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NBA’s 20 Postseason Teams Set For 2024

April 7th, 2024 at 5:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The 20 teams that will compete in either the playoffs or the play-in tournament (or both) have officially been set following the Rockets‘ loss to Dallas on Sunday, per the NBA (Twitter link).

There’s still much to be decided in the season’s final week, including exactly which six teams in each conference will secure playoff spots without having to win one or two play-in games. However, with the Rockets’ elimination, we at least know which teams from both the West and East will play beyond the end of the regular season next Sunday.

The Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Thunder have already clinched playoff berths in the West, while the Clippers‘ magic number for a playoff spot is down to 1. The Mavericks are also well positioned to claim a top-six seed following their win on Sunday. They’re followed in the standings by the Suns, Pelicans, Lakers, Kings, and Warriors.

Four of those teams will compete in the play-in tournament for two playoff spots, but the exact play-in participants and matchups remain very much up in the air. Of the Western clubs in the back half of the top 10, only Golden State is a virtual lock to be a play-in team, since the Dubs are currently four games out of sixth place.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are the lone club to secure a playoff berth so far and have also clinched the No. 1 seed. They’re followed by the Bucks, Magic, Knicks, Cavaliers, Pacers, Heat, and Sixers, with the Bulls and Hawks well out of eighth place and locked into the No. 9 vs. 10 play-in game.

The East’s playoff race remains tight, with No. 2 Milwaukee and No. 8 Philadelphia separated by only 4.5 games at the time of this writing.

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Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Bogdanovic, Burks, Hart, Thibodeau

April 7th, 2024 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

After returning to the Knicks‘ lineup Friday night, OG Anunoby said it was “just inflammation” in his right elbow that forced him to miss the previous nine games, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Anunoby, who is operating under a minutes restriction, believed it was important to get back on the court before the postseason begins.

He was able to play three games after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on the elbow in February, but suffered a setback that kept him out of action again. He told reporters that he took a different approach to rehab this time than he did immediately after the operation.

“Maybe less shooting. Building up the shooting, not just going back to shooting like I normally shoot,” Anunoby said. “So just taking my time and it’s going to get better and better.” 

Anunoby played 29 minutes on Friday, scoring 12 points and shooting 5-of-8 from the field. He replaced Miles McBride in the starting lineup and guarded DeMar DeRozan for most of the night. Anunoby made an immediate impact after being acquired from Toronto in late December, and Friday’s loss dropped the Knicks to 15-3 with him on the court.

“I’m happy he’s back, happy he’s healthy,” Jalen Brunson said. “Obviously, we didn’t win so it clouds my judgment right now (on how Anunoby played), but just happy he’s healthy and out there.” 

There’s more on the Knicks:

  • Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks were expected to provide much-needed shooting help when they were acquired in a deadline deal with Detroit, but both players are in danger of being left out of the playoff rotation, Bondy states in a separate story. Bondy notes that Anunoby’s return pushes Burks to the 10th spot in the rotation, which is more players than coach Tom Thibodeau typically uses in the postseason. Bogdanovic and Burks have struggled with efficiency since coming to New York, and they’ve seen their playing time reduced recently.
  • Josh Hart was ejected in the first quarter Friday for kicking Javonte Green in the side of the head on a play that appeared to be accidental (video link), Bondy adds in another piece. Referee Scott Foster said “intent was not a criteria” in handing out the Flagrant 2.
  • Talking with the media in Chicago, where he coached for five years, Thibodeau pushed back against the long-standing criticism that he gives too many minutes to his starters, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “People tend not to look at — what are the star players playing? Because usually you’re matching their players with a primary defender,” Thibodeau said. “So when LeBron [James] is on the floor, that’s when that player is on the floor. So LeBron is playing 39, he’s 39. If DeMar is playing 40, then whoever is guarding him has to play 40. Otherwise, you’re reducing your chances of winning. And the bottom line is to win games.”
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Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Hartenstein, Randle, Brunson

April 5th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After Stefan Bondy of The New York Post wondered if the Knicks‘ obfuscation regarding Julius Randle‘s rehab process might be a bad omen for OG Anunoby‘s recovery timeline, the team has listed Anunoby as questionable to play on Friday in Chicago, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

As Begley writes, the upgrade to Anunoby’s status looks like a big step forward for the 26-year-old, especially since it comes a day after head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the forward’s ability to get back on the court. The Knicks didn’t hold a shootaround this morning on the second day of a back-to-back set, so there were no clues about whether or not Anunoby will suit up tonight.

