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Sixers Notes: Harden, Harris, Tucker, Dedmon, Niang

March 5th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

To be serious title contenders, the Sixers will need the version of James Harden that they got Saturday night, writes Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. Facing one of the league’s best defenses, Harden turned in a performance reminiscent of his MVP days in Houston. He had 38 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists and led a fourth-quarter comeback as Philadelphia snapped the Bucks’ 16-game winning streak.

“That’s what I do, man,” Harden said. “I’m just very comfortable in those situations whether it’s playmaking, whether it’s scoring. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”

Harden has been in the news this week for his upcoming free agency and persistent rumors that he will strongly consider a return to the Rockets. Hofmann states that Harden has been playing at an All-Star level throughout the season and his immediate focus is helping Philadelphia get by the other top teams in the East.

There’s more on the Sixers:

The team has two injury concerns coming out of Saturday’s game, Hofmann adds. Tobias Harris didn’t finish the game because of tightness in his left calf, while P.J. Tucker suffered back spasms and was moving gingerly in the locker room, according to Hofmann.
Even though he didn’t play, Dewayne Dedmon was in uniform on Saturday night, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The veteran center signed with the Sixers on February 14 after agreeing to a buyout with the Spurs following a trade from the Heat. Dedmon is ready for a fresh start after the way his time in Miami ended, but hip soreness has delayed his debut with the Sixers. “At the end of the day, it’s not about motivation,” Dedmon said. “I got mental clarity. For myself, that’s the biggest thing that I need moving forward in my life and my career. I need mental clarity and stability. For me to get traded from there was my mental clarity and my stability.”
Georges Niang has seen his playing time reduced recently because of a shooting slump, but he drained 5-of-6 shots from beyond the arc Saturday. Before the game, he told Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the best cure for a slump is to keep shooting. “I just got to get out there and let it fly,” Niang said. “I don’t know how many games it is now, but I’ve had the feeling of getting out there and being like, ‘Oh, I want to get my elbow tucked. I want to do this.’ But I’ve been shooting my whole life. I’ve just got to go out there and let it rip.”

Pacific Notes: Durant Vs. Irving, Clippers, Huerter, Russell

March 4th, 2023 at 11:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant is downplaying Sunday’s matchup against Kyrie Irving, calling it “just another game,” writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. The former teammates shocked the league when they signed with the Nets as free agents in 2019. They went through nearly four tumultuous seasons before both requesting trades last month, with Durant going to the Suns and Irving being sent to the Mavericks.

“I understand the entertainment aspect and a lot of people on the outside got the game circled on their calendar, but for both teams, just regularly scheduled programming,” Durant said. “Getting back to work and seeing how you can get better as a unit.”

Sunday’s game will be just the third for Durant with Phoenix, which has posted two comfortable wins since he returned from an MCL sprain. Irving is a little more established in Dallas, and he’s excited about facing Durant for the first time since their partnership dissolved.

“I’m looking forward to it — playing against the Suns, playing against the new-look Suns with KD,” Irving said. “I think it’ll be an exciting time just for us to compete again with each other. He’s my brother for life, but when we’re stepping out there, I’m looking forward to the competition, friendly competition.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is trying to stave off any panic after watching his team fall to .500 with five straight losses, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. L.A. is suddenly in the midst of a tight race just to make the playoffs, but Lue believes the team is close to putting things together. “The losses hurt, but we have played some good basketball in stretches and we’ve played against some good teams as well,” Lue said. “So (my job) is to challenge us to see where we are at after acquiring our new pieces through trades (who came in) not knowing what we want to do offensively and defensively. I thought our new guys have done a good job. (I need to) just try to get those guys up to speed and keep doing the good things we have been doing.”
Kevin Huerter wasn’t around for any of the Kings‘ darkest days, but he’s thrilled to be part of the group that’s about to break a 16-year playoff drought, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Acquired from the Hawks last summer, Huerter is impressed by the passion he’s witnessed from Kings fans. “I haven’t seen the lows that this city has gone through, so for me it’s great,” he said. “There’s so much excitement around the city. It feels like everybody here is following us. You can’t go in public without everybody saying they’re seeing the Kings.”
D’Angelo Russell was hoping to return from a sprained right ankle on Sunday, but the Lakers have already ruled him out, tweets Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Russell, who has played in just four games since being acquired at the trade deadline, was able to scrimmage this week.

