Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo has been cleared to practice, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet tweets. The Lakers will not practice prior to their game against Houston on Saturday, so Rondo’s first practice will be delayed until at least Sunday. Rondo hasn’t played since Christmas Day due to a torn ligament in his right ring finger. Rondo, who will be an unrestricted free agent once again this summer, underwent surgery on December 28th.
Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Pacific Division:
Kevon Looney, Warriors, 22, PF (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $1.57MM deal in 2018
Looney has received rotation minutes throughout the season, providing defense and rebounding while the stars do most of the scoring. Looney, who had back-to-back 12-rebound games this week, has made the most of his limited offensive opportunities (62.6%) though he doesn’t shoot threes or make enough of his free throws. Efficiency ratings and advanced defensive metrics are above-average. It remains to be seen how much DeMarcus Cousins‘ return will impact his minutes but for now, he’s enhanced his resume.
Patrick Beverley, Clippers, 30, PG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $23MM deal in 2015
Beverley missed most of last season due to right knee surgery. Beverley’s offensive numbers are down but that’s not the strength of his game. He has resumed his role as a pesky, on-the-ball defender and Doc Rivers has played him an average of 26.9 MPG this month. Beverley posted one of the oddest stat lines of the year for a guard on Monday — three points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 25 minutes against New Orleans. His ability to get under opponents’ skin will help him land a multi-year deal in the summer.
Ryan Anderson, Suns, 30, PF (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $80MM deal in 2016
Anderson will make a substantial amount of money next season, yet he’ll probably sign for the veteran’s minimum. How does that work? He’s guaranteed $15.6MM in the last year of his contract and the Suns have until July 10th to decide whether to give him a $21.2MM full guarantee. Considering that Anderson never plays anymore, that will likely be an easy decision for the Suns. Anderson cashed in at just the right time the last time he entered the market but he’s gone from starter on one of the league’s top teams one season to spectator on one of the league’s worst clubs this year.
Ivica Zubac, Lakers, 21, C (Up) — Signed to a three-year, $3.9MM deal in 2016
Coach Luke Walton and the front office didn’t appear to have any faith in their young big earlier this season, as evidenced by the early-season signing of Tyson Chandler. When finally given a chance a month ago, Zubac has delivered some solid performances. He erupted for 26 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes against Oklahoma City on Thursday. Zubac needs to become a more physical defender but he has a deft touch around the rim. A restricted free agent, Zubac’s status with the franchise hinges on how much cap space they want to free up this summer. His qualifying offer is just over $1.9MM.
Kosta Koufos, Kings, 29, C (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $32.9MM deal in 2015
Considering how the Kings have been collecting young bigs through the draft in the last couple of years, it was almost inevitable that Koufos’ role would diminish. That’s especially true this month, as Koufos hasn’t seen the court in the last four games. Koufos is a traditional center who doesn’t shoot threes and he’s also a poor free throw shooter. Defense and rebounding are the areas where Koufos can help a team in a backup role but offers on the open market will be modest.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
It has been more than two months since Carmelo Anthony appeared in an NBA game, fueling speculation that his long career may be coming to an end. However, two sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that Anthony has “multiple” options available to him and is expected to pick one before next month’s trade deadline.
According to Amick, it’s not clear whether these options would involve a trade – since Anthony is still technically on the Rockets‘ roster – or whether he’d be released and subsequently signed by a new club. Either way, there are “strong signs” that he’ll resume his NBA career at some point this season, Amick writes.
LeBron James has expressed some interest in bringing his good friend to Los Angeles, and the Lakers have been the team most frequently linked to Anthony, as Amick notes. But the fact that L.A has a full roster is “no small obstacle,” a team source tells Amick. It’s unclear whether the Lakers would be willing to replace any of their current players with Carmelo, particularly since there are questions about the the 34-year-old’s conditioning and overall game.
Anthony has seen his production slip over the last two seasons in Oklahoma City and Houston. Although the veteran forward averaged a career-high 6.4 three-point attempts during his 10 games with the Rockets, he still displayed an affinity for deep two-point shots, and has been a liability on defense. Carmelo’s on/off-court statistics have reflected his struggles, as Houston had a -9.0 net rating in his minutes this season.
