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New York Notes: Reddish, Brunson, Bridges, Nets

March 11th, 2023 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

Now a member of the Trail Blazers, forward Cam Reddish spoke to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News about his disappointing stint with the Knicks, explaining that he felt as if the decision to bench him for his final 33 games with the team wasn’t about his on-court performance.

“It was tough but at the same time, it ain’t even about basketball,” Reddish said. “It had nothing to do with basketball. It was all the politics, all the favoritism. S–t like that. That’s why I wasn’t too worried about it.”

Reddish didn’t expand in any detail on that response, repeatedly telling Bondy that he’s simply happy to be in a better situation following the deadline deal that sent him to Portland. Reddish has started 10 of his 12 games for the Blazers, averaging a career-high 13.8 points per game on .464/.382/.857 shooting in 30.8 minutes per night. The 23-year-old added that he felt as if he had very little margin for error when he was a Knick.

“I can shoot a shot — and in New York, I feel like I HAD to make it,” Reddish said. “I know I’m not the only person that felt like that. I was putting too much pressure on myself. Now I can relax and play my game. You’re going to see it. The more I’m on the court, the more I’m going to grow and play. I’m happy.”

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

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (left foot soreness) has been ruled out for Saturday’s game vs. the Clippers and it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for either of the last two contests of the team’s road trip (on Sunday and Tuesday), writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Brunson’s status going forward is a real cause for concern, Botte notes, given that the Knicks are far from locking up a top-six spot in the East and Brunson has been the team’s most indispensable player this season.
The Nets knew they were adding a talented player when they acquired Mikal Bridges as the centerpiece of their return for Kevin Durant, but they weren’t expecting the kind of offensive production they’ve gotten so far from the fifth-year forward, says Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Bridges has put up 25.8 PPG on .514/.492/.900 shooting in 12 games (34.0 MPG) since arriving in Brooklyn. “I don’t think anybody knew that Mikal was this amazing offensively. Just being completely real,” new teammate Spencer Dinwiddie said. “It’s our job that he can get to his spots and get his shots and continue to stack up these (30-point nights) as much as he possibly can.”
In last month’s trades of Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets were focused on getting back as many current and future assets as possible. Soon, they’ll need to make some major decisions about their direction, including which of their current players are keepers and whether they plan to shop or hang onto their newly acquired first-round draft picks. In a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Lewis takes a closer look at the decisions on tap in Brooklyn.

Kings Notes: Fox, Sabonis, Brown, Playoffs

March 11th, 2023 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings won for the seventh time in their last eight games on Thursday vs. New York, picking up a five-point home victory in a nationally televised game and maintaining control of the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. However, head coach Mike Brown wasn’t thrilled that his team let the Knicks grab 23 offensive rebounds and nearly blew a 21-point third quarter lead, as Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee relays.

“You can tell I’m a little frustrated,” Brown said during his post-game press conference. “It’s a great win. You take wins at this time of the year. But that’s not how we should be playing basketball, what you guys saw tonight. I’m not happy with our performance at all except for the fact that we got the win. Somehow, some way, we have to be better throughout the course of the ball game.

“I’m going to put pressure on Domas (Domantas Sabonis) and Foxy (De’Aaron Fox). They have to hold themselves to an elite level on every possession. But just as importantly, they’ve got to open their mouths and hold their teammates to a high standard. Because that ain’t going to fly.”

Brown has been highly supportive of his star players all season, campaigning for them to receive All-Star and All-NBA consideration. His critical tone after a victory perhaps indicates that the expectations are starting to rise in Sacramento, with Brown taking steps to ensure that his team won’t be happy to simply break its 16-year playoff drought and lose to a lower seed in the first round.

Later in his presser, Brown said he believes Fox can be even better than he has been so far this season, suggesting that his point guard has a “switch” that he sometimes doesn’t flip on until the fourth quarter.

“Somehow, some way, I got to get him to turn it on for a little closer to the 33 or 34 minutes he’s playing, instead of just waiting for the fourth quarter,” Brown said. “Because he’s more than capable. I’ve been around a lot of great slash elite players — I’m a little hesitant to say this, because I haven’t been with him long enough and I haven’t seen him do it in the playoffs yet — but he may capable of being on that level. But the great ones, the elite ones, they do it all the time.”