Goran Dragic Signs With Bucks

March 4th, 2023 at 11:03pm CST by Luke Adams

11:03pm: The signing is official, the Bucks announced in a press release.

12:14pm: Free agent guard Goran Dragic is meeting with the Bucks in Milwaukee this afternoon and intends to sign with the team for the rest of the season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski first reported on Thursday that the Bucks were the frontrunners to sign Dragic, and it seems no rival suitors have jumped the line since then. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Dragic would have welcomed an offer from the Heat, but Miami isn’t in the market for another point guard.

Dragic, who will turn 37 in May, began this season on a minimum-salary contract with Chicago and was part of the Bulls’ rotation at point guard. However, while he appeared in 51 games, Dragic was only averaging 15.4 minutes per night, his lowest mark since he was a rookie in 2008/09. After the Bulls added Patrick Beverley on the buyout market, Dragic was the odd man out, resulting in his release.

Dragic is no longer the player he was in 2017, when he averaged 20+ points per game, or 2018, when he earned his lone career All-Star berth, but he was somewhat productive in Chicago this season, averaging 6.4 PPG and 2.7 APG on .425/.352/.659 shooting.

He’ll join a Bucks team that starts Jrue Holiday at the point, with Jevon Carter backing him up. As long as Milwaukee is healthy, it seems unlikely that Dragic will have much of a role, especially once the playoffs begin. But he’ll provide some reliable veteran depth at a position that wasn’t especially deep for the Bucks.

If Dragic signs his minimum-salary contract on Saturday, he’ll earn $617,911 the rest of the way, with the Bucks taking on a $390,433 cap charge. Even after re-signing Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract, Milwaukee has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary.

Celtics Notes: Horford, G. Williams, Mazzulla, R. Williams

March 4th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Al Horford seemed to accept a deal below his market value when he agreed to a two-year, $20MM extension with the Celtics in December, but an unidentified league executive tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy that Horford’s decision was likely driven by market realities as well as his loyalty to Boston. Although Horford remains productive, he’ll turn 37 this summer. Most of the teams with cap room are rebuilding and won’t be looking for older players.

“Look at Boston. This is a perfect situation — for both sides,” the executive said. “Al’s a really important part of what they do. But if they didn’t already have him — if he was a free agent last summer — they wouldn’t have been able to spend big money on him. But it’s clear he wanted to stay there now, and this deal is good for him, too. He didn’t break the bank, but after all that he’s made in his career, that probably wasn’t that important to him. He gets good money to be where he really wants to be. There’s a value in that. And by signing for two more years now, it also covers him in the event of an injury that either stops him from playing or makes him a lot less effective.”

Horford was a fixture in Boston for three years before accepting a big-money offer from the Sixers in 2019. Earlier this season, Horford told Bulpett that the disruptive atmosphere Kyrie Irving brought to the Celtics played a role in his decision to move on.

“I just think that if Kyrie would have stayed, I don’t know if it would have worked,” Horford said. “There would have had to be some major changes as far as players, because it was just clear that the group that we had just wasn’t going to be able to coexist.”

There’s more from Boston:

Grant Williams logged 18 minutes Friday night after not playing at all on Wednesday. A prolonged shooting slump from beyond the arc and the addition of Mike Muscala at the trade deadline have cut into playing time for Williams, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, notes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “He knows what he brings to this team and the type of player he is,” Jaylen Brown said of Williams. “He’s been able to carve value out in this league, so a couple games here and there based upon whatever the coaching staff thinks doesn’t mean any more or less.”
Joe Mazzulla has done an admirable coaching job, but there were red flags as a 28-point lead disappeared in Friday’s loss to the Nets, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Mazzulla was reluctant to match up when Brooklyn used smaller lineups and his bench remains disorganized beyond Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon, Robb observes.
Robert Williams has been ruled out for Sunday after leaving Friday’s game with tightness in his left hamstring, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Latest On Ja Morant

March 4th, 2023 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has deactivated his Twitter and Instagram pages following an incident late Friday night that led to his decision to “take some time away” from the team, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Morant created a firestorm around the NBA when he posted an Instagram Live video (Twitter link) to his personal account around 4:19 a.m., roughly four hours after the end of Friday’s game in Denver. The video, which appeared to show Morant displaying a gun at a strip club, has sparked an investigation by the league.

