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Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Tournament, TPE, Queta

November 4th, 2023 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are the NBA’s only unbeaten team and Kristaps Porzingis believes they’re just scratching the surface of how good they can become, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Boston underwent major roster changes during the offseason, but the adjustment has gone smoothly with several dominant performances on the way to a 4-0 start.

Himmelsbach notes that the new Big Three of Porzingis, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have outscored opponents by 33.2 points per 100 possessions in the 86 minutes they’ve been on the court together. They’ve also shown a willingness to be unselfish and let whoever has the hot hand on a given night take the most shots.

“We’re still building chemistry,” Porzingis said. “Even though we have some glimpses of really good plays and passes, we’re still building chemistry. I’m still catching up on the little nuances and little things that JT likes to do, that JB likes to do, and just still, like, figuring each other out, you know? It might look like it’s already really good because we’re just beating these teams easily, but it’s going to get much, much better.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • Porzingis had plenty of experience with tournaments while growing up in Europe, and he believes the NBA’s new in-season tourney will eventually catch on with fans and players, Himmelsbach adds. “Although I know a lot of people are a little bit skeptical, I think it’s going to be a huge success and I look forward to hopefully winning it,” Porzingis said. Tournament play began throughout the league last night, but the Celtics won’t play their first round robin game until Friday at Brooklyn.
  • Grizzlies center Xavier Tillman could be a name to watch if the Celtics decide to use the $6.2MM traded player exception they generated in the Grant Williams deal, Brian Robb of MassLive suggests in a mailbag column. Tillman has a $1.93MM expiring contract and Memphis may decide to move him if the team can’t overcome its 0-6 start. Robb mentions Thunder forward Kenrich Williams, Pacers center Jalen Smith and Raptors center Precious Achiuwa as other possibilities who would fit into that TPE.
  • Neemias Queta will miss his third straight game tonight due to injury management for his right foot, per Souichi Terada of MassLive, but coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters it’s mostly a precautionary measure. Terada points out that Boston’s schedule has been light so far, and there will be a greater need for the two-way center once games start to stack up.
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Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr. Breaks Bone In Hand

November 4th, 2023 at 5:57pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 4: Carter will undergo surgery on his left hand and will be reevaluated in about three weeks, the Magic announced (via Twitter).

NOVEMBER 3: An injury to center Wendell Carter Jr. marred an otherwise encouraging road win in Utah for the Magic on Thursday night. According to the team (Twitter link), Carter broke the third metacarpal in his left hand during a fall in the final seconds of the victory while he was fighting for a rebound.

The Magic have yet to provide a recovery timeline for Carter, but it seems safe to assume the injury will cause him to miss time. As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel notes, the Cleveland Clinic states that most people who sustain a metacarpal fracture require the hand to be immobilized for at least three weeks. Surgery is sometimes necessary to repair the fracture.

Carter had been the Magic’s starting center for the first five games this season, averaging 9.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per night. He was off to a cold start as a shooter (.378/.313/.571), but is a key piece in Orlando’s frontcourt and will be missed during his absence.

Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze are behind Carter on the depth chart at center and could play increased roles until Carter is ready to return.

The Magic issued two more injury updates on Thursday night, announcing (via Twitter) that Markelle Fultz missed Thursday’s game due to swelling in his left knee, while Gary Harris suffered a strained right groin in Utah. Both players will be reevaluated upon returning to Orlando, per the club.

As with Carter, there’s no clarity yet on when Fultz or Harris will be healthy enough to play, but it appears the Magic’s depth will be tested early on this season. The team is off to a 3-2 start.

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Heat Notes: Highsmith, Herro, Love, Vincent

November 4th, 2023 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Haywood Highsmith made his first start of the season Friday night as coach Erik Spoelstra continues to experiment with forwards to fit alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in the Heat’s frontcourt, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson notes that Highsmith is the fifth player to fill that role in Miami’s last 11 meaningful games, with Kevin Love, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez also getting opportunities as starters.

Highsmith scored 10 points and stood out defensively on Friday as the Heat outscored the Wizards by 10 points in his 22 minutes on the court. He told Jackson that he’s determined to become a rotation player in his third season with Miami.

