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Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, Queta, Lee

November 3rd, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

A hip flexor issue that forced Celtics guard Jaylen Brown to miss Saturday’s game has been bothering him for several weeks, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Brown sat out the second game of a back-to-back in Charlotte after playing 37 minutes on Friday night. An MRI two weeks ago revealed that it’s a strain and showed fluid in the affected area, and Brown plans to have more imaging done because his condition has worsened.

“I got an MRI in training camp and it’s been back and forth since then,” he said. “[Friday] I think I extended it a little more, and it’s already been giving me some trouble. I’m going to have to get another MRI and go from there.”

Brown is still playing at an All-Star level, averaging 25.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists through the first six games of the season. Saturday’s contest is the first one he has missed, and coach Joe Mazzulla told Washburn that Brown is considered day-to-day. He hopes to return for Monday’s game in his hometown of Atlanta, but he’s not sure how his body will respond.

“I haven’t felt like my legs have been underneath me, dealing with this hip flexor,” Brown said. “It’s more [affecting] my explosion and my burst. And then, mentally, trying to figure that out as well. Thinking about it kind of throws everything off a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

An NBA source tells Washburn that Jayson Tatum talked with former teammate Grant Williams after Williams was ejected Friday for a hard foul on Tatum. Williams was reportedly apologetic and they patched up any differences, although they didn’t greet each other before or after Saturday’s contest. Tatum refused to discuss the incident while meeting with reporters Saturday (Twitter video link from Kayla Burton of NBC Sports Boston).
Mazzulla turned to center Neemias Queta to finish Saturday’s game rather than Luke Kornet or Xavier Tillman, observes Brian Robb of MassLive. Kornet got the start, but Queta logged 15 minutes off the bench compared to three for Tillman and appears to have passed him in the rotation.
Charles Lee only spent one season as an assistant in Boston, but he believes it helped him get hired as head coach of the Hornets, Washburn adds in a separate story. Lee said he learned a lot from being part of a title-winning team. “It’s cool to go to a championship-caliber organization with so much history,” he said. “How they structured their everyday schedule and what it means to be a Celtic. It was really cool and interesting for me and my family to experience. As a coach I was able to see how it works to have that much talent on your team, to have the target on your back all year as one of the best teams in the NBA. This team had gone through some hardships and we’re trying to get over that hump. To go through that journey with them last year and see that all that had to go into it was cool for me and my growth.”

NBA Searching For New All-Star Game Format

November 3rd, 2024 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA is considering another format change for this season’s All-Star Game, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. At a news conference prior to Saturday’s game in Mexico City, commissioner Adam Silver told reporters that Warriors star Stephen Curry has been involved in discussions about the Feb. 16 showcase in San Francisco.

“We’ve had direct conversations with Steph Curry — it’s a home game for him,” Silver said. “I know he’s very prideful and wants to make sure that the players put their best foot forward, so we’re looking at other formats. I think there’s no doubt that the players were disappointed as well in last year’s All-Star Game. We all want to do a better job providing competition and entertainment for our fans.”

Last season’s contest in Indianapolis was universally panned for its lack of defense and abundance of long three-point shots. The East defeated the West 211-186 in a listless affair despite a plea from league executive Joe Dumars to take the game seriously and put forth a better effort.

Creating a watchable All-Star Game has been an issue for the NBA for several years. In an effort to spark interest, the league switched its traditional East vs. West format in 2018 to have the top two vote-getters draft the players for each team. The “Elam Ending” was adopted in 2020 to give the game a different feel and ensure more exciting finishes.

However, none of the changes really resonated with the public, and the league returned to the East-West matchup last season with regular NBA rules.

“I think we all did what we thought we could, thinking we would particularly — in Indiana, sort of the heartland of basketball, somehow we would give it the college try, and we’d see a more competitive game,” Silver said. “I think, even if we could turn the clock back and get a bit more of a competitive game, even if it was more of a standard NBA game, I think fans would want more.”