Here’s more on the Beam Team:

The Kings haven’t clinched a playoff berth yet, but Fox and others have begun talking about the postseason with some certainty, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic details.
Fox, who admitted he wasn’t sure if he’d still be in Sacramento through the 2021 and 2022 trade deadlines, told Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report that he had confidence in this year’s roster even after the Kings got off to an 0-4 start in the fall. “I knew this was a different team,” Fox said. “There was a foundation that was built with this group that no one else could see. I know what losing feels like, and even though we got off to a rough start, I felt like we all were on the same page, and that’s the difference.”
In the same Bleacher Report story, Haynes writes that one of the changes Mike Brown implemented in his first year in Sacramento was to encourage each player and coach – along with team owner Vivek Ranadive – to sign contracts prior to the season fully committing to their assigned roles. “We had a team dinner at the start of training camp and everyone’s specific role was explained,” Brown said. “Some guys were not happy with their roles, but if you agreed to honor your role, you signed the contract. No one was forced to do so, but if you signed it, your teammates saw that you made a commitment to fulfill your obligation. So if s–t hits the fan, there is no way to run. You will be held accountable if you stray away from your commitment to the team. When you truly value s–t, you protect it and embrace it. That’s what I wanted out of our team. All the players signed it.”
Count LeBron James among those who believe Brown should earn Coach of the Year honors this season. Responding to a tweet that called Brown the frontrunner, James said of his former Cavaliers coach, “HANDS DOWN!!!!!! Mike Brown got them boys hoopin hoopin!!“

Wolves Notes: KAT, Alexander-Walker, Nowell, Roller Coaster

March 10th, 2023 at 11:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns was able to do some light on-court work on Thursday for the first time in months, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“He can feel like he’s got the bit in his teeth right now,” head coach Chris Finch said. “He probably wants to do a little bit more than he’s actually allowed. That’s good.”

However, there’s still no timetable for the former No. 1 overall pick to return from a calf strain that has kept him on the shelf since November 28. When Finch was asked if the Wolves would consider shutting Towns down if there were only a few games left in the season and getting him re-acclimated might negatively impact the team, he said they want him back whenever he’s ready.

“Regardless of what happens between here and the rest of the season, getting KAT with this group is such a priority just to see what we have,” Finch said, per Hine. “I wouldn’t say it’s not worth it, unless we were to fall completely out of the race. But even at that point, we need to discover for offseason evaluation, tweaking, strategy, game plan, whatever it might be, we got to see what this thing looks like.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker has made a positive impact on his new club, Hine writes in another story. The fourth-year guard, who was acquired from Utah in a trade last month, has claimed a rotation role in part due to a left knee injury to Jaylen Nowell, but he’s capitalized with strong defense and versatile offense. According to Hine, teammates have praised Alexander-Walker’s work ethic. “He’s passionate and it’s how hard he works,” center Naz Reid said. “The effort he puts in on the court. Playing with him is like having another teammate like myself. All effort and he’s willing to do whatever, and it shows.” Alexander-Walker can be a restricted free agent in the offseason if the Wolves tender him a qualifying offer.
Hine also provides an update on Nowell, who is dealing with knee tendinopathy and had “imaging” done earlier this week. When asked if Nowell was any closer to returning now than he was last week, Finch sounded skeptical. “Doesn’t feel like it, but I’m not exactly sure what his timetable is,” Finch said. The 23-year-old, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, last played on February 24.
Minnesota’s coaches and players have been exasperated by the team’s roller coaster season, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Wolves have had some “truly inspiring victories” this season, but those have often been followed by bad losses to the teams at the bottom of the standings, notes Krawczynski. “Just gotta stay positive, continue to keep working, continue to keep getting better, and hopefully we don’t have some of those efforts like we’ve had against the lesser teams,” forward Kyle Anderson said. After losing in overtime on Friday to the Nets, the Wolves are now 34-34, the No. 8 seed in the West.

Kyle Lowry Expected To Return On Saturday

March 10th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat point guard Kyle Lowry is traveling with the team and is expected to return to action on Saturday in Orlando, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Lowry has been battling left knee soreness, having last played on February 2. He has missed the past 15 games as a result of the injury, with Miami going 7-8 over that span.

The Heat reportedly dangled Lowry in trade talks ahead of last month’s deadline, but were unable to find any takers due to the combination of his age (he turns 37 in a couple weeks), large contract ($28.33MM this season, $29.68MM in 2023/24), and health problems.

A six-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion with the Raptors, Lowry has seen his production drop off in ’22/23, likely in part due to his knee issue. He’s averaging 12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.1 SPG on .396/.333/.855 shooting through 44 games (33.3 MPG).

