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Central Notes: Turner, Bulls, Simonovic, Garza, Allen

November 12th, 2021 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

Myles Turner led the NBA in blocks per game last season (3.4) and the Pacers‘ defensive rating was about five points better when the big man was on the floor. However, because he appeared in just 47 games and Indiana missed the postseason, he didn’t make an All-Defensive team and didn’t receive any votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

Speaking to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Turner expressed a desire to make up for that in 2021/22. Asked about his individual goals for the season, he said he wants to become an All-Star and would like to be recognized for his play on defense.

“I feel like I’m snubbed and haven’t gotten the credit I deserve in that department. I’ve led the league in blocks, and that looks good and all, but no All-Defensive Teams, not a lot of consideration for Defensive Player of the Year,” Turner said. “… I think I’m one of the better defenders in this league as far as my position. I’m versatile on defense. I’m not just a perimeter defender. I’m not just a shot blocker. There are different facets of my game that I think set me apart a little bit.”

The Pacers are off to a 5-8 start and remain outside of the playoff picture for the time being. However, Turner is proving once again that he can be force on the defensive end. His 3.2 blocks per game lead the NBA, and Indiana has a 100.5 defensive rating during his minutes, compared to 115.7 when he sits.

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • The Bulls entered the offseason looking to upgrade at the point guard position, and all the early returns suggest they succeeded in a major way. Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic explores what Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have brought to a resurgent Chicago team.
  • The Bulls recalled rookie center Marko Simonovic from the G League on Thursday, the team announced (via Twitter). Simonovic has yet to make his regular season NBA debut, but could see a little action during the team’s West Coast road trip with Nikola Vucevic sidelined due to a positive COVID-19 test.
  • Pistons rookie Luka Garza has been recalled to the NBA from the G League following Kelly Olynyk‘s knee injury, the club announced today (via Twitter). Unlike Simonovic, Garza has seen some NBA action already, logging 39 minutes across five games. Olynyk’s absence should open the door for him to play a slightly larger role.
  • The Bucks are off to a bit of a slow start this season, but newly-acquired wing Grayson Allen has been a bright spot, averaging 15.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG on .445/.419/.950 shooting in 12 starts (29.3 MPG). Eric Nehm of The Athletic takes a closer look at the impact Allen is having and the chemistry he’s developing with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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NBA G League Affiliate Players For 2021/22

November 6th, 2021 at 7:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the offseason and preseason, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 (plus a pair of two-way players) in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams prior to the season can be designated as “affiliate players” and assigned to their G League squads.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, if a player’s NBA team has designated him as an affiliate player and he signs a G League contract, he is automatically assigned to that team’s NBAGL roster.

Of the G League’s 30 teams, 28 are directly affiliated with an NBA club. Only the Mexico City Capitanes and G League Ignite are unaffiliated, while only the Suns and Trail Blazers don’t control a G League team. Here are the affiliate players for those 28 squads to start the 2021/22 season:

Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers)

Austin Spurs (Spurs)

Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans)

Capital City Go-Go (Wizards)

Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers)

College Park Skyhawks (Hawks)

Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers)

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers)

Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets)

Greensboro Swarm (Hornets)

Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves)

Lakeland Magic (Magic)

Long Island Nets (Nets)

Maine Celtics (Celtics)

Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies)

Motor City Cruise (Pistons)

Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder)

Raptors 905 (Raptors)

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets)

Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz)

Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors)

Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat)

South Bay Lakers (Lakers)

Stockton Kings (Kings)

Texas Legends (Mavericks)

Westchester Knicks (Knicks)

Windy City Bulls (Bulls)

Wisconsin Herd (Bucks)

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Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Durant, Garza, Livers, Lee, Rotation

November 6th, 2021 at 11:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant offered high praise for top pick Cade Cunningham after the Nets’ narrow win over the Pistons on Friday, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press relays (Twitter links).

“I love Cade’s game. I think he’s going to be a tough, tough player for a long, long time,” Durant said. “I got to know him when he was in high school so we got to build a little relationship. To play against him in the NBA is sweet.”

Cunningham had a team-high 17 points in the 96-90 loss. He missed the first four games with an ankle sprain.

“We had a lot of conversations about being on this level and what it took,” Durant added. “To see him out here battling through some injuries in the start, but to come out here and play aggressive tonight and hit some big shots, I’m happy for him and looking forward to seeing his career.”