The Knicks are 15-2 in games that Anunoby has played since they acquired him from Toronto at the end of December, but he has missed 27 of the club’s past 30 contests. After sitting out for 18 games due to elbow surgery, the three-and-D specialist was able to suit up just three times before aggravating the elbow issue and returning to the sidelines. He has been unavailable for New York’s past nine games.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Several executives who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype believe that Isaiah Hartenstein will command around $13MM per year as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, which is right around what the mid-level exception is projected to be worth. For his part, Hartenstein said that if the money is equal, he’d prefer to remain in New York. “I love it here, and hopefully, we’ll figure something out, but at the end of the day, business is business,” he told Scotto.
  • Randle’s teammates expressed sympathy after word broke on Thursday that he’ll have to undergo season-ending surgery after attempting for over two months to work his way back from a shoulder injury, as Bridget Reilly of The New York Post relays. “It’s kind of sad from a personal standpoint. He was putting a lot of work in to try to come back,” Hartenstein said. “I think a lot of players in the league would probably just give up right away and say, ‘I’m getting the surgery.'”
  • With Randle out for the rest of the season and postseason, the pressure will be on Jalen Brunson to continue bearing the brunt of the offensive load and to figure out how to navigate increased defensive attention, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who takes a look at how Brunson has been dealing with double-teams and traps.
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Coaching Rumors: Nets, Wizards, Hornets, Pistons, Blazers

April 5th, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

People around the NBA expect the Nets‘ head coaching search this spring to be “wide-ranging,” with less of a specific archetype for the preferred candidate in Brooklyn than there might be in Charlotte or Washington, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The Hornets and Wizards will be focused on landing “the right development-minded coaches to enhance a youth movement,” Fischer continues, whereas the Nets are expected to consider a broader mix of experienced coaches and potential first-timers.

Fischer mentions Mike Budenholzer and James Borrego as a couple veterans who may appeal to Brooklyn, given their San Antonio ties to Nets head of basketball operations Sean Marks. As for possible first-time head coaches, sources tell Yahoo Sports that Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the top job in Brooklyn.

Here are more coaching-related notes and rumors from Fischer:

  • Wizards interim head coach Brian Keefe is expected to receive serious consideration for the permanent job in Washington despite a 8-26 (.235) record since he replaced Wes Unseld Jr., league sources tell Fischer.
  • In addition to the four candidates the Hornets have received permission to interview so far, Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Jazz assistant Lamar Skeeter are two more names expected to factor into Charlotte’s search, Fischer reports. Quinn interviewed for the job in 2022 and made a strong impression on Hornets decision-makers at that time, Fischer writes, though a new front office will be leading the search this time around.
  • Charles Lee, one of the candidates Charlotte has been granted permission to interview, was in Atlanta while new Hornets co-owner Rick Schnall and executive VP of basketball operations Jeff Peterson were with the Hawks, Fischer observes, noting that Lee appears to be a strong candidate in Charlotte’s head coaching search.
  • There has been “ongoing speculation” among rival front offices about Monty Williams‘ future with the Pistons, but Fischer hears from a source with knowledge of the situation that there’s no indication Williams would be open to a buyout from his six-year, $78MM+ contract following his first season in Detroit.
  • There has also been speculation in coaching circles about the possibility that the Trail Blazers will make a coaching change this spring, Fischer says, though Chauncey Billups told Yahoo Sports that he’s eager to try to lead Portland back to the postseason in 2024/25. “I’m light years ahead of where I was when I took the job, obviously being a first-time (head) coach,” Billups said. “And I’m really ready for that challenge and that pressure to go out and compete with these best teams and stuff. I’m really ready for that. So, I just hope that we can be in that position, that’s all.”
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Knicks Notes: Randle, Ailing Roster, Transactions, Anunoby

April 4th, 2024 at 8:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle has been ruled out for the year and will require surgery to treat his injured shoulder. No one seems more broken up about the news than Randle himself. Had the 6’8″ Kentucky product been available, New York seemed like it had a viable path to a deep playoff run. Without him, the team could be in for some tough sledding in the postseason.

During a conversation with Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Randle revealed that he suffered a setback to his shoulder during a practice.