“Now that I’m here, I’m here to stay and trying to be an NBA player for a long, long time,” Highsmith said. “Trying to get more minutes and create a role for myself in this league and putting everyone on notice that I’m here to stay.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • Tyler Herro has shown improvement on defense this season, Jackson adds. In four games guarding Mikal Bridges, Cade Cunningham, Jordan Poole and Cam Thomas, Herro has held them to a combined 8-of-22 from the field. “I’m not a bad defender,” Herro said. “I’m trying to tell you guys that. If you watch the game, I’m decent. I am getting better. I was our best defender at Kentucky. … I have speed and quickness. I can read plays before they happen.”
  • Love didn’t play at all Friday, but his role on the team won’t diminish, Jackson states in a separate story. Spoelstra indicated to reporters that the lineup change may be temporary and emphasized that he wasn’t blaming Love for the team’s 1-4 start. “I hated having to make that move because Kevin brings so much from a connection and spirit and leadership standpoint,” Spoelstra said. “This is just a move for now. K-Love is going to have a role for us. It’s just for right now, just to stabilize, a move I felt was best for the time being. And we’ll see what happens. I will continue to evaluate until we get our game to whatever we need to get it to.”
  • Gabe Vincent expected to re-sign with the Heat after last season’s run to the NBA Finals, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. However, the three-year, $33MM offer he received from the Lakers was too good to turn down. “I had an opportunity to perform the way I did in the playoffs, and I think that changed drastically what my offseason looked like,” Vincent said.
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Eric Bledsoe Re-Signs With Shanghai Sharks

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

Longtime NBA guard Eric Bledsoe is heading back overseas, having re-signed with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to the team (link via Dario Skerletic of Sportando).

Bledsoe played for the Sharks last season after spending 12 years in the NBA and appearing in more than 800 career regular season and playoff games for the Clippers, Suns, Bucks, and Pelicans.

Known for his athleticism and perimeter defense, Bledsoe averaged 13.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 756 regular season games (27.8 MPG) as an NBA player, with a shooting line of .452/.336/.784. He last played in the NBA in 2021/22, starting 29 of 54 games for the Clippers and recording 9.9 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 3.4 RPG in 25.2 MPG.

In Shanghai last season, Bledsoe put up 17.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 5.8 RPG on .435/.332/.714 shooting in 29 games (22.6 MPG).

The 33-year-old’s season came to an unusual end when the Sharks were disqualified from the CBA postseason amid match-fixing allegations. Bledsoe, who was serving a suspension during the games in question, distanced himself from the allegations and apparently feels comfortable rejoining the team for the 2023/24 season.

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NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

November 4th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters. The Grizzlies have been granted an extra roster spot after moving Ja Morant to the suspended list, so let’s call it 541.

Of those 541 potential roster spots, 527 are currently occupied, leaving just 14 open roster spots around the NBA. Four of those open roster spots belong to two teams, while 10 other clubs have one opening apiece.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s the full breakdown:

Two open standard roster spots

  • Golden State Warriors
  • Los Angeles Clippers

As we’ve previously discussed, teams can only carry two open spots on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time, so the Warriors and Clippers will each have to add a 14th man soon.

That deadline is coming up very soon for the Warriors, who have had two open roster spots since the start of the season on October 24. The Clippers, who just dipped to 13 players following their two trades on Thursday, will have a little more time to decide on their next roster move.

I wouldn’t expect either team to be in any rush to add a 15th man, since both clubs are well above the luxury tax line.

One open standard roster spot

  • Boston Celtics
  • Chicago Bulls
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Miami Heat
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Portland Trail Blazers

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Lakers, Heat, and Pelicans are all over the tax line, while the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves don’t have much breathing room below it. Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but they’ll be in no rush to do so yet.

The Pistons are well below the tax, however, while the Trail Blazers have more than enough flexibility to sign a 15th man without getting too close to tax territory. Both teams should be on the lookout for players who would make good candidates to fill those openings.

One open two-way roster spot

  • Phoenix Suns

It’s no coincidence that Phoenix, the only NBA team without a G League affiliate of its own, is also the only club carrying just a pair of two-way players instead of three.

With no NBAGL team where they can send players for developmental purposes, the Suns will be less motivated to carry a full complement of two-way players, since it’s unlikely they’ll need three of them to regularly contribute at the NBA level unless their standard roster is beset by injuries.

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Poll: Will The Grizzlies Make The Playoffs?

November 4th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2023/24 NBA campaign tipped off on October 24, making this the 12th day of the 177-day regular season. It’s early, in other words, so teams falling short of their expectations during the season’s first couple weeks shouldn’t be reaching for the panic button quite yet.