The best-received part of last season’s All-Star Weekend was a Saturday night shooting contest between Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu. Although it hasn’t been formally announced, Silver said the plan is for them to have a rematch in San Francisco.

“If we can get more participation, not just for the physical activity but for all the values it represents,” that’s what the NBA wants, Silver said. “And I think showcasing those kinds of activities where you see men and women both competing in basketball at All-Star events should increasingly become a big part of it. And incidentally when you look at the interest in terms of viewership last year, one of the highlights was that Sabrina-Steph shootout, so we do want to do more of that.”

Silver also touched on the issue of expansion, saying the league continues to study the matter but nothing should be considered imminent, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Seattle and Las Vegas are widely viewed as the front-runners for new teams, but Silver said Mexico City is among the locations under consideration.

“Nothing’s been set, and we haven’t even determined whether to expand yet,” he added. “My sense is that if we expanded, we’d do an even number, because then we might have to do some adjustments in the conferences. But I think it makes sense to have two conferences of 16 teams if we were to do it. There have been times in the past in the NBA when we had an odd number, so it’s possible. But I think we most likely, if we were to expand, would look to expand to two cities.”

NBA Reopening Jaxson Hayes Investigation

November 3rd, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA will reopen its investigation into a domestic violence incident involving Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Los Angeles police responded to a domestic disturbance call on July 28, 2021, involving Hayes and Sofia Jamora, who was his girlfriend at the time. TMZ posted security camera footage of the incident on Saturday, prompting league officials to take another look at the case.

“As a result of the media report and video posted this morning, we are reopening our investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.

As McMenamin relays, the video appears to show Hayes pulling Jamora out of a doorway while she says, “Stop. Let go of me.” Hayes responds, “What the f— is wrong with you?”

Their argument continues in the driveway, where Jamora shouts, “I’m not going to let you hit me anymore. What the f— do I look like, a punching bag?” Hayes is later shown walking away from her and then turning to spit toward her.

Hayes was arrested, and in June 2022 he was sentenced to three years of probation, 450 hours of community service and a year of weekly domestic violence classes. He was also ordered to pay restitution.

Police body camera video showed Hayes fighting with officers, who twice used an electric stun gun after ordering him to leave the home so they could talk to the alleged victim. He told police that Jamora had been “throwing some stuff” at him during their argument. Hayes was treated at a hospital following the arrest, and an officer that Hayes threw against a wall was treated for an elbow injury.

The NBA didn’t take any action against Hayes following its initial investigation.

“There has already been an extensive investigation that we cooperated with the league on, and as that investigation reopens, we will continue to do so,” a spokesperson for Hayes told McMenamin.

McMenamin adds that attorneys representing Jamora filed a lawsuit this week alleging that Robert T. Tamate, the officer that Hayes fought with, “previously met with Hayes’s attorneys and was compensated monetarily by Hayes for unknown reasons.”

A spokesperson for Jamora told McMenamin that she will cooperate with the NBA investigation, and a representative of the Lakers said, “We are cooperating with the league.”

Joel Embiid Shoves Columnist In Sixers’ Locker Room

November 2nd, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid was involved in a scuffle with a columnist after the Sixers lost at home to Memphis tonight, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Embiid made contact with the journalist, but Charania describes the action as a shove rather than a punch. That version of events was supported by Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Recounting the exchange for PHLY Sports (Twitter video link), Kyle Neubeck identifies the columnist as Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer, whom Embiid singled out in public comments earlier this week. Hayes has written multiple columns accusing Embiid of being unprofessional and blasting the Sixers for a lack of transparency about his condition.

Embiid was particularly upset about a piece from Hayes criticizing him for not being ready for the season opener and claiming that he’s not providing a good example as a father.

“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his career,” Hayes wrote. “He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother. … In order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite.”

Embiid approached Hayes as soon as he became aware that he was in the locker room, Neubeck adds. He directed some profane comments at the writer, and Neubeck said he added something along the lines of “You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. Don’t ever put my dead brother’s name in your mouth. Don’t talk about my family. Don’t bring them into this. You want to talk to me like a man and talk to me about basketball, that’s different, but if you ever talk about my family again we’re going to have real problems.”

