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Central Notes: Cunningham, Nembhard, Beverley, Love

February 22nd, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has been sidelined since November 9 due to a leg injury and won’t return this season, but he has remained very involved on the sidelines and is evolving as a leader, even if he can’t actually take the court, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

“He’s using his voice more than ever, during games and talking before and after,” veteran Pistons guard Cory Joseph said. “Not only is he encouraging guys, but he’s also letting us know his thoughts, what he sees out there. It’s always different — and, of course, unfortunate — when you’re forced to take a step back and not play the game you love, but it is a different point of view. He’s keeping his mind engaged.”

“He’s the leader of this team, so anytime he has something to say, guys are all ears,” Pistons swingman Rodney McGruder said. “He brings us in all the time after huddles, before the game, talking on the bench, halftime. He’s pulling guys aside when he sees there’s a problem that needs to be fixed on the floor.”

As Edwards details, the Pistons’ coaching staff has made an effort to make sure that Cunningham feels connected to the team — his rehab and shooting work generally takes place right before or after practice, allowing the former No. 1 pick to observe his teammates’ work in those practice sessions. Despite his lost sophomore season, Cunningham is still considered the cornerstone of Detroit’s long-term future.

Here’s more from around the Central:

In a Q&A with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, rookie guard Andrew Nembhard admits he felt as if he was a first-round talent in last year’s draft class, but says he wasn’t upset to land with the Pacers at No. 31. “It was a perfect situation in Indiana I fell into,” Nembhard said. “I don’t really feel no ill way towards it.”
While it remains to be seen what sort of impact new Bulls guard Patrick Beverley will have on the court or in the standings, he should bring a much-needed spark to an “increasingly listless” team that’s in “dire need” of veteran leadership, contends Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Beverley officially signed with Chicago on Tuesday.
It’s unfortunate that Kevin Love‘s tenure with the Cavaliers ended so unceremoniously, following a series of DNP-CDs, writes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. As Lloyd details, the good far outweighed the bad during Love’s time with the franchise, and the five-time All-Star were always be revered in Cleveland for the role he played on the 2016 title team.

Suns Owner Ishbia: Durant Trade Involved “No Risk”

February 21st, 2023 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia believes the Kevin Durant blockbuster deal wasn’t risky at all, he told Chris Mannis of Sports Illustrated.

Ishbia made a big splash and acquired of one of the league’s biggest stars right after being approved by the league’s owners to take control of the franchise.

“I don’t look at it like a risk at all. I know what the vision is,” he said. “I’m going to own this team for 50 years, so like zero [risk]. I don’t need to come in and win in the first year. But at the same time, there’s nothing in my life that I don’t want to win at. We’re going to try to win everything we do.”

The fact that Durant is in the first season of a four-year extension played into the decision to make the deal with the Nets. The Suns gave up Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and several first-rounders in the deal, which turned into a four-team swap.

“It wasn’t a tough decision. We really didn’t want to give up some of the guys, because we love those guys,” Ishbia said. “They were winners and we didn’t want to give them up. But at the end of the day the right decision was, what do we do to maximize our team for today and for the next three to four years? This is going to be what the Phoenix Suns are about.”

Ishbia touched on a number of topics with Mannix:

Potential luxury tax penalties didn’t factor into the decision to make the trade. Ishbia is also unfazed by any future tax issues: “The financial piece was five seconds. They know I’m ready. That doesn’t bother me.”
Ishbia won’t meddle with GM James Jones and head coach Monty Williams in their jobs: “James will pick the best player. And that’s his job. I’m not calling Monty Williams to ask him why we played someone. That’s not my thing. I’ll watch the game like a fan and cheer the team on. That’s what my job is to do, is to be the biggest supporter, to give Monty Williams all the support he needs, to give James Jones all the support they need, to give the players all the support they need.”
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was the only owner who abstained from approving him as Phoenix’s owner. Gilbert and Ishbia both own major mortgage companies based in Michigan, but Ishbia says there’s no bad blood between them. “If I saw Dan today, we’d shake hands and say hello. We’re normal people. But we’re not giving each other advice and being friendly in the business side. I have no negativity towards him. He’s probably not one of the first owners I’ll call for advice on ticket sales or sponsorships, but I’m friendly to everybody. But I’m fine talking with him.”