Still, the Western Conference is expected to be extremely competitive this season — when we ran our over/under polls on teams’ win totals in the weeks leading up to opening night, the benchmark for 11 of the 15 teams in the West was 44.5 or more victories. Only six Western teams will qualify for the playoffs outright and only four more will make the play-in tournament, which means one of those 11 clubs with high expectations for 2023/24 will be left on the outside looking in, not even a play-in team.

The margin for error in the West is thin, which doesn’t bode well for the Grizzlies, the NBA’s lone remaining winless team.

We knew Memphis might be in some trouble entering the season, with a few key players expected to be unavailable for a significant portion of the year. All-Star guard Ja Morant is serving a 25-game suspension, starting center Steven Adams is out for the season with a knee injury, and key frontcourt reserve Brandon Clarke is still on his way back from a torn Achilles.

Still, we didn’t expect the Grizzlies to begin the season 0-6, with losses to potential lottery-bound teams like Washington, Utah, and Portland. Again, it’s early, but Memphis is digging an early-season hole that might be tricky to climb out of.

In addition to being without Morant, the Grizzlies can no longer rely on steady backup point guard Tyus Jones, who was traded in the offseason, and newcomers Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose have been shaky so far. Jones has been the NBA’s perennial leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, but without him and Morant, the Grizzlies rank 26th in that category in the early going and have had trouble generating much offense at all — the club’s 102.9 offensive rating ranks dead last in the NBA.

Adams obviously isn’t the scorer or play-maker that Morant is, but his absence in the frontcourt has been just as deeply felt as Morant’s in the backcourt. Before Adams went down with his knee injury last season, the Grizzlies ranked second in the league in rebounding percentage and offensive rebounding percentage, with Adams leading that effort. However, they were 25th and 22nd in those categories the rest of last season, and are in the bottom half of the league’s rebounders again this fall.

The good news for the Grizzlies is that their stars – Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson – have looked great, and there’s no reason not to expect the same from Morant when he returns in December. But Memphis isn’t getting much from its role players, and the team needs to at least tread water until Morant is back in order to stay in the playoff hunt.

We want to know what you think. After winning over 50 games in each of the past two regular season, are the Grizzlies just off to a slow start this season? Will they turn things around and end up having a strong year? Or is this slow start a harbinger of things to come? Will the Grizzlies end up being the odd man out of the postseason from that group of 11 Western teams with playoff expectations?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts on the Grizzlies.

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2023/24 In-Season NBA Trades

November 4th, 2023 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

As we did with 2023’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2022/23, we’ll be keeping track of all the NBA trades completed this season, updating this article with each transaction. This post can be found anytime throughout the season on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”

Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been dealt multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. Trades listed in italics have been agreed upon but are not yet official. For more details on each trade, click the date above it.

For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.

Here’s the full list of the trades completed during the 2023/24 NBA season:

February 8

February 8

February 8

  • Trail Blazers acquire Dalano Banton and cash ($3MM).
  • Celtics acquire either the Trail Blazers’ or Pelicans’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-55 protected).

February 8

  • Celtics acquire Jaden Springer.
  • Sixers acquire either the Bulls’ or the Pelicans’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

February 8

  • Clippers acquire the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate.
  • Nuggets acquire cash ($2,686,253).

February 8

February 8

February 8

  • Suns acquire Royce O’Neale and David Roddy.
  • Nets acquire Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin, either the Pistons’, Bucks,’ or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Suns), the Grizzlies’ 2028 second-round pick (from Suns), the Grizzlies’ 2029 second-round pick (from Suns), and the draft rights to Vanja Marinkovic (from Grizzlies).
  • Grizzlies acquire Yuta Watanabe, Chimezie Metu, and the right to swap their own 2026 first-round pick for either the Suns’, Magic’s, or Wizards’ 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).

February 8

  • Mavericks acquire Daniel Gafford.
  • Wizards acquire Richaun Holmes and either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is second-least favorable).

February 8

  • Mavericks acquire P.J. Washington, the Celtics’ 2024 second-round pick, and either the Hornets’ or Clippers’ 2028 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Hornets acquire Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and the Mavericks’ 2027 first-round pick (top-two protected).