It’s unclear if Lowry will immediately reclaim his spot in the starting lineup; Gabe Vincent had been starting in his place. The 17-year veteran has started every game in his first two years with the Heat and hasn’t come off the bench since the ’12/13 season, but it’s reasonable to assume he might be on a minutes restriction after a lengthy absence.

Lowry’s return comes at a critical time for the Heat, as they’re fighting for a top-six seed and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. After beating Cleveland on Friday, they’re currently 36-32, the No. 7 seed in the East.

Southeast Notes: Murray, Oladipo, O. Robinson, Isaac

March 10th, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray received a $500K bonus earlier this week after he converted his 123rd three-pointer, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links).

As Marks notes, the bonus was considered unlikely because Murray had never previously reached that milestone. Atlanta’s 2022/23 team salary will increase by $500K as a result, moving that number just $1.1MM below the luxury tax threshold.

The bonus will also impact Murray’s cap hit for next season, bumping it from $17.7MM up to $18.2MM, Marks adds. The Hawks were tracking the likelihood of the bonus being reached, plus they added Saddiq Bey, which is why they were motivated to make a salary-dump trade at the deadline, according to Marks.

Through 61 games (36.4 MPG) in his first season with Atlanta, Murray is averaging 21.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.0 APG and 1.5 SPG on .467/.362/.847 shooting. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Victor Oladipo has had plenty of highs and lows in 2022/23. He missed the first 24 games of the season with a knee injury, but he played in his 35th game on Friday night versus Cleveland and appears on track to play his most games since 2018/19, when he suffered a major quad injury. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Oladipo has struggled with inconsistency on offense, but has played solid defense thus far. “Everybody goes through stuff, everybody goes things,” the Heat guard said. “It’s about how you have resolve and how resilient you are, it really defines who you are as a person and defines who you are as a man. So I’m just going to continue to keep getting better and staying aggressive.”
The Heat signed a couple of frontcourt veterans last month in Kevin Love and Cody Zeller, which removed Orlando Robinson from the rotation. The rookie center, who is on a two-way deal with Miami, only has four active games remaining as part of his contract, so the temporary plan is to send Robinson back to the G League for playing time, Chiang writes in a subscriber-only story for The Miami Herald. The Heat have enough wiggle room beneath the tax line to convert Robinson to a standard deal if they want to, but the problem is their 15-man roster is full, so they don’t appear to be in any rush on that decision, Chiang notes.
Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link) believes it’s time for the Magic to move on from Jonathan Isaac, who underwent season-ending adductor surgery after appearing in just 11 games. Bianchi heaps praise on Isaac off the court and believes he has plenty of potential on it, but says his lengthy injury history makes it too risky to keep him around. Isaac missed all of ’20/21 and ’21/22 while recovering from a torn ACL, and missed a significant amount of time in his first three seasons as well. The 25-year-old’s contract for next season is partially guaranteed for $7.6MM, but it would be “silly” to bring him back and pay him his full $17.4MM salary, according to Bianchi.

Injury Notes: Garland, Powell, Simons, Shamet, Mavs

March 10th, 2023 at 7:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will be sidelined for Friday’s rematch with the Heat in Miami, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Garland was originally listed as questionable with a right quad contusion, but was unable to go through shootaround. The injury is considered relatively minor, sources tell Fedor.

Garland appeared to suffer the contusion early in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s initial matchup with Miami on Wednesday, notes Danny Cunningham of ESPN Cleveland (Twitter video link). He was hit in the leg by Bam Adebayo‘s moving screen, which was called a foul.

The Cavs confirmed (via Twitter) that Garland would be sidelined on Friday, with Caris LeVert taking his place in the starting lineup. Garland is having an outstanding fourth season, averaging 22.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 7.9 APG and 1.3 SPG on an excellent .471/.430/.860 shooting line through 58 games (35.2 MPG).

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Clippers guard Norman Powell will miss at least one more week, which is when he’ll be reeavaluated, tweets ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. The eight-year veteran continues to receive treatment for his left shoulder subluxation. He is the team’s third-leading scorer at 16.6 PPG, posting a strong shooting line of .475/.410/.803 through 54 games (25.8 MPG), primarily as a reserve.
Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons returned to the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup in Philadelphia, the team announced (via Twitter). He had missed the previous four games after aggravating an ankle sprain.
Backup guard Landry Shamet continues to be hampered by right foot soreness, having last played on January 16. He will be reevaluated in one week, the Suns announced (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports).
The Mavericks might be without their two star players on Saturday in Memphis, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Luka Doncic (left thigh strain) has already been ruled out, while Kyrie Irving is questionable with right foot soreness. Irving missed Friday’s practice for personal reasons, per MacMahon, but head coach Jason Kidd was hopeful he might be able to rejoin the team on Saturday. Doncic is considered day-to-day after his MRI results showed no damage, MacMahon adds.