Cole points out that Morant is typically active on social media and uses both platforms to post personal messages and promote his business interests. Morant recently became Powerade’s first athletic partnership in more than five years and he has a Nike Ja 1 sneaker that’s set to be released in April.

There’s more on the Morant situation:

Morant finally crossed a line that the Grizzlies couldn’t ignore, observes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Mannix states that the team had been “wishy washy” in its response when Morant was allegedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party in January and when he reportedly punched a teen during a pickup game at his house last July. Mannix adds that the Grizzlies are dealing with Morant like a small-market team that’s afraid of alienating its star.
Morant needs to take control of the people he surrounds himself with and the places he goes, ABC’s Jalen Rose said on tonight’s “NBA Countdown” (video link). “I’m glad in his statement that he owned that I need to make changes for me,” Rose said, “because as the leader, as the breadwinner, you control the environment. The people that are around you, you select.”
DeMarcus Cousins, who has been hoping to get signed by an NBA team all season, calls Morant and the Grizzlies an example of what can go wrong without veteran leadership. “Hope this shows the importance of REAL VETS in the locker room,” Cousins tweeted. “No young team should be without multiple veterans on the roster.”
Nike is standing by Morant amid the controversy, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The company released a statement that reads, “We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being.”

Erik Spoelstra Won’t Commit To Kyle Lowry’s Return

March 4th, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Meeting with reporters before Saturday’s game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra refused to say whether he expects Kyle Lowry to play again before the end of the regular season, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Spoelstra added that Lowry continues to make progress with the soreness in his left knee that has now caused him to miss 12 consecutive games. The 36-year-old point guard was able to practice with the team last weekend, but he hasn’t played since February 2.

Lowry, who’s appeared in 44 games this season, has experienced a sharp decline in his production since signing with Miami two years ago. In 107 total games with the Heat, the six-time All-Star is averaging just 12.8 points and 6.6 assists per night and he’s in the midst of the worst shooting season of his 17-year career, hitting 39.6% from the field and 33.3% on three-pointers.

Lowry still has one season left on the three-year, $85MM contract he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2021. He’ll make $29.68MM next season before reaching free agency again in 2024.

Miami reportedly explored the trade market for Lowry before last month’s deadline, but found little to no interest because of his age, contract and injury woes. The Heat may try again to find a taker this summer in the hopes of getting Lowry’s salary removed from next season’s cap.

Hornets Notes: Smith, McGowens, Hayward, Washington

March 4th, 2023 at 6:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets‘ offense was clicking before LaMelo Ball‘s ankle injury on Monday, but now coach Steve Clifford needs to find a new approach for the rest of the season, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The team scored just 91 points Wednesday as its five-game winning streak was snapped, marking just the fourth time since December that it failed to reach 100.

“It’s important that we understand that once you have a way to play, you’ve got to commit to that,” Clifford said after Wednesday’s loss. “From now to the end of the year, we’re not going to be scoring 135 a night anymore. We’ll play a lot better than this offensively, but we’re going to have to defend, rebound and be low turnover every night.”

Terry Rozier has taken over for Ball as the starting point guard in the two games since the injury, with Kelly Oubre sliding into the backcourt as his partner. The first guard off the bench has been Dennis Smith Jr., who has shown a notable improvement on defense since signing with the Hornets last offseason.

“I was out of the league because I got waived because (of injury and) I couldn’t play for the rest of the season, and going into the summer I didn’t have a deal or anything in place,” Smith said. “So everybody was like, ‘Oh, he can’t play, he’s not an NBA player.’ This, that and the third. It didn’t really mean much to me when they saying that because I know who I am. But to be able to come in and prove the people that believe in me right, I think that means a lot.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

Rookie guard Bryce McGowens had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal this week, but his play of late hasn’t matched his promotion, Boone writes in another Observer article. McGowens opted for extra practice time after Friday’s game, in which he misfired badly on two of his three shot attempts. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s the rookie wall,” McGowens said. “I would say it’s just getting back to the basics and the stretch that I had in midseason, just getting back to that, staying confident. I feel like these past couple of games it wasn’t there and I feel that.”
In a recent appearance on the Hornets Nest podcast, Gordon Hayward characterized his time with the franchise as “unlucky.” He notes that Charlotte has been plagued by numerous injuries since he was traded there in 2020.
P.J. Washington is listed as probable for Sunday after missing the last four games with a foot injury, Boone tweets.