February 8

  • Sixers acquire Buddy Hield.
  • Pacers acquire Doug McDermott, Furkan Korkmaz, the Raptors’ 2024 second-round pick, the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick, and cash ($1.18MM; from Sixers).
  • Spurs acquire Marcus Morris, the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick, and cash (from Sixers).
  • Note: The 2024 second-rounder technically has “most favorable” language, but there’s essentially no chance it won’t be Toronto’s pick.

February 8

  • Pacers acquire Cory Joseph, the Hornets’ 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protected) and cash ($5.8MM)
  • Warriors acquire the least favorable of the Pacers’ 2024 second-round picks.
  • Note: In all likelihood, the 2024 pick will be the least favorable of the Bucks’ and Cavaliers’ second-rounders.

February 8

February 8

February 8

  • Mavericks acquire either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is second-least favorable).
  • Thunder acquire the right to swap first-round picks with the Mavericks in 2028.

February 8

  • Raptors acquire Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji.
  • Jazz acquire Otto Porter, Kira Lewis, and either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).

February 8

  • Pistons acquire Danuel House, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($1,634,922).
  • Sixers acquire the Pistons’ 2028 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

February 8

  • Pistons acquire Simone Fontecchio.
  • Jazz acquire Kevin Knox, either the Wizards’ or the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), the draft rights to Gabriele Procida., and cash ($766,095).

February 7

  • Celtics acquire Xavier Tillman.
  • Grizzlies acquire Lamar Stevens, the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick, and the Mavericks’ 2030 second-round pick.

February 1

  • Rockets acquire Steven Adams.
  • Grizzlies acquire Victor Oladipo, the Thunder’s 2024 second-round pick, either the Nets’ 2024 second-round pick (55-58 protected) or the Warriors’ 2024 second-round pick (56-58 protected) (whichever is most favorable), and either the Rockets’ 2025 second-round pick or the Thunder’s 2025 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

January 23

  • Heat acquire Terry Rozier.
  • Hornets acquire Kyle Lowry and the Heat’s 2027 first-round pick (top-14 protected).

January 17

  • Pacers acquire Pascal Siakam.
  • Raptors acquire Bruce Brown; Kira Lewis; Jordan Nwora; the Pacers’ 2024 first-round pick (top-three protected); either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable); and the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected).

January 17

  • Pacers acquire Kira Lewis and either the Pelicans’ or Bulls’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
  • Pelicans acquire cash ($110K).

January 14

  • Pistons acquire Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.
  • Wizards acquire Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.
    • Note: The 2025 second-round pick will be the least favorable of the following two picks:
      • The Pistons’ second-rounder
      • The more favorable of the Wizards’ and Warriors’ 2025 second-rounders.
    • Note: The 2026 second-round pick will be the least favorable of the following two picks:
      • The more favorable of the Timberwolves’ and Knicks’ second-rounders.
      • The more favorable of the Pelicans’ and Trail Blazers’ picks.

December 30

November 1

November 1

  • Clippers acquire James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev.
  • Sixers acquire Marcus Morris; Nicolas Batum; Robert Covington; Kenyon Martin Jr.; the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick (unprotected); either the Rockets’ (top-four protected), Clippers’, or Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Thunder); the right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick for the Clippers’ 2029 first-round pick (top-three protected); a 2024 second-round pick (details below); the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick; and cash ($2MM; from Clippers).
    • Note: The 2024 second-round pick acquired by the Sixers will be either the Raptors’, Pacers’, Jazz’s, or Cavaliers’ pick (whichever is most favorable). If either the Jazz’s or Cavaliers’ pick is the most favorable, Philadelphia would instead receive the second-most favorable of the four.
  • Thunder acquire the right to swap either their own 2027 first-round pick or the Nuggets’ 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected) for the Clippers’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected) and cash ($1.1MM; from Clippers).
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Pacific Notes: Harden, Warriors, Santa Cruz, Kings Depth, Booker

November 4th, 2023 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

New Clippers guard James Harden discussed his desire to help the team win a championship during his introductory presser on Thursday, and the Clippers are much closer to winning a chip by acquiring him, Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register opines. However, Swanson argues that trading for Harden puts the Clippers under more public scrutiny, adding Harden to a list of big-name players alongside Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

The fit between Harden and Westbrook, who have played together twice before in Houston and Oklahoma City, will be interesting to watch unfold. Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times further explores the fit, adding that coach Tyronn Lue said he hasn’t yet talked to the two about splitting ball-handling duties.

