- Anthony Davis missed Friday’s game for the Lakers with knee soreness, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. In an article from McMenamin, Davis say the Lakers need to start playing like underdogs after losing to the Grizzlies 108-95. “These guys already feel like they’re the underdogs when they’re coming in, especially when they’re without their star players,” Davis said of a Memphis team playing without its top two scorers, Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, due to health and safety protocols. “And we got to play like we’re the underdogs. Which, now, at this point of the season, the way we’re playing, a lot of games, we probably are.”
- Lakers coach Frank Vogel says Trevor Ariza could spent some time in the G League as he recovers from ankle surgery, Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group relays (via Twitter). There’s still no timeline for Ariza’s return.
- Russell Westbrook has been steadily improving throughout the season for the Lakers, prompting Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report to wonder whether people jumped the gun on judging the team’s trade to acquire him.
- The Lakers‘ season may hinge on whether LeBron James and Westbrook can form a winning partnership, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. McMenamin takes an in-depth look at the dynamic between the two players, noting that defensive lapses and turnovers have plagued the team. The duo’s chemistry has been slow to form with James sidelined for 12 games, but they’ve looked much better together recently.
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.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel has faced increased scrutiny recently, but owner/governor Jeanie Buss said she’s going to reserve judgment until the team is completely healthy, according to Mark Medina of NBA.com.
“Until we’re 100% healthy, I don’t think you can really make any judgment,” Buss told NBA.com at halftime of the Lakers-Celtics game on Tuesday. The Lakers won the game, 117-102, to move to 13-12 on the season.
Buss seemed a bit perturbed by the question, but said the Lakers are connected as an organization, noting that Vogel attended a season-ticket holder event Monday with Buss.
“We’re as connected as any organization can be,” Buss said. “I really don’t know what you’re looking for me to say. I would say until we’re 100 percent healthy, I won’t make any judgments about anything.”
The Lakers have dealt with several injuries this season; LeBron James has missed 12 games (various reasons), Talen Horton-Tucker was sidelined for 13 games after thumb surgery, and Trevor Ariza (ankle) and Kendrick Nunn (knee) have yet to suit up this season.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- LeBron James would still love to play in the NBA with his son Bronny, writes Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group. Bronny is a 17-year-old junior for Sierra Canyon High School.
- Not many things excite Clippers coach Tyronn Lue during games, but perfectly executed plays are among them, Mirjam Swanson of the Southern California News Group relays. Swanson notes that Lue prefers to stay impassive on the sidelines for strategic reasons.
- With the returns of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman on the horizon, Warriors coach Steve Kerr will face challenging, yet desirable choices, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The Warriors are tied with the Suns for the best record in the league at 20-4, and their depth has been a major strength.
- Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala, who has missed the last 10 games with knee swelling, could return Wednesday against the Trail Blazers. Kerr said it’s a “possibility,” per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Slater also notes that rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody will play a couple games in the G League before returning for the team’s five-game road trip, which starts Saturday.
The NBA sent out a memo to its teams on Tuesday updating them on the changes to the cross-border travel rules that the Canadian government announced last month and confirming that unvaccinated players won’t be permitted to play in Toronto.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), a player who misses a game in Toronto due to his vaccination status would be subject to a salary reduction for that game. The amount of that reduction would presumably be 1/91.6th of the player’s salary, as reported in October.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Most NBA insiders view it as a “mere formality” that if and when the NBA expands, Seattle will get a team, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hollinger adds that most people he has talked to believe that Climate Pledge Arena – a renovated version of the SuperSonics’ Key Arena – would be the home of Seattle’s eventual expansion team. The arena is already hosting the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
- In an interesting piece for The Athletic, Mike Vornukov spoke to veteran agent Todd Ramasar about what his job entails beyond negotiating contracts, how he navigates the draft and free agency, and what impact the new NIL rules for NCAA players will have on his recruiting process.
- Steven Kalifowitz, the chief marketing officer for Crypto.com, talked to Bill Shea of The Athletic about why the company was willing to pay $700MM for the naming rights to the Lakers‘ arena despite the fact that he knows many fans will keep calling it the Staples Center.
- Over 60% of the NBA players eligible for booster vaccines have received them, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who tweets that there will be a push to get that number higher before the holidays.
Asked on Monday about the criticism Lakers coach Frank Vogel has received this season and the job he has done, LeBron James didn’t exactly provide a full-throated endorsement for Vogel, but suggested that he and his teammates – not the head coach – bear responsibility for the team’s up-and-down start, as Bill Oram of The Athletic and Dave McMenamin of ESPN relay.
“I think criticism comes with the job, you know?” James said. “Frank is a strong-minded guy. He has a great coaching staff. And we as his players have to do a better job of going out and producing on the floor.”
Vogel is less than two years removed from taking the Lakers to a title in his first season on the job, but the club had a disappointing first-round exit last season and is just 12-12 so far this year. Although Vogel signed a contract extension during the offseason, that deal tacked just one year onto his current contract, so he’s only locked up through 2022/23. Still, he said he’s not concerned about facing increased scrutiny.
“There’s going to be criticism with this job,” Vogel said, per McMenamin. “It’s something we’re all accustomed to. And I’ve been a coach for 10 years, I’ve seen it all. Is it more national? Yes, it’s more national. Is there a bigger fanbase in this market in L.A.? Yes, there is. But it’s been there for every head coach, and it’s something I’m not unfamiliar with. So it just comes with the job.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Executives around the league think that if the Kings make a big move to shake up their roster, De’Aaron Fox might be at the center of it, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. General manager Monte McNair has drafted Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell since taking the reins of the front office in 2020, while Fox was selected by the previous regime.