“I want everyone to know that I did everything in my power to get back this season,” Randle told Haynes. “That was my intention, to be playing right now. That’s why I didn’t opt for surgery when it happened. But what caused me to finally go through with getting surgery was about five weeks ago, I went through a full-contact session in pads and re-injured my shoulder. My s–t wasn’t stable. I felt like I was in the same state when I first dislocated it, and It’s been an uphill battle ever since.”

This news contradicts New York’s official claim that Randle had been slowly progressing but had yet to return to contact workouts, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

Randle expects to return to the floor for New York at the beginning of the 2024/25 season. The Knicks indicated that they will reassess his shoulder five months after the procedure.

“I visited a couple of shoulder specialists,” Randle revealed. “One said I 100 percent needed to get surgery. Another one said I’m at risk, but if I dislocated it again, I could damage it permanently… I believe in this team and wanted to give it a try. It didn’t work out, unfortunately. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it was my only option at this point. It wasn’t getting right.”

There’s more out of New York:

  • Although the Knicks are struggling through multiple injuries to close out the season, the team’s front office did make the right moves with regard to fleshing out its roster, opines Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
  • The Knicks now know they’ll be missing Randle for good this season. Peter Botte of The New York Post (subscriber link) offers his prescription for how New York can survive the home stretch of its regular season without him.
  • Katz adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks’ other ailing starting forward, OG Anunoby, still seems to be nearing his own return. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said the team is “cautiously optimistic” about the progress the former Raptors champ has made in his recovery from an elbow ailment.
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Julius Randle To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

April 4th, 2024 at 9:54am CST by Dana Gauruder

Julius Randle‘s season is over. The Knicks’ star power forward will undergo season-ending right shoulder surgery, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link).

This development ends a two-month odyssey in which Randle tried diligently to rehab the shoulder, which was dislocated against Miami on Jan. 27. Randle took a hard fall when he crashed into Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez while driving to the basket.

It’s a crushing blow to the Knicks’ hopes of a deep playoff run. Randle was averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 46 games this season.

Initially, the Knicks believed Randle would only be sidelined a few weeks. Early reviews of an MRI he underwent shortly after the injury indicated no significant damage.

However, Randle’s rehab didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated. Medical experts determined that his shoulder’s continued instability made it unsafe for him to play again this season, according to Wojnarowski.

Randle risked permanent damage if he returned to action without first undergoing surgery, two specialists recently warned him.

It’s quite possible that Randle won’t be ready at the start of next season. He will reevaluated in five months after the surgery, the team’s PR department tweets.

The Knicks are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 44-31 record. They’ve lost their last three games and are also without their other starting forward, OG Anunoby, who has been sidelined by a persistent elbow injury.

New York coach Tom Thibodeau started a four-guard lineup against Miami on Tuesday with Josh Hart posing as a very undersized power forward.

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Grizzlies’ Morant, Knicks’ Burks Seek Out New Agents

April 4th, 2024 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant and agent Jim Tanner have parted ways, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Morant has been represented by Tanner since he declared for the 2019 draft. Morant was the No. 2 overall pick that June and blossomed into a max-level player.

The change in representation won’t impact his on-court earnings for a while, since Morant is under contract through the 2027/28 season. He signed a five-year, maximum-salary extension in 2022.

It has been a lost season for Morant, who was handed a 25-game league suspension in June for a series of off-court incidents. The two-time All-Star scored 34 points and made a game-winning shot in his season debut after serving out the suspension. However, he only appeared in nine games before he required season-ending surgery for a labral tear in his right shoulder.

Morant has four years and $163.2MM left on his contract after 2023/24, including an approximate $36.7MM salary next season.

Knicks guard Alec Burks is also changing agents, Newsday’s Steve Popper tweets. He’s moving on from Octagon to join Rich Paul and Anthony Fields of Klutch Sports.

Burks will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Burks, who is making $10.49MM in 2023/24, was dealt back to New York by Detroit at the trade deadline. Burks has struggled with his shooting in 20 appearances since the trade, averaging 7.2 points in 14.6 minutes with a 31.6% overall field goal percentage, including 30% from deep.

Burks, who averaged 12.6 points on 39.4% shooting (40.1% on 3-point attempts) in 43 games with the Pistons this season, should still attract interest in the free agent market. He’s a career 38.3% three-point shooter and has averaged double digits in scoring, mostly off the bench, over the last five seasons.