2023 Draft Notes: Big Boards, Mocks, Thompson Twins

March 10th, 2023 at 5:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Villanova wing Cam Whitmore has been a polarizing prospect this season, with some scouts viewing him as having the highest upside among all college prospects, while some view him as more of a late lottery pick. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic believes the pace-and-space NBA game will better suit Whitmore’s explosiveness and shot creation ability, which has been somewhat hampered by the more congested college game.

Whitmore is ranked No. 5 on Vecenie’s latest top 100 big board ahead of the 2023 draft. Vecenie’s full top 10 is as follows (in order): Victor Wembanyama (Metropolitans 92, France), Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite), Brandon Miller (Alabama), Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite), Whitmore, Ausar Thompson (OTE), Jarace Walker (Houston), Anthony Black (Arkansas), Gradey Dick (Kansas) and Cason Wallace (Kentucky).

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer recently updated his own 2023 big board, and there is a notable difference with Vecenie’s. While nearly all talent evaluators have Wembanyama and Henderson as the top two prospects, O’Connor ranks Miller No. 2 and Henderson No. 3. O’Connor is also high on Baylor’s Keyonte George, ranking him No. 8; he was No. 16 on Vecenie’s board. O’Connor also updated his mock draft for the first round, which can be found right here.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN, Jonathan Givony provides his latest two-round mock draft and takes a look at 12 prospects who are likely competing in their final college games due to a lack of team success. According to Givony, a couple of former top high school prospects may have hurt their stock more than they helped it this season. One is South Carolina’s Gregory Jackson II (No. 27 in the mock), who reclassified to 2023 and was the top recruit for ’24. The other is Emoni Bates (No. 52), who transferred to Eastern Michigan after a poor freshman season at Memphis. As Givony writes, both Jackson and Bates struggled with offensive efficiency, poor decision-making, and lackadaisical defense.
Twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson recently sat down for an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter video link). Both players are projected to go in the top 10 — in Givony’s mock, they’re selected back-to-back at Nos. 4 and 5.

Blazers Notes: Lillard, Offseason, Thybulle, Front Office

March 10th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

At 31-35, the Trail Blazers currently hold the 13th seed in the Western Conference, but star guard Damian Lillard remains bullish about the team’s chances of securing a playoff or play-in berth. Speaking to Chris Mannix of SI.com, Lillard pointed out that nine Western teams – including eight ahead of Portland the standings – have between 33 and 35 losses.

“So it looks like, ‘Oh, you know, trying to get a play-in spot,'” Lillard said. “But everybody’s playing each other and everybody’s in the same thing. We could end up fifth. In a perfect world, it’s possible. Right now, we just have to keep fighting and try to be one of those teams that comes out on the other side.”

While Lillard hasn’t given up hope on making some noise this spring, he recognizes that the coming offseason will be an important one for a Portland club that badly wants to take another step toward legitimate title contention.

If they miss the playoffs and the Knicks make it, the Blazers will control two first-round picks, including one in the lottery. Based on his comments to Mannix, it sounds like Lillard would like the front office to explore dangling those draft assets in a package for an impact player.

“That means we go into the offseason and we don’t come out the way we have in the past,” Lillard said of what he’d like to see this summer. “Where it’s like, ‘Oh, we’re going to try to do something,’ and then we watch other people capitalize on things that are out there, and we pass, pass, pass, pass and can’t get anything done and then it’s done. It’s like, ‘All right, well this is what we got going into the season with.’ And I think as far as execution, that means we go out there, we be aggressive and we try to actually get something done. Stepping out there and giving ourselves a chance to be one of those teams in the end.”

Here’s more on the Blazers:

While Matisse Thybulle remains fond of Philadelphia, he admitted ahead of his return on Friday that he fell victim to some “more fear-based play” when he was a member of the Sixers and has felt rejuvenated since joining the Trail Blazers a month ago. “It’s been such a warm, welcoming reception from top to bottom, front office to coaching staff to players, a genuine one at that,” Thybulle said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). “Like they are really happy to have me; teammates are excited to have my skill set on the floor with them. Coaches are excited to coach me. It’s been really nice to feel wanted in that capacity.”
In a separate story for The Inquirer, Pompey says that the Trail Blazers are considered likely to re-sign Thybulle when he becomes eligible for free agency this summer. “That’s the thought behind it,” Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said of trading for Thybulle at February’s deadline. “He’s the type of guy that we like, that’s going to compete on the defensive end and is going to play a selfless game on the offensive end. And he’s just a winning spirit.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN takes a look at the current and former WNBA stars who have roles in the Trail Blazers’ front office, including Tina Thompson, Asjha Jones, Sheri Sam, and Evina Westbrook. As Pelton writes, general manager Joe Cronin liked the idea of hiring WNBA players because many of them have diverse résumés as players, including time spent in overseas leagues during the WNBA offseasons.