We have more on the Pistons:

  • Cunningham has shot poorly thus far but he’s not hesitant to take big shots and he shrugs off criticism, James Edwards of The Athletic writes. “I know what comes with being the No. 1 pick, the target on your back,” Cunningham said. “People want to see you mess up. I’ve always just been myself. I’ve never changed myself to feel like what people feel I should be like.” Cunningham is shooting 23.2% from the field and 14.3% on 3-point attempts.
  • The team assigned rookies Luka Garza and Isaiah Livers and second-year guard Saben Lee to the Motor City Cruise after Friday’s game, the team’s PR department tweets. The NBA team doesn’t play again until a road game against Houston on Wednesday.
  • Prior to the latest losses, coach Dwane Casey said he didn’t plan on making any major rotation changes in the near future, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “We will look at things for 20-game increments to see why our young guys are and to see what we have and see how they react,” Casey said. “They’re our future, our foundation, so there’s no use of flipping the lineup or changing lineups trying to (fix things). Their growth is the most important thing and I think I’ve said it a million times.”
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Warriors Notes: Curry, Payton, Green, Kuminga

November 6th, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors and tied with the Jazz for the league’s best record at 7-1 and Stephen Curry isn’t the least bit surprised, Nick Friedell of ESPN writes. “The record’s great,” Curry said. “It’s eight games in, a lot of season left, but the way that we’re succeeding and the way that we’re kind of opening up games, just putting good stretches of basketball together, I’m not surprised at all.” Golden State thumped New Orleans 126-85 on Friday.

We have more on the Warriors:

  • Gary Payton II, who has a partially guaranteed contract, has emerged as a rotation player, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes. “He needs to play more,” coach Steve Kerr said. Valued for his defense, Payton has averaged 15.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG in the last two games. Payton earned a roster spot after a training camp battle with Avery Bradley and Curry says Payton has “found a home” with the Warriors, as Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes. Payton has a $350K guarantee on his veteran’s minimum deal.
  • In regard to the NBA’s investigation regarding the conduct of Suns owner Robert Sarver, Draymond Green feels there’s a double standard between executives and owners under scrutiny and players facing discipline, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. “I do wonder if I was getting investigated for something, would I still be able to be around the team? Would I still be able to freely come to the games? Would I still be able to freely come to practice?,” Green said. “I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that question, because I’ve never been in a situation here where someone is getting investigated for something like that. But I do know what I think, and I’m not sure I’d be sitting here after finishing shootaround talking to you if I was being investigated.”
  • Lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga has been assigned to G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, according to a team press release. Kuminga has made three brief appearances with Golden State, including a seven-minute stint on Friday. He’ll get more game experience with Santa Cruz. He had 16 points in 30 minutes against the G League Ignite earlier this week.
  • Andre Iguodala‘s return to the organization has given Kerr a level of comfort, Mark Medina of NBA.com writes. “It’s like we lost our soul a little bit the last two years,” Kerr said. “Getting him back brings a level of stability, intelligence and basketball IQ.” Iguodala rejoined the team on a one-year deal.
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New York Notes: Randle, Knicks, Noel, Claxton, Nets

November 5th, 2021 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks will be looking to pick up a win in Milwaukee on Friday night, but Julius Randle views the Bucks as a success story worth emulating, as Fred Katz of The Athletic details. Milwaukee won a title in Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s eighth season, having patiently built a championship-caliber roster around its star player without making any major splashes on the free agent market.

“It was beautiful to watch simply because the aspect of, they built it from the ground up,” Randle said. “They didn’t put a super team together or whatever it was. These guys were in the mud every day grinding the thing out. They took some lumps along the way there trying to figure it out.”

While the Knicks lack a bona fide superstar on the level of Antetokounmpo, Randle likes the idea of building the roster “organically” and believes that it an eventual breakthrough would be more rewarding.

“(The Bucks) did something that’s very unique, especially in today’s league, as far as building something like that and not putting a bunch of players together,” he said. “They really built it.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

  • Responding to news that Owen Phillips is joining the Knicks‘ coaching analytics team, Seth Partnow of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) that the franchise has gone from one of the league’s smallest analytics departments to one of the largest under president of basketball operations Leon Rose.
  • Knicks center Nerlens Noel missed the first six games of the season with what was termed “knee soreness,” but he told reporters today that it was more of a hamstring issue, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
  • The Nets have assigned Nicolas Claxton to the G League as he works his way back from an illness. According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link), Claxton still isn’t ready to play and will just be training and ramping up during his time with Long Island.
  • While Claxton probably won’t play in any games for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, a handful of the team’s rookies are expected to be regulars for the Long Island Nets this season. Chris Milholen of NetsDaily takes a closer look at the Nets‘ developmental plans for Cameron Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, Kessler Edwards, and David Duke.
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Greg Monroe, Gary Clark, Carsen Edwards Join G League Teams

November 5th, 2021 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of NBA veterans have joined G League teams in advance of the start of the NBAGL’s 2021/22 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Charania reports, the Capital City Go-Go (Wizards) have added center Greg Monroe, the Mexico City Capitanes have added forward Gary Clark, and the Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz) have acquired swingman Carsen Edwards.