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Injury Updates: Embiid, Lillard, Hart, Sharpe, Turner, Sochan, Huerter

April 3rd, 2024 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid returned to the Sixers‘ lineup Tuesday, but he may not be available for an important showdown in Miami Thursday night, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The reigning MVP is listed as questionable for the contest after playing nearly 30 minutes and scoring 24 points in his first game since undergoing meniscus surgery in late January.

Tomorrow’s game will go a long way toward determining which teams wind up in the play-in tournament. The Heat are currently in sixth place at 42-33, followed by the Pacers at 43-34 and Philadelphia at 41-35. Miami can clinch the tiebreaker over the Sixers with a win.

Philadelphia could be missing several rotation players even if Embiid is cleared, Pompey adds. Also listed as questionable are Tyrese Maxey, who missed the past two games with tightness in his left hip, Tobias Harris, who has a hyperextended left knee, and Mohamed Bamba, who sat out Tuesday’s game with an illness.

There’s more injury news to pass along:

  • Bucks coach Doc Rivers provided an update on Damian Lillard, who sat out Tuesday and tonight with a right groin strain, tweets Eric Nehm of The Journal-Sentinel. Rivers said Lillard is “feeling a lot better” today and there’s hope that he’ll be able to return Friday. “I think he’s closer,” Rivers said. “I cannot guarantee that, though. … Now that’s one (injury) that if it’s not 100 percent or 90-whatever percentile they put him in, then no. With that one, we’re just not going to take any chances. It’s not worth it.”
  • Josh Hart is the latest addition to the Knicks‘ injury report, being listed as questionable for Friday’s game at Chicago with a sprained right wrist, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). Hart was icing the wrist at the morning shootaround before Tuesday’s contest, Bondy adds.
  • Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, who hasn’t played since January 11 due to core muscle surgery, is moving closer to a return, coach Chauncey Billups told reporters, including Casey Holdahl (Twitter link). “(Sharpe) is getting better, getting on the court with us,” Billups said. “He did a few things in our practice the other day, I thought he looked good so I was really excited about that. … We’ll just keep trying to ramp him up, challenge him physically to see if he can take it.”
  • Pacers center Myles Turner sat out Wednesday’s loss at Brooklyn after dislocating his right index finger while dunking on Monday, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
  • Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan confirmed that he underwent successful surgery today on his left ankle, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Sochan hopes to be recovered in time to join the Polish national team for this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament, Orsborn adds.
  • Kings guard Kevin Huerter had successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). The team expects him to be ready for the start of next season.
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Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson Named Players Of The Month

April 2nd, 2024 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Month, while one of his former teammates – Knicks guard Jalen Brunson – has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It’s the second consecutive Player of the Month award for Doncic, who has strengthened his case for MVP consideration in recent weeks as the driving force of a streaking Mavs team that has moved into fifth place in the West. Doncic is the second player to earn Player of the Month honors twice this season, joining Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Doncic won the award for March by averaging a triple-double – 32.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.1 assists – through 14 games, with a .470/.381/.781 shooting line. The Mavericks lost the first three of those games but have won each of the last 11 contests in which Doncic has been active.

Brunson has earned Player of the Week honors three times in 2023/24, but this is his first Player of the Month award of the season. He helped the banged-up Knicks hang onto a top-four seed in the East in March by putting up 28.8 PPG and 5.8 APG in 13 games (30.9 MPG) on .481/.376/.813 shooting.

Those per-game averages include a March 3 contest in Cleveland that Brunson exited due to a knee injury after just 47 seconds. Not including that game, the Knicks’ point guard averaged over 31 points per contest for the month.

The other Player of the Month nominees in the Western Conference were Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Green, Nikola Jokic, and Domantas Sabonis, according to the NBA (Twitter link). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Tatum, DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, and Pascal Siakam were also nominated in the East.

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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2024 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2023/24 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running for Teammate of the Year honors.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

None of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award have earned the honor in the past, so the 2023/24 winner will be a first-timer. Mike Conley won the award last year for a record fourth time.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2023/24. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Like Conley with the Sportsmanship Award, last season’s Teammate of the Year – Jrue Holiday – has the record for most times winning the award (three), but isn’t among the finalists for 2023/24. Of this season’s 12 finalists, the only one to take home the award in the past is Conley, who claimed it in 2019.

The Teammate of the Year finalists finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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