- The Warriors‘ public messaging about James Wiseman‘s recovery timeline following meniscus surgery has been a little inconsistent, but it has become increasingly clear that he won’t return until sometime in the new year, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who notes that Wiseman’s timeline has been similar to that of Jaren Jackson Jr. last year — the Grizzlies’ big man missed about eight-and-a-half months after undergoing meniscus surgery.
- Klay Thompson won’t accompany the Warriors on the team’s five-game road trip that begins on Saturday in Philadelphia, head coach Steve Kerr said on Monday (Twitter link via Slater). Golden State’s home games on Dec. 20 and Dec. 23 have been cited as possible return dates for Thompson.
Lakers forward Trevor Ariza participated in a live action scrimmage for the first time since ankle surgery, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Coach Frank Vogel indicated Ariza is not experiencing pain but is still strengthening the ankle, so there’s no timetable for his return. Ariza signed a veteran’s minimum contract during the offseason and was expected to be a prominent contributor but he has yet to make his season debut.
- Lakers backup guard Kendrick Nunn (right knee bone bruise) isn’t expected to make his season debut this month, McMenamin adds in another tweet. Nunn signed a two-year free-agent deal in August. He averaged 14.6 points, 2.6 assists and 29.5 minutes in 56 games with the Heat last season.
Before squaring off against Paul George in Friday’s Lakers-Clippers matchup, Russell Westbrook spoke to the media about the way their partnership with the Thunder ended, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. They developed a friendship in Oklahoma City that still exists, and Westbrook was one of the reasons that George decided to re-sign with the Thunder in 2018.
According to ESPN and The Athletic, Westbrook approached free agent Kawhi Leonard the following summer about possibly teaming up in L.A., with Leonard signing and Westbrook being traded. Leonard reportedly took that idea and presented to George, which resulted in them both joining the Clippers.
When asked about the situation Thursday, Westbrook challenged the media to reveal the source of the report, then cast doubt on its veracity.
“That’s a lesson for all y’all,” he said. “Just always remember, just because somebody writes something … you don’t know where they got it from. That’s the truth. That’s the problem. That’s how rumors and things get started.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- The Lakers used their 12th starting lineup in 24 games Friday, with Dwight Howard and Talen Horton-Tucker replacing DeAndre Jordan and Avery Bradley, notes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. It’s a clear upgrade based on performance, Buha adds, but the group was minus-7 in its 11 minutes on the court. “Dwight changed the game for us in Sacramento,” Anthony Davis said. “He was really good for us, and Coach wanted to go back to that. And I think he played well tonight as well. Protecting the paint, rebounding, setting screens, doing everything he’s supposed to do.”
- Clippers swingman Terance Mann tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that the two-year, $22MM extension he received in training camp was meaningful because of how hard it was to get NBA scouts to notice him. Mann took part in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and the G League Elite Camp, then received a last-minute invitation to the draft combine.
- Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is optimistic about Nicolas Batum, who has missed the past seven games while in health and safety protocols, tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “I don’t know (when he’ll return),” Lue said. “… but it was good seeing him back in the building, I can tell you that. It’s getting close and we definitely need him.”
Lakers superstar LeBron James returned to action on Friday after clearing health and safety protocols and felt the process was “handled poorly,” Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. James entered protocols on Tuesday, missing a game, then was cleared on Thursday after a series of negative tests.
“Usually when you have a positive test, they’ll test you right away to make sure,” James said. “There was not a follow-up test after my positive test. It was straight to isolation and you’ve been put into protocol. That’s the part that kind of angered me. I had to figure out a way to get home from Sacramento by myself. They wouldn’t allow anyone to travel with me, no security, no anything, when I traveled back from Sacramento. And then I had to put my kids in isolation for the time being, the people in my household in isolation for the time being, so it was just a big-time inconvenience.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Nicolas Batum missed his seventh consecutive game on Friday and the Clippers have suffered without his defensive versatility, according to Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. The Clippers had the league’s second-best defensive rating before losing Batum, who has remained in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Their defensive rating has sagged dramatically since he tested positive. “He’s very valuable to what we do,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. Batum re-signed with the Clippers in August on a two-year deal.
- Suns lead assistant Kevin Young didn’t travel with the team for the showdown with Golden State because he’s in the health and safety protocols, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports. Young, who has missed three games after testing positive for COVID-19, became Phoenix’s associate head coach under Monty Williams after Willie Green departed to become head coach of the Pelicans.
- Warriors veteran forward Andre Iguodala participated in pregame warmups on Friday but isn’t expected to return until next week, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. If he doesn’t play against San Antonio on Saturday, he’ll have missed nine straight missed games due to right knee swelling.
Lakers forward Trevor Ariza participated in his first non-contact practice since preseason ankle surgery on Thursday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Coach Frank Vogel says Ariza will need a “build-up” period before he’ll play. Ariza was projected as a starter after signing a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum.
- Lakers guard Avery Bradley will not need surgery on his sprained right thumb, Bill Oram of The Athletic tweets. Bradley will be available to play on Friday but he’ll require a splint to protect the injury. Vogel is unsure whether he’ll play Bradley or to give him more time to recover.
- It’ll be one veteran center or the other in the foreseeable future for the Lakers, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets. Vogel plans to use either Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan on a game-by-game basis. Howard will get the start against the Clippers on Friday, so Jordan probably won’t play.