The shove occurred after about 90 seconds of the heated discussion, Neubeck adds, and then team security and other players moved in to break it up.

The Sixers are off to a 1-4 start as Embiid has been sidelined with “left knee injury management.” He has reportedly been making progress toward a recovery, but no date has been set for his return.

It’s possible Embiid could face a suspension that will keep him out of action even longer. An NBA spokesman told Charania “We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation.” (Twitter link)

Pacific Notes: Russell, Hood-Schifino, Harden, Curry

November 2nd, 2024 at 9:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell is buying into a changed role under new head coach J.J. Redick, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Price notes that Redick said before the season that he wants Russell to have a “career year.” However, that may not show up on the stat sheet as Anthony Davis is serving as the centerpiece of the offense and Austin Reaves is handling the ball more often.

Russell had his best game of the season Friday at Toronto, posting 19 points, six assists and three rebounds. But his usage rate has fallen to 16.8%, which is sixth on the team, after being at 22.2% last season. He’s operating less frequently in the pick-and-roll as Redick has him playing off the ball and spotting up for jump shots.

“He’s bought into what we’re trying to do,” Redick said. “He recognizes that his pick-and-roll usage will be down. And what he’s told me and what I think he has certainly lived out in reality is that he just wants to win. He wants to be on the winning team. He’s been bought in. We’ve had no issue sort of with anything with him. He’s gonna get it going. We’re gonna figure out ways to hopefully maximize all our guys. It’s very early. I’m not worried about D-Lo.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers declined their third-year option on Jalen Hood-Schifino, but he may still have a place in the team’s long-term plans, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). The decision was made to create more financial flexibility for the offseason, and the organization wants Hood-Schifino to continue developing his game in the G League. “I still believe in Jalen,” Redick said. “We haven’t given up on him.”
James Harden insists he’s not too old to be carrying the Clippers at age 35, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Harden is averaging a career-high 6.2 turnovers per game, but he told reporters that’s a result of high usage rather than fatigue. “You seen the usage rate, it’s going to happen. Like turnovers are going to happen,” he said. “I try to, but some of the passes that I thread, a lot of them are successful and some of ’em aren’t. So just trying to find a balance of when to throw and when not to.”
Stephen Curry missed his third straight game tonight with a sprained left ankle, but the Warriors guard was able to go through his normal shooting routine before the contest, so it appears he’s close to returning, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Spurs Notes: Paul, Wembanyama, Defense, Popovich

November 2nd, 2024 at 8:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul loves sharing his knowledge with younger players, and he has found an attentive group of students in his new Spurs teammates, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. According to Orsborn, Paul started his lessons shortly after signing with San Antonio this summer. He rounded up some teammates in Las Vegas and offered instructions throughout the five-on-five scrimmage.

“He’s like a player-coach,” Sandro Mamukelashvili said. “He is always so encouraging. Having him is such an advantage. He never says something that doesn’t make sense.”

The 39-year-old point guard has been around the NBA long enough to know that there are various ways to get through to different players. For instance, Orsborn relays that Paul didn’t offer any advice to Victor Wembanyama after he was held to six points in Wednesday’s loss at Oklahoma City. Wembanyama responded with one of the best games of his career the next night at Utah.

“Everyone you see in the league is always learning more,” Paul said. “(Wembanyama) has already been a pro for a long time. You give advice here and there, but he is going to be one of the greats.”