2022/23 Disabled Player Exceptions Set To Expire

March 10th, 2023 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The disabled player exceptions that teams have been granted throughout the 2022/23 season will expire if they’re not used on Friday, since March 10 is the deadline to use or lose those exceptions.

As our breakdown shows, the Celtics, Pistons, Raptors, and Thunder each received a disabled player exception due to season-ending injuries suffered by Danilo Gallinari, Cade Cunningham, Otto Porter, and Chet Holmgren, respectively.

Of those four teams, only one has used its disabled player exception — the Thunder absorbed Maurice Harkless‘ expiring contract into their Holmgren DPE back in September. Boston, Detroit, and Toronto have yet to use their exceptions and appear unlikely to do so.

We go into more detail on how exactly disabled player exceptions work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE gives a team the opportunity to add an injury replacement by either signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.

Teams are no longer permitted to make trades this season, and there are currently no players on waivers. Theoretically, a disabled player exception could be used today to sign a free agent, but a player on the open market at this time of year typically commands no more than the minimum salary, and there has been no indication that the Celtics, Pistons, or Raptors have their eye on anyone.

Poll: Most Impactful Buyout Market Addition

March 10th, 2023 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

It was a busy February on the buyout market, with 10 different players giving up money as part of agreements to be released by their respective teams.

All 10 of those players have since found new homes, though one (Leandro Bolmaro) returned to Europe and one (Nerlens Noel) may have a new home only temporarily, since he’s still on a 10-day contract for now.

That leaves eight players who have signed rest-of-season contracts with potential contenders or playoff teams, and several of them have already claimed rotation roles with their new clubs.

Veteran point guard Reggie Jackson, for instance, has stepped into the role of second unit play-maker that Bones Hyland previously occupied with the Nuggets. In his first seven games with Denver, Jackson has struggled with his shot (.300/.324/.667) but is averaging 21.0 minutes per night and setting up his teammates (3.4 assists per game) while taking care of the ball reasonably well (1.1 turnovers per game).

Kevin Love, like Jackson, is once again playing regular minutes after being demoted from his role with his old team. And like Jackson, he has struggled to score efficiently so far, shooting just .396/.242/.875 in seven appearances (all starts; 22.1 MPG) for the Heat. Both Love and Jackson appear to have found good fits with their new teams, though they’ll need to boost their respective shooting percentages if they hope to keep playing 20-plus minutes per night.

Love isn’t the only buyout-market signee to immediately step into a starting role. Russell Westbrook has done the same with the Clippers and has become a major part of their rotation, averaging 30.4 minutes per game in his first seven contests. He’s still struggling with turnovers (4.1 per game) and hasn’t exactly been a defensive stopper, but has put up 14.1 PPG and 8.1 APG on 51.9% shooting.

While Terrence Ross and Justin Holiday weren’t brought into be difference-makers, they’ve played pretty well so far for the Suns and Mavericks, respectively. Ross is averaging 11.2 points in just 20.2 minutes per contest (five games) while making 39.3% of his 5.6 three-pointers per night; Holiday has made threes at the exact same clip (39.3% on 4.0 attempts per game) and has started two of his seven games with Dallas.

Patrick Beverley (Bulls), Will Barton (Raptors), and Goran Dragic (Bucks) are some of the other notable buyout market additions, but Beverley and Barton are on teams battling for play-in spots, and Dragic has yet to make his debut for his new team, so it remains to be seen how much impact they’ll be able to have.

Beverley, at least, is playing pretty big minutes in Chicago, starting all seven of his games so far and logging 28.0 MPG. And Dragic’s team appears well positioned to make a deep postseason run, so he should have plenty of time to get healthy and chip in. Barton hasn’t earned much of a role yet in Toronto, however.

Expectations are relatively low for players signed as free agents in February or March, so we shouldn’t count on any of these players to swing a playoff series — if they can be productive rotation players into the spring, that’ll constitute a win.

We want to know what you think. Which of this year’s buyout market additions will end up being the most impactful down the stretch and in the postseason?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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