Monroe, 31, has nine years of NBA experience under his belt, but hasn’t played in the league since 2018/19, when he appeared in 43 total games for three teams. In 632 career NBA games, the former Georgetown star averaged 13.2 PPG and 8.3 RPG in 27.7 minutes per contest. He has spent time playing in Germany and Russia since 2019.

An undrafted free agent with three years of NBA experience from 2018-21, Clark appeared in 132 total games for four teams. He’s known more for his defense, having put up very modest offensive numbers (3.2 PPG on .346/.311/.889 shooting) in the NBA. Clark, who will turn 27 later this month, has previous G League experience with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Edwards was the 33th overall pick out of Purdue in 2019 and spent his first two professional seasons with the Celtics, but didn’t emerge as a reliable rotation player, posting just 3.6 PPG on .372/.302/.750 shooting in 68 games (9.2 MPG). He was traded to Memphis and subsequently waived during the 2021 offseason.

The G League Ignite have also announced two veteran additions, confirming that center Kosta Koufos and former Jazz guard Kevin Murphy have come aboard. Amir Johnson and Pooh Jeter are among the other veterans on the team.

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And-Ones: 2022 Cap Room, Stephenson, G League, More

November 5th, 2021 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

Only four NBA teams currently project to have significant cap room in the 2022 offseason, writes Danny Leroux of The Athletic. Not only is that number lower than usual, but none of those four teams appear likely to have enough space for a maximum-salary player worth 30% of the cap, Leroux adds.

The Pistons currently project to have the most space, with Blake Griffin‘s dead money coming off their books. According to Leroux, the Magic, Spurs, and Grizzlies join them as the other clubs likely to have at least $15MM in room. Teams like the Wizards and Bulls could have room too, but that would be a worst-case scenario for those clubs, since it would mean losing Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine, respectively, in free agency.

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

  • Veteran NBA swingman Lance Stephenson spoke to Jack Green of Betway about his decision to play in the G League and the role he expects to have with the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets‘ new affiliate. Stephenson, who worked out for several NBA teams during the offseason, hopes to show in the NBAGL that he still has plenty left in the tank. “My body feels amazing,” he said. “I don’t feel like an older guy, I still feel like a young guy. So I think I’ve got a couple more years left.”
  • The original plan for the Mexico City Capitanes was to join the NBA G League for the 2020/21 season. However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed their debut back by a year, and the team has now been uprooted from its home in Mexico due to pandemic-related travel concerns. Eric Gomez of ESPN takes an in-depth at the new G League franchise and the adjustments it has had to make over the last couple years.
  • Former CAA agent Michael Tellem has joined Excel Sports, the agency announced (via Twitter). Danilo Gallinari, Jakob Poeltl, and Daniel Theis are among the most notable NBA clients for Tellem, whose father is Pistons vice chairman and former agent Arn Tellem.
  • It’s not just NBA scouts and executives who have been impressed so far by the new Overtime Elite league — the program’s level of professionalism and credibility has also made an impact on its players, writes Kyle Tucker of The Athletic. “It’s even more than I thought it would be,” said 2022 draft-eligible forward Kok Yat. “If I didn’t come here, no NBA scouts would know who I am. You want to be seen, so this feels like a huge step.”
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Eastern Notes: Cunningham, Livers, Gafford, Strus