There’s more on the Spurs:

Wembanyama’s line against the Jazz included 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks, making it the 23rd 5×5 performance in league history, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. He joined Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrei Kirilenko as the only players to accomplish the feat twice. “It tells me that I need to get my standards up,” Wembanyama said afterward. “It tells me that I’m able to help my team in all of those areas and that this should be a consistent thing. As I’ve said before, I thought this was a game that we must have. So I was glad that I was able to help my team in every area.”
The Spurs are responding to coach Gregg Popovich‘s training camp emphasis on improving the defense, Orsborn adds in a separate story. They forced 25 turnovers against Utah, the highest total for the franchise in nine years, and recorded nine steals in the third quarter while holding the Jazz to 14 points. “We’re not ready to be a top-five defensive team by any stretch of the imagination, but we know that is the focus and we have played good defense throughout the season,” Popovich said. “We picked up where we left off from last year. I am really impressed with their understanding and enjoying what the defense can do for them.”
Popovich is missing tonight’s game with Minnesota due to an illness, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson is taking his place on the sidelines.

Isaiah Jackson To Have Surgery For Torn Achilles Tendon

November 2nd, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers center Isaiah Jackson will undergo surgery on Monday after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Jackson had to be carried off the court in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game against New Orleans after collapsing with a non-contact injury to his right calf, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Indiana is already without backup big man James Wiseman, who tore his left Achilles tendon on opening night. He underwent surgery last week, and a recovery timeline is still being determined.

With Jackson and Wiseman both unavailable for at least most of the season, Dopirak expects Obi Toppin and two-way rookie Enrique Freeman to see increased minutes as the backups to starting center Myles Turner.

The Pacers have an open roster spot to add another big man, but they have to consider the luxury tax implications of a new contract, since they’re operating within $2MM of the tax line. Wiseman’s deal only carries a $500K guarantee, but it’s likely to become fully guaranteed for $2.2MM due to his injury.

Jackson is in his fourth season with Indiana after being acquired in a draft-night trade in 2021. He had appeared in five of the team’s first six games, averaging 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 60.9% from the field in 16.8 minutes per night.

The 22-year-old will be a restricted free agent next summer if the Pacers decide to extend a qualifying offer.

Hornets Notes: G. Williams, M. Williams, Miller, Richards

November 2nd, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hornets coach Charles Lee talked about the need to develop “emotional maturity” following a late-game skirmish in Friday’s loss to Boston, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The altercation started when Grant Williams ran into former teammate Jayson Tatum while the Celtics were pushing the ball up court (Twitter video link from NBC Sports Boston). Williams was ejected from the game with a Flagrant 2 foul and may face further discipline from the league office.

“It was a transition opportunity and I was trying to make a play on the ball. I did reach across his body and when you slow down the replay, it looks like I make a play and then I kind of go after it,” Williams explained. “J.T. is one of my closest friends always. There was no intention of trying to harm him in any way. So, it was just one of those plays where in full speed he passes the ball, which probably makes it worse because that’s when I reach for the ball. The ball is already out of his hand. … You seen me raise my hand, say I fouled him.”

Williams added that he wanted to apologize to Tatum immediately after the play occurred. But the teams were immediately sent back to their respective benches, and Williams was tossed out of the game before he could say anything to Tatum.

“We all know J.T. is my guy. Nothing intentional,” Williams added. “He got up quick and by the time I got up, there was a ruckus and they brought us to our benches. I’ll talk to him tonight or (Saturday). He knows. We probably don’t even have to talk. He knows it wasn’t intentional or malicious by any means.”

There’s more from Charlotte:

There’s still no timetable for injured center Mark Williams, Boone adds in the same piece. It’s been five weeks since Williams was diagnosed with a strained tendon in his left foot, and he hasn’t been able to scrimmage or take part in any full team drills. “He’s engaged and observing all practice activities and film,” Lee said, “and even (Friday) at shootaround, he’s sitting next to me, trying to talk through the game plan and stuff. So, he’s doing all he can to make sure he’s soaking up all the information and terminology and when he comes back, he’s going to be ready to hit the ground running. But for now, he’s just kind of doing individual work. And the next phase of his return-to-play plan, he’ll do some group-type activities. And then once we get to practices and things like that, I think we’ll update further.”
Brandon Miller will return to action tonight for the first time since leaving the season opener with a glute strain, Boone states in a separate story. However, Seth Curry will miss the contest with a right knee injury and Nick Richards, who has been starting at center in place of Williams, will be sidelined after leaving Friday’s game with a sore shoulder. “Nick has been a big part of what we’ve done these first five games. I’ve been very happy with him and his ability to kind of dominate the paint,” Lee said. “He’s altered a lot of shots, and I think he’s helping us with his pick-and-roll coverage and understanding the different gaps to be in in center field and create some indecision for ball-handlers. He’s done a great job defensively, and then offensively, he’s created a ton of advantages for all of our scorers, all of our ball-handlers.”
Jared Weiss of The Athletic examines whether Miller, LaMelo Ball and the rest of the young Hornets can create an identity as a team. Weiss also talks to president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson about the unique approach he took in becoming the third team in the Karl-Anthony Towns deal, acquiring three players through sign-and-trades and effectively using the room exception as a trade exception.