Suns To Hire Josh Bartelstein As CEO

March 4th, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons executive Josh Bartelstein will become the next CEO in Phoenix, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Sources tell Wojnarowski that new Suns owner Mat Ishbia targeted Bartelstein as someone he could work closely with to help rebuild the organization’s image after the scandals surrounding former owner Robert Sarver. Woj adds that Ishbia and Bartelstein will operate jointly to oversee both the business and basketball divisions of the team.

James Jones will retain his positions as president of basketball operations and general manager and will report directly to Ishbia, according to Wojnarowski’s sources.

Bartelstein will replace former CEO Jason Rowley, who was alleged by several team employees to have been part of the atmosphere of verbal abuse and intimidation that resulted in Sarver’s one-year suspension and led to his decision to sell the team.

The 33-year-old Bartelstein spent seven years in Detroit and was promoted to assistant general manager in September. Wojnarowski notes that he was involved in several high-profile projects during that time, including the Pistons’ move to a downtown arena.

Wojnarowski also points out that Bartelstein was a walk-on player in college, just like Ishbia, and served as a team captain at Michigan during the 2012/13 season. His father is Mark Bartelstein, CEO of Priority Sports and Entertainment and one of the NBA’s most powerful agents.

Nuggets’ Zeke Nnaji Out At Least Two More Weeks

March 4th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji will remain sidelined due to a right shoulder sprain until at least mid-March. The team announced today (via Twitter) that Nnaji will have the injury reevaluated in two weeks.

Nnaji wasn’t a regular part of Denver’s rotation early in the season, but had started to play a little more often in the weeks leading up to his injury, which has kept him on the shelf since February 5. For the season, the 22-year-old has appeared in 44 games, averaging 5.1 points and 2.3 rebounds on .572/.289/.667 shooting in 13.3 minutes per night.

It’s unclear what sort of role Nnaji will have if and when he’s ready to return. Vlatko Cancar and Jeff Green are among the Nuggets forwards who have played increased roles in his absence. Denver also acquired center Thomas Bryant a few days after Nnaji went down, so there may no longer be a path to some of the minutes he was getting as a small-ball five.

Nnaji is in the third year of his rookie contract and will become extension-eligible for the first time this offseason. If he doesn’t get a new deal later this year, he’d be on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

Grizzlies Say Ja Morant Will Be Away From Team For At Least Two Games

March 4th, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

3:31pm: Morant has issued the following statement, via his agency Tandem Sports + Entertainment (Twitter link):

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis, and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with my stress and my overall well-being.”

1:05pm: The Grizzlies have announced in a brief press statement that star guard Ja Morant will be away from the team for at least the next two games (Twitter link). He’ll miss Sunday’s contest against the Clippers and Tuesday’s vs. the Lakers.

The Grizzlies haven’t said that Morant is suspended and didn’t offer any specific explanation for his absence. However, their statement comes shortly after the NBA announced it was investigating an Instagram Live video that appeared to show the All-Star guard flashing a gun at a strip club. It seems pretty safe to assume there’s a correlation between that news and this update.

As we outlined in our previous story, Morant has allegedly been involved in a handful of off-court incidents during the last year, with Friday’s video representing the latest.

Morant got into an altercation with a 17-year-old during a pickup game at his house last July and punched the teen several times, claiming later that it was in self-defense. He was also accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game, resulting in some of his associates being banned from the Grizzlies’ home arena.

The 17-year-old from the pickup game told police that Morant went into his house and reemerged with a gun visible in his waistband during their dispute, a claim that the Grizzlies guard’s lawyer and agent have vigorously disputed.

Members of the Pacers’ traveling party, meanwhile, alleged that someone in a slow-moving SUV (in which Morant was riding) trained a red laser on them during that January incident, with some individuals believing that laser was attached to a gun.

Even if both of those allegations were false, Morant had found himself under a harsher spotlight as of late and displayed extremely poor judgment when he brandished a gun on Friday night’s live stream.

Typically, when the league and/or a team is investigating an off-court incident, they’ll work in tandem to determine a appropriate response. It’s unclear in this case whether the NBA will defer to the Grizzlies to handle the matter or whether Morant is simply getting a leave of absence as the league continues to look into Friday’s social media video. I’d assume the latter.