As we wait to see where Anthony ends up, it’s worth noting that the Rockets would certainly prefer to trade him rather than release him outright, since doing so would take the team off the hook for the tax penalties associated with his $1.51MM cap hit.
A team with interest in Anthony might not mind trading for him, as long as that club isn’t also a taxpayer, since the Rockets have already paid over half of his 2018/19 salary — the financial commitment for a team acquiring him would essentially be the same as signing him to a new minimum-salary free agent contract.
LeBron James won’t travel with the Lakers on the team’s upcoming two-game road trip to Oklahoma City and Houston, the club announced today in a press release. However, James – who continues to recover from a groin injury – has been cleared to practice once the Lakers return next week.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin first reported that James would miss at least two more games, noting that the four-time MVP hasn’t officially been ruled out for Monday’s showdown vs. the Warriors. LeBron won’t have much practice time under his belt at that point though, so returning for that game would be a best-case scenario.
In a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, agent Rich Paul said that James hasn’t targeted any specific return dates and won’t get back on the court until he’s fully healthy. Stressing that “we’re not on nobody else’s timeline,” Paul noted that he and his client don’t want to risk re-injury by coming back too soon.
According to Paul, doctors initially estimated that James would miss between three and six weeks. The injury occurred just over three weeks ago, so LeBron remains right on track, and won’t let the Lakers’ recent slump accelerate his timeline.
“Obviously he cares (about the team’s struggles),” Paul said. “The man wants to play. He’s f—ing itching to play, but he can’t put himself in that situation. It’s just, you’ve really got to do the right thing and it has zero to do with his age, or the fact that he’s played 16 seasons – nothing to do with that. This is a tendon. It’s not a shoulder, or an ankle, or an elbow. The smart thing to do is to do the smart thing. You can’t allow media, or the fact that the team might be losing, to dictate what’s best for you, and we won’t. He’s progressing. He’s not ready yet.”
Here’s more on LeBron and the Lakers:
- James’ groin issue is already the worst injury of his 16-year career. He’s also on track to set a new career-high in games missed — he has never sat out more than 13 in a single season, and if he misses Monday’s game against Golden State, it would be 14 in 2018/19. Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes a closer look at how LeBron is coping with a rare health problem.
- The Lakers’ struggles without James have – perhaps unfairly – increased the pressure on head coach Luke Walton, whose seat appears hotter than ever before. Multiple sources tell ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, however, that Lakers management “continues to project support” for Walton, both publicly and privately.
- Walton shouldn’t be blamed for the Lakers’ recent slide, according to Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times, who suggests that president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka should take responsibility for assembling a mismatched roster.
Controlling owner Jeanie Buss holds the key to Luke Walton‘s future as head coach, Bill Oram of The Athletic opines. If team president Magic Johnson urges Buss to make a coaching change in the near future or at the end of the season, she would have to choose between her loyalty to Johnson and her faith in Walton, Oram continues. There is growing uneasiness about Walton’s job security following a loss to the woeful Cavaliers, making the team 3-7 with LeBron James sidelined by a groin injury. Johnson’s unpredictable, ultra-competitive nature and his concerns about the staff increase the possibility of him pushing Buss to make a move, Oram adds.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Free agent shooting guard and former Laker Jodie Meeks is a potential roster addition as the team looks to improve its outside shooting, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. The career 37.2% 3-point shooter worked out for the Sixers on Monday. The Lakers, who have an open roster spot, rank 27th in long-range shooting at 33.5%.
- Andre Ingram set a G League record for most career games played over the weekend, according to a G League tweet. Ingram, currently with the South Bay Lakers, played his 402nd game on Saturday. The 33-year-old guard made his NBA debut last season with the Lakers, appearing in two games.
- Lonzo Ball would rather lead by example because he’s not as vocal as veterans like James, Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN reports. Ball has stepped up his efforts to be a leader with James and Rondo nursing injuries.
In an NBA Insiders piece for ESPN, writers Kevin Arnovitz, Chris Herring, Brian Windhorst, Andre Snellings, and Kevin Pelton discuss the Lakers’ playoff chances with superstar LeBron James missing extended time with the groin injury he suffered on Christmas Day against the Warriors.