Hornets RFA Miles Bridges Says He Might Return Next Month

February 21st, 2023 at 10:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Restricted free agent Miles Bridges could return to the Hornets next month, he told Larry Lage of The Associated Press.

“It’s been a long process,” Bridges said. “I might be back in March.”

Bridges was in attendance at Michigan State’s home game against Indiana on Tuesday night. Bridges played his college ball with the Spartans.

However, there’s still a strong possibility Bridges won’t suit up this season. He could face disciplinary action from the league, which is conducting an investigation into Bridges’ conduct.

He was arrested and charged with felony domestic abuse just days before he entered restricted free agency last summer. He was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of their two children.

Bridges ultimately worked out a plea deal with prosecutors in Los Angeles County, agreeing to plead no contest to one charge of felony domestic violence while two child abuse counts were dismissed. The 24-year-old avoided jail time by accepting three years of probation. He was ordered to attend a year’s worth of domestic violence counseling sessions and parenting classes in addition to completing 100 hours of community service.

The Hornets denied last month they were engaged in negotiations with Bridges. President of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said this month that the franchise will still awaiting the league’s decision.

“I don’t know when the investigation is going to end,” Kupchak said. “When the investigation ends, we will have more information and we’ll go from there.”

Bulls Waive Malcolm Hill, Sign Terry Taylor To Two-Way Deal

February 21st, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00pm: The Bulls have officially signed Taylor and waived Hill, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

3:38pm: The Bulls are making a change to one of their two-way contract slots, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who reports that forward Terry Taylor is getting a two-way deal from the team, while Malcolm Hill is being waived to make room for the newcomer.

Taylor, 23, was one of three players waived by the Pacers at this month’s trade deadline to accommodate the team’s new additions and has been a free agent since then.

After going undrafted out of Austin Peay in 2021, Taylor had a solid rookie season once he cracked Indiana’s rotation, averaging 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 61.4% from the field in 33 games (21.6 MPG). However, he didn’t played much in his second season, averaging just 8.8 minutes per night across 26 games in 2022/23.

One of Taylor’s best games as a rookie came against the Bulls — he racked up 21 points, 14 boards, and five assists against Chicago on February 4, 2022.

Hill finished last season on a two-way contract with the Bulls and re-signed with the team in September on a new two-way deal, but he hasn’t made an impact at the NBA level in 2022/23. The 6’6″ wing has logged nine minutes across five games this season, recording five points and three rebounds in his extremely limited action. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers.

Bulls Waive Tony Bradley

February 21st, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Luke Adams

9:51pm: The Bulls have officially waived Bradley, according to the NBA transactions log.

9:22am: The Bulls are expected to waive center Tony Bradley on Tuesday in order to open up a spot on their 15-man roster to sign Patrick Beverley, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Bradley signed a two-year contract with Chicago during the 2021 offseason and appeared in 55 games with the team last season, but hasn’t had a role for the Bulls in 2022/23. The big man has logged just 33 total minutes across 12 appearances, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 minutes during that time.

Assuming Bradley goes unclaimed on waivers, which seems like a safe bet, the Bulls will remain on the hook for the rest of his $2,036,318 salary — he’s still owed approximately $562K of that amount, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

There had been some speculation that the Bulls might release Goran Dragic in order to add Beverley, but it seems Dragic will stick around. The decision will result in a crowded point guard depth chart for the Bulls. Even with Lonzo Ball not expected to return this season, Chicago will still have Beverley, Dragic, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, and Coby White in the mix at that spot (though some of them can play the two as well).

As for Bradley, Woj notes (via Twitter) that there are still some teams in the market for a backup center, so it’s possible the 25-year-old will find a new NBA home in the coming days or weeks. He’ll be playoff-eligible for a new team, since he’s being released prior to March 1.