November 1st, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Top pick Cade Cunningham made his belated NBA debut on Saturday against Orlando, then sat out Sunday’s loss to Brooklyn. The Pistons’ prized rookie won’t play in back-to-backs in the short term, coach Dwane Casey told The Detroit News’ Rod Beard and other media members (Twitter link). Cunningham missed the first four regular season games due to an ankle sprain. Cunningham is expected to suit up against Milwaukee on Tuesday.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Another Pistons rookie, forward Isaiah Livers, has been assigned to the team’s G League team, the Motor City Cruise, the team’s PR department tweets. Livers has been rehabbing from foot surgery, so that’s an indication he’s been medically cleared to at least practice. He was one of three second-round picks made by Detroit. Fellow rookie, center Luka Garza, and second-year guard Saben Lee have also been assigned to the Cruise.
  • Wizards big man Daniel Gafford returned to action on Monday, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. He suffered a right quad contusion against the Celtics on Wednesday. He underwent an MRI to ensure the injury was not more serious. He’s averaging 8.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.0 BPG.
  • Heat wing Max Strus has been diagnosed with a sprained left knee, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald reports. An MRI on the knee returned negative results. Strus is expected to miss at least two weeks, but is relieved it wasn’t more serious after tearing his ACL in the same knee in December 2019. “There was a lot of anxiety. It was tough to sleep the night before,” he said. “But the training staff did a great job of getting me in as soon as they could to get the MRI. As soon as I heard those results, it was just a breath of fresh air.”
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And-Ones: Team USA, Koufos, Ignite, Noah

October 30th, 2021 at 11:56am CST by Dana Gauruder

An announcement on Gregg Popovich’s replacement regarding Team USA’s head coaching vacancy probably won’t come until closer to the end of the calendar year, Marc Stein of Substack reports. Previously, the opening was expected to be filled by the start of the NBA season. The timeline for completing the search has been pushed back for procedural reasons, according to Stein, who previously reported that Steve Kerr is the most likely successor.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • In the same post from Stein, he notes that former NBA center Kosta Koufos will still play for the G League’s Ignite team but his arrival has been delayed due to the birth of his first child. Koufos is joining the Ignite after playing two seasons in the EuroLeague. Amir Johnson and Pooh Jeter are among the other veterans on the team, which allows top prospects to get a taste of professional basketball to prepare for next year’s draft.
  • The Ignite team – which trains in Walnut Creek, California – will play eight home games in Las Vegas, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. The first two of those games will be a back-to-back next month against the Clippers’ Agua Caliente squad.
  • The Bulls have named Joakim Noah as a team ambassador and the 36-yard-old Noah has no regrets about retiring, he told Sam Smith of the team’s website. “Obviously, I miss the competition and I miss the locker room,” Noah said. “But when your body tells you it’s time to go, it’s time to go. So you have to be honest with yourself. I shot every bullet in my gun and I have no regrets. I gave it everything I got.”
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Western Notes: Conley, Valanciunas, Ayton, Mann

October 30th, 2021 at 10:46am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks, Bulls, Mavericks and Pelicans showed interest in Mike Conley during free agency but re-signing with the Jazz was an “easy” choice, as he told Sam Amick of The Athletic.

“It was an easy decision (based) on what we had built here and what I was able to be a part of last year and in the last few seasons,” he said. “Just wanted to be a part of that journey with these guys. Trying to bring a championship to a place that, you know, it’s not easy to do. I think that seeing Milwaukee win was awesome.”

Conley signed a three-year, $68MM contract that includes some incentives.

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Jonas Valanciunas has quickly emerged as a crucial player for the Pelicans, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. Valanciunas is averaging 18.2 PPG and 14.7 RPG while logging a career-high 34.3 MPG through six games. Coach Willie Green said the starters would continue to play big minutes until Zion Williamson returns. “Right now, those guys are going to play high minutes. That’s why we’re not doing much at practice,” Green said. After being acquired from Memphia, Valanciunas signed a two-year, $30.1MM extension this fall.
  • Suns coach Monty Williams isn’t worried about Deandre Ayton‘s focus even though the team didn’t reach an extension agreement with their center, Amick writes in a separate story. In fact, Williams hopes Ayton plays more selfishly as he heads toward restricted free agency. “He probably doesn’t get enough credit for how unselfish he is. We want him to be more selfish,” Williams said. “We want him to be more aggressive, but I don’t foresee that happening. The young man wants to win, and that’s what I’ve seen since I’ve been with him from Day 1.”
  • The Thunder have assigned Tre Mann, the 18th overall pick, to the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue. Head coach Mark Daigneault believes that will accelerate his development more than having him play spotty minutes with the Thunder, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. “His ability to go there, play more minutes, take on a heavier load defensively, find a little bit of rhythm offensively, settle into games a little bit more, settle into practices a little bit more is a great opportunity for him to grow,” Daigneault said. Oklahoma City also has a logjam of young guards, Mussatto notes.
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