As one may expect, the consensus among the writers is that the Lakers will still probably make the playoffs, assuming James doesn’t suffer a setback during rehab and miss additional time beyond what was reasonably foreseen.
With approximately 40 games remaining, the general opinion from the ESPN scribes is that James will probably have to play somewhere around 30 to 35 of those games for the Lakers to feel safe about their playoff chances, meaning LeBron needs to be back relatively soon.
In addition to the playoff race, other topics discussed include the identity of the Lakers’ second-best player, whether the team should and/or will make a big trade before the deadline, and where the Lakers’ ceiling stacks up relative to other teams in the Western Conference. The entire article is worth a read.
There’s more from the purple and gold this afternoon:
- If the Lakers do miss the playoffs, it will be a “nightmare scenario” for the NBA and its “broken playoff format,” writes Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. The Lakers could potentially miss the postseason with 45 wins while the sixth, seventh, and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference could all have losing records. Having one of its most popular franchises shut out of the playoffs while three teams in the East make the playoffs with inferior records could be the catalyst for change the NBA playoff system needs.
- Sam Amick of The Athletic sat down for an extensive one-one-one conversation with Luke Walton to discuss him working in his dream job as the head coach for the Lakers, the team’s much-needed win in Dallas earlier this week after his challenge to his young players to play with more passion, and the overall challenge of both coaching and playing without James.
- The Lakers continue to wait for both Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram to blossom into what a team ultimately expects of players taken No. 2 overall in the draft. But as Mark Heisler of the Orange County Register writes, time is running out. On July 1, the Lakers could potentially trade for the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, one of the best players in the NBA. And if they do so, both Ball and Ingram may be going to the Big Easy unless they show their worth the rest of the season.
Here are Thursday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from across the league:
- The Wolves recalled Keita Bates-Diop from their G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, announcing the news on social media today. Bates-Diop has averaged 17.8 points and 8.9 rebounds in 16 games with Iowa this season.
- The Wizards assigned rookie Troy Brown Jr. to the Capital City Go-Go, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Brown Jr. has averaged 18 points per contest on 49% shooting with the Go-Go.
- The Jazz assigned then later recalled Grayson Allen to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a tweet from their PR department. Allen will miss Friday’s game against the Lakers with an ankle injury.
- The Magic have recalled Melvin Frazier Jr. from the G League, announcing the move on social media. Frazier Jr. was drafted by Orlando with the No. 35 pick last June.
- The Warriors assigned Jacob Evans lll to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the club announced in a press release. Evans lll has appeared in 21 games with Golden State this season and was drafted 28th by the team last June.
- ESPN’s Dave McMenamin examines whether the Lakers have a No. 2 option behind superstar LeBron James, detailing the games of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and others. Kuzma took charge in the team’s win over Detroit on Wednesday, scoring 42 points in 29 minutes.
The Lakers will have to get by without star forward LeBron James for at least a few more games. According to a press release issued today by the team, James is making progress in his recovery from a strained groin and has been cleared to increase his on-court “functional basketball movements,” but won’t be re-evaluated until next Wednesday.
James suffered his groin injury on Christmas Day, with his team rallying in his absence to complete a blowout win over Golden State. The Lakers lost five of their next six games without LeBron, but have bounced back this week after head coach Luke Walton challenged some of his younger players. Los Angeles beat the Mavericks in Dallas on Monday and picked up a home win over Detroit on Wednesday.
Even if James is cleared to play when he’s re-evaluated next Wednesday, that timetable will keep him out of action for the Lakers’ next three games. He’ll be sidelined for the team’s contests at Utah (Friday), vs. Cleveland (Sunday), and vs. Chicago (Tuesday).
After those three games, the Lakers’ next three are against Oklahoma City, Houston, and Golden State, so LeBron figures to do all he can to get back for some or all of those Western Conference showdowns.
In James’ absence, the Lakers figure to continue leaning heavily on starting forwards Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope playing a major role off the bench and Michael Beasley also seeing some minutes.
Here are Wednesday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Lakers assigned rookie Isaac Bonga to their South Bay affiliate, according to a tweet from the G League club. Bonga has appeared in just six NBA games, averaging 1.0 PPG, but has much better stats in the G League, where he is putting up 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per night while shooting nearly 41% from 3-point range.