Patrick Beverley Signs With Bulls

February 21st, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 21: Beverley has officially signed a rest-of-season contract with the Bulls, according to the NBA transactions log.

The Bulls waived Tony Bradley to open up a roster spot for Beverley.

FEBRAURY 20: Point guard Patrick Beverley is expected to sign with the Bulls, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter).

The Bulls will have to open up a spot on their 15-man before adding Beverley.

Beverley was waived by the Magic on Feb. 12 after he was acquired in a trade with the Lakers. He had an expiring $13MM contract before working out a buyout arrangement with Orlando.

In 45 games for the Lakers, all starts, the 34-year-old posted averages of 6.4 PPG on .402/.348/.780, plus 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.

Chicago has been seeking point guard help and had been in touch with Beverley’s representatives. Lonzo Ball hasn’t played in 2022/23 and will likely not return until next season. Ayo Dosunmu, Goran Dragic, Coby White and Alex Caruso have taken turns at the point guard but none have taken a stronghold on the starting job.

The Bulls entered the All-Star break with a disappointing 26-33 record. However, they’re still just two games behind the Raptors for the final play-in spot.

It’ll be a homecoming for Beverley, who grew up in Chicago.

Heat Notes: Love, Zeller, Tax, Adebayo

February 21st, 2023 at 9:17pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, veteran center Cody Zeller received a minimum salary when he signed a rest-of-season contract with the Heat on Monday, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami’s other Monday addition, however, received a deal worth more than the minimum.

When the Heat signed forward Kevin Love, they gave him what was left of their bi-annual exception, according to Chiang (Twitter link). The team hadn’t used any of its $4.1MM bi-annual exception so far in 2022/23, but the exception’s value has been declining daily since January 10, so it had dropped to about $3.1MM by the time Love signed.

That $3.1MM more than makes up for the money Love gave up in his buyout agreement with the Cavaliers, which was $1.5MM, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Interestingly, the Heat also had about $3MM left on their mid-level exception, but chose to preserve that exception and use the bi-annual instead. That means they won’t be able to use the BAE in 2023/24, since it can only be used once every other season. However, Miami projects to be a taxpayer next year, and the BAE isn’t available to teams over the tax apron, which is likely why the team was comfortable using it now.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Although they expect to be in the tax next season, the Heat made it a priority to avoid the tax this year to avoid starting the clock on the repeater penalties, according to Chiang, who notes that team salary is about $1.2MM below the tax line following the additions of Love and Zeller.
An NBA scout who spoke to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel doesn’t expect Love or Zeller to be a difference-maker for the Heat, but likes the veteran depth they’ll provide the team. “Neither guy might be any good. Or both of them might be good,” the scout said. “I think they were smart moves on their part. On paper, they plug up areas of need.”
In another story for The Miami Herald, Chiang explores Bam Adebayo‘s growth as a team leader, noting that Udonis Haslem has said the All-Star big man’s vocal leadership is “getting more and more organic, and he’s getting comfortable doing it.” Haslem has long been the veteran voice in the Heat’s locker room, but wants to ultimately pass that torch to a franchise cornerstone like Adebayo. “The more he does that, the less I have to do and that’s the goal,” Haslem said. “To get him into that leadership role and to be able to lead with his words, but also by example and even lift the level of play of everybody around you, which he has the ability to do. That’s just a powerful thing.”

Community Shootaround: All-Star Game

February 21st, 2023 at 7:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s usually a lot of excitement surrounding All-Star weekend, but the All-Star Game itself has turned into a joke for many fans, with no one particularly interested in playing any defense and hustling up and down the court being optional.

Since 2014, no losing team has failed to score fewer than 150 points. This year’s contest in Utah took it to new levels of absurdity, as both sides would have scored over 200 points if the “target score” rule wasn’t used in the fourth quarter. Nuggets coach Michael Malone called it the “worst basketball game ever played.”