“I don’t predict the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know, bro,” Westbrook said. “But it’s going to be a process. It’s going to be ups and downs, going to be good games, bad games. It’s not just going to come together and mesh and we’re going to be perfectly fine. That’s unrealistic expectations for everybody. The realistic expectations, like I said, it’s going to be a process. I don’t have the answer to what that is.”

Harden said he’s used to adjusting his playing style, having done so in Brooklyn and Philadelphia alongside other superstars, though he expressed displeasure with his role in Philly.

“Somebody that can have that dialogue with me and understand and move forward and figure out and make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of games, that’s all I really care about,” Harden said. “It’s not about me scoring … 34 points. I’ve done that already.”

Harden is in the final year of his contract and will earn about $35.6MM this season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Warriors are off to a 5-1 start, but they are still figuring out certain lineups, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater observes. In particular, head coach Steve Kerr is still working through the team’s closing unit, and Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II are all fighting for spots in that lineup, with Payton closing out Friday.
  • In the same article, Slater reports the Warriors sent Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis to the G League to get playing time in training camp with Santa Cruz. However, Draymond Green argued that the Warriors played with low energy on Friday and that not having the young players there hurt the team. “Next time we have an in-season tournament game, we need them here,” Green said. “You always talk about young guys bringing energy, that’s their job. We don’t have to tell those young guys to bring energy. They do every single day. I wasn’t overly shocked our energy wasn’t there because they lift our energy level. … We need them here. They are a big part of the fabric of this team. We missed them [Friday].“
  • With both De’Aaron Fox and Trey Lyles still out for the Kings, Sacramento’s depth is being tested early on, The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson writes. Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov have been taking on the majority of Fox’s and Lyles’ minutes.
  • After returning to play Thursday, Suns guard Devin Booker is out again for Saturday’s contest against the Sixers, according to Duane Rankin (Twitter link). Head coach Frank Vogel is “hopeful” Booker will play in the second game of the team’s back-to-back on Sunday against the Pistons, but that the short turnaround mixed with ankle soreness is holding him out today.
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Central Notes: LaVine, Williams, Craig, Nesmith, Bucks

November 4th, 2023 at 11:05am CST by Tristan Tucker

Bulls guard Zach LaVine refuted the idea that the team hosted a players-only meeting following last week’s season opener, as detailed by Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill. LaVine said the players didn’t have a team meeting, as suggested by head coach Billy Donovan, but instead had “a basketball conversation.”

“We’re having conversations from top to bottom,” LaVine said. “If we don’t want the coaches in there while we are talking, that’s not a team meeting, it’s players talking amongst ourselves. I don’t know if coach got that misunderstood or not.”

Goodwill writes the Bulls are at an inflection point. Notably, LaVine has been in trade rumors, Nikola Vucevic had a tense exchange with Donovan in the opener, and the team hasn’t been able to come to terms on an extension with DeMar DeRozan. On top of that, as Goodwill observes, Donovan has multiple years left following the extension he signed before last season and owner Jerry Reinsdorf hasn’t historically given up on long-term coaching contracts.

“You know, we’re on our third year now, and I’ve been saying since training camp: It’s time to put pen to paper,” LaVine said. “If it don’t work, we understand the business of basketball. We have three All-Star players. We gotta make this work, from top to bottom. It’s not just the players. We gotta make this click.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Donovan made a big change to the Bulls‘ starting lineup on Friday, substituting former No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams out for Torrey Craig, who signed in the offseason. Williams is off to a disappointing start to the season, averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting a poor 33.3% from the floor in his first six games (five starts). According to NBC Sports Chicago’s Ryan Taylor, Williams took a mature approach to the move to the bench. “I was just going through a stretch there where I really couldn’t make a shot,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t say it’s difficult though [playing with the first group]. That’s a unit that has so much talent and can do so many different things on the court. It’s just more opportunity for whoever is playing in that second unit.“
  • Following last season’s trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics from the Pacers, there was a sentiment on social media that Boston didn’t give anything of value in the swap, according to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. Flash forward to now and Indiana forward Aaron Nesmith, who was part of the package, has become a crucial member in the Pacers’ rotation. Since arriving in Indiana, Nesmith is averaging 10.2 points per game and admitted he felt overlooked last summer. Now, he’s won over the coaching staff. “He’s been one of our best defensive players and obviously, we all know he can shoot the ball really well and he’s developed other parts of his game,” said head coach Rick Carlisle. “He drives it now, he’s making really good, simple reads and a very important part of what we’re doing here.“
  • On Wednesday, the NBA’s then-league worst offense in the Raptors dropped 130 points on the contending Bucks. According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, head coach Adrian Griffin spent the first few games of the season experimenting with defensive anchor Brook Lopez, putting him out on the perimeter more to help generate turnovers, though the Bucks wound up with the league’s second-worst defensive rating through their first four games. However, as detailed by Nehm in a separate piece, Griffin put Lopez back in drop coverage for Friday’s game against the Knicks, and New York mustered just 105 points against Milwaukee.
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Southwest Notes: Thompson, Holiday, Lively, Grizzlies, Sochan

