup could sink further down the standings soon.
- The Mavericks would boost their defense and frontcourt production by trading for Pacers center Myles Turner, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News writes. Indiana is reportedly open to trading Turner, and the 25-year-old is seeking clarity on his role with the team. Dallas has lost seven of its last 10 games and owns a 12-13 record.
Rick Carlisle planned to coach a contender when he was hired by the Pacers in June, but he’s not having second thoughts now that the franchise is giving serious consideration to rebuilding, writes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Off to a disappointing start that has them 13th in the East, the Pacers have let it be known that they’re willing to move veterans Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert. It’s not what Carlisle was expecting, but he indicated that he’s committed to his job no matter what the front office decides to do.
“Listen, I’m am hour-to-hour, day-to-day guy,” he said. “I like this roster. These guys are wonderful people, damn good players. We’ve had some bad luck with a lot of different things. Now it’s injuries and some other stuff. It’s all about trying to get it a little better each day. One percent better, two percent better and if you look at our season and all the close games, a lot of it comes down to one or two percent. We just got to keep pushing in that direction to keep doing a little better.”
Agness was at practice on Tuesday as all three players were informed of an impending story from The Athletic about them being on the trade market. Meeting with players amid trade rumors is a policy that Kevin Pritchard adopted when he became president of basketball operations in 2018, and Carlisle said honesty is important.
“It’s just communication,” he explained. “Letting those guys know that we’re trying to win games. We want to make this thing work. Beyond that, it’s just basic communication and talking to your top players.”
There’s more from Indiana:
- The Pacers have called the Sixers several times about Ben Simmons, including once before signing Malcolm Brogdon to a two-year extension in October, Agness adds. In a discussion of Indiana’s situation, Athletic writers Seth Partnow, Sam Vecenie and Danny Leroux explore whether a deal can be made involving Simmons and the chances of Sabonis being shipped to a third team in such a trade.
- As a 24-year-old rookie Chris Duarte may attract some attention from contenders, Vecenie suggests in the same piece. Duarte is making $3.749MM on the first year of his rookie contract and will carry an affordable salary for several years.
- The Pacers may find Turner the most in demand of their available veterans, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. The 26-year-old center can block shots and make three-pointers and he doesn’t need to handle the ball a lot to be effective. With a $17.5MM salary for both this season and 2022/23, Turner could be a good fit for the Hornets, Pincus states, with Charlotte sending back Mason Plumlee and a prospect such as PJ Washington, James Bouknight, Kai Jones or JT Thor. Pincus sees the Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks and Spurs as other teams that might bid for Turner.
Criticism about Luka Doncic‘s weight has been frequent since he entered the NBA, and the Slovenian star acknowledged that he has to concentrate more on conditioning after the Mavericks‘ loss to the Nets Tuesday night, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“People are going to talk about it, yes or no,” Doncic said. “I know I’ve got to do better.”
The extra pounds have barely impacted Doncic’s performance as he made the All-Star team the past two seasons and is a perennial MVP candidate. He put up 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists Tuesday and remains one of the league’s most dangerous offensive threats.
However, the talk about his weight is growing louder, and MacMahon notes that it was a topic of conversation on the TNT broadcast. Analyst Reggie Miller observed that Doncic was “plodding up and down the court” and said he “has got to trim down.”
Doncic weighed more than 260 pounds when he reported to training camp, a source tells MacMahon, well above his listed playing weight of 230. Camp started shortly after the end of the Summer Olympics, where Doncic strung together brilliant performances while leading Slovenia to the medal round.
“I had a long summer,” he said. “I had the Olympics, took three weeks off, and I relaxed a little bit. Maybe too much. I’ve just got to get back on track.”
Doncic’s conditioning efforts have been sidetracked by a sprained left knee and ankle that have caused him to miss four of Dallas’ last 10 games. He also appeared on Tuesday’s injury report with a sprained left thumb.
“(The ankle is) still painful, but I try to play and try to practice,” Doncic said. “But it’s still painful.”