It wasn’t always that way, In 2005 and 2006, the final scores were 125-115 and 122-120. That would be a typical score now for a regular season game.

The NFL finally gave up on the concept of having a Pro Bowl game this year, opting for a flag football extravaganza. Major League Baseball tried to make its annual All-Star Game more meaningful a few years back by awarding the winning league home field advantage in the World Series.

Is it time for the NBA to make its All-Star more meaningful, or at least make it less like a Harlem Globetrotters-style offensive exhibition?

The league did make a major change in 2018, appointing team captains and scrapping the East vs. West conference showdowns. The teams are now chosen by the captains. This year, the league added a little twist, having the captains choose the squads on game night.

It’s up to interpretation whether that format has been more successful, or simply more confusing for fans to choose a side. It’s safe to say no one really cares which team ends up winning.

Erasing the game altogether would probably not fly. Host cities have a lot invested in the game but it would be nice to find some middle ground between the game being a shameless exhibition and a hard-fought contest.

That brings us to today’s topic: Do you like having captains choose the All-Star teams or would you prefer to revert back to the East vs. West matchup? In what ways would you propose to improve the quality of the All-Star Game and make it more meaningful?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Clippers Sign Keaton Wallace To Two-Way Contract

February 21st, 2023 at 7:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:16pm: The signing is official, the team’s PR department announced.

6:33pm: The Clippers are signing Keaton Wallace to a two-way contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Wallace, a guard, has been playing for the Clippers’ G League team in Ontario. Los Angeles cleared a roster spot by waiving Nate Darling, who was signed to a two-way contract on Friday.

In 18 starts with Ontario, Wallace is averaging 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 32.0 minutes per game.

Wallace, 23, played college ball with Texas-San Antonio and averaged 16.6 points in 125 career games with the Roadrunners. He went undrafted in 2021 and also played for the Clippers’ G League franchise last season.

He was signed by the Clippers to an Exhibit 10 contract in September and waived in the same month.

Hawks Dismiss Head Coach Nate McMillan

February 21st, 2023 at 5:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:01pm: The Hawks have issued a press release, confirming McMillan’s dismissal as well as Prunty’s promotion to interim head coach.

“I would like to thank Nate for his leadership and professionalism during his time with the Hawks. He is truly a class act, and we appreciate the graciousness and work ethic he brought with him every day,” Hawks GM Landry Fields said. “Decisions like these, especially in-season, are always extremely difficult, but we believe it’s in the best interest of our team to move forward with another voice leading the way.”

4:24pm: The Hawks have fired head coach Nate McMillan, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Atlanta is one of the league’s most disappointing teams. The Hawks currently rank eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 29-30 record.

Assistant Joe Prunty will be the interim coach, but the franchise is looking at some bigger names to become the permanent head coach, according to Wojnarowski.

Former Jazz coach Quin Snyder tops the list of candidates with Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson also on the Hawks’ radar (Twitter links). The team will conduct a wide-ranging search, which will begin immediately.

The Hawks have one of the league’s top point guards in Trae Young and made a blockbuster trade to acquire Dejounte Murray from San Antonio as his backcourt partner. Yet, they have floundered around the .500 mark for much of the season.

McMillan was named the club’s interim coach in March 2021 in place of Lloyd Pierce. Atlanta made a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals, prompting the Hawks to remove the interim tag and give him a four-year contract in July 2021.

The Hawks finished the regular season at 43-39 and lost in the first round of the playoffs last spring. A report surfaced last month that stated McMillan was unlikely to remain the head coach beyond this season.

Young has had disagreements with McMillan, although their relationship has reportedly been smoother since an incident that was highly publicized in early December. McMillan had reportedly considered resigning this season, but team officials were able to talk him out of it.

Prunty was the Bucks’ interim head coach during the 2017/18 season and finished with a 21-16 record. Milwaukee lost to Boston in the opening round of the playoffs that season.

Prunty has been an assistant on eight NBA teams. He spent a season with Phoenix and wasn’t in the league for two years before joining the Atlanta staff prior to last season.