November 4th, 2023 at 9:27am CST by Tristan Tucker

Rockets rookie guard Amen Thompson sprained his right ankle on Wednesday, with the team ruling him out of the contest shortly after he suffered the injury in the third quarter. According to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire, head coach Ime Udoka said Thompson suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain.

Thompson also sustained a Grade 2 left ankle sprain over the summer and that injury had a two-to-four week recovery timetable, according to DuBose, so it’s likely he’s looking at a similar return timeline for this injury.

The No. 4 overall pick is Houston’s primary backup point guard behind Fred VanVleet, so Aaron Holiday absorbed the brunt of Thompson’s minutes following his departure from the game. However, Udoka didn’t turn to Holiday right away, moving Jae’Sean Tate to the backcourt before bringing Holiday in, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle observes (subscriber link). Udoka wasn’t ready to fully commit to the idea of Holiday always being the backup in a three-guard rotation.

“I think we’ll go by committee a little bit,” Udoka said. “I think, the lineup that we had out there, even Amen was out there, we had Jae’Sean as another guy that can initiate, so we do have some guys I can kind of play up or down and fill different roles. We’ll look at it as game-to-game.”

Udoka praised Holiday’s playing ability and said he believed Holiday and VanVleet could play together. Feigen writes that improving the bench play of the Rockets is crucial and playing Holiday may be important to finding a consistent rotation.

“Depending on the team, for sure,” Udoka said. “Teams that have bigger wings, obviously that’ll pose some threats. But Aaron is a guy, similar to his brother, doesn’t have the height of Jrue, but he is a very physical, tough guy that can play on or off the ball. Fred does as well.”

According to Feigen, Udoka said there may be situations where he calls on Reggie Bullock, rookie Cam Whitmore or Tate to fill in some of the backcourt minutes.

Holiday signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Rockets this offseason that has just $1MM guaranteed. If Holiday is on the roster on Jan. 10, that contract will become fully guaranteed.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively II is a huge part of Dallas’s early season success, averaging 7.6 points and 7.0 rebounds while starting in four of the team’s five games so far. Lively said he’s learned from former Mavs champion Tyson Chandler, who joined the organization via the Mavs Legend Program, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Chandler works with Mavericks centers in his role with the team, including the 19-year-old Lively. “He has a willingness to actually learn, listen and take in information,” Chandler said. “He has a great spirit. He reminds me a lot of myself. I feel the duty to actually be there for him and guide him as much as necessary.”
  • The Grizzlies are a league-worst 0-6 to begin the season, facing a lengthy suspension to Ja Morant and injuries to key players like Steven Adams. Still, the Grizzlies were expected to be more competitive even with their early season issues, considering they brought in former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and have current reigning DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr., as well as Desmond Bane. Kelly Iko and John Hollinger of The Athletic dive into why Memphis’ struggles go deeper than suspensions and injuries, including Smart being a step slower on defense thus far and the younger players on the roster not taking a step forward. I recommend checking out the article in full if you have a subscription to The Athletic, as the pair explore the intriguing trade options Memphis has, along with a deeper look into the club’s problems.
  • Experimenting with starting Jeremy Sochan at point guard has produced a mix bag of results for the Spurs. Even still, head coach Gregg Popovich expressed his appreciation with what the second-year guard/forward brings to the table, as relayed by Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Popovich said Sochan is “trending in the right direction” and has stood out defensively, adding that he likes how the former lottery pick is “taking care of the ball,” according to Orsborn. “It doesn’t matter who he guards, he does a wonderful job, creates a lot of chaos for us,” Popovich said.
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