Community Shootaround: Early-Season Trends

November 2nd, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA season tipped off just 11 days ago, which means it’s still far too early to draw any sweeping conclusions about anything that’s happened so far.

Still, a quick glance at the standings reveals some expected outcomes. The defending-champion Celtics are off to another strong start, at 5-1. The Thunder, widely projected to be the top team in the West, are the only undefeated club left in the conference at 5-0.

On the other end of the spectrum, projected lottery teams like the Trail Blazers (2-4) and Jazz (0-5) sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, while the Raptors and Pistons (both 1-5) bring up the rear in the East.

There are a few records that are a little more surprising, however. We figured the Cavaliers would be among the East’s contenders, but they’ve been even better than expected in the early going — their 6-0 mark is the NBA’s best record.

Other would-be contenders in the East, like the Pacers (2-4) and Bucks (1-4) are off to far slower starts. Milwaukee’s performance, in particular, has been troubling, given the underwhelming way their season ended in 2023/24. Damian Lillard‘s fit doesn’t look any smoother in his second year with the Bucks than it did in the first, and the team badly needs a healthy Khris Middleton, who has yet to make his season debut after missing 74 games across the past two seasons.

In the West, several of the clubs led by former MVPs (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James) are off to strong starts, with the Suns (4-1), Warriors (4-1), and Lakers (4-2) holding top-four spots in the standings entering Saturday’s action. New head coaches Mike Budenholzer and J.J. Redick seem to be making a positive impact in Phoenix and Los Angeles, respectively, while Golden State’s depth has been a major asset so far.

On the other hand, after an underwhelming offseason in which they lost starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and faced questions about the fit of newcomer Russell Westbrook and the health of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are just 2-3 and required an overtime period to beat Toronto and Brooklyn. Nikola Jokic has been playing at his usual MVP level, but he’s not getting enough help, and Westbrook (.244 FG%, .200 3PT%) and Murray (.370 FG%, .304 3PT%) have done little so far to answer those offseason questions.

Again, with the caveat that the sample size is small, we want to hear your takeaways from the first week-and-a-half of the season.

Which fall trends are you taking seriously and which ones do you expect to be short-lived? Which struggling teams and players should be worried and which ones just need more time to hit their stride? Which clubs off to strong starts are legitimate and which ones do you expect to come back down to earth?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Braun, Alexander-Walker, Avdija

November 2nd, 2024 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen has been ruled out for a second consecutive game, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who tweets that Markkanen will be unavailable on Saturday in Denver. Utah’s leading scorer also missed Thursday’s loss to San Antonio after exiting Tuesday’s game vs. Sacramento early due to low back spasms.

According to Larsen (Twitter link), Markkanen doesn’t anticipate a lengthy absence, indicating today that he believes he’ll return to action at some point during the team’s current road trip. That trip will include stops in in Chicago (on Monday), Milwaukee (Thursday), and San Antonio (next Saturday) before Utah returns home on November 12.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Christian Braun has impressed the Nuggets in his new starting role so far this season, but he blamed himself for helping to spark a late Timberwolves rally on Friday, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. He and Rudy Gobert were each assessed with a technical foul following a brief dust-up instigated by Braun’s celebration of a big dunk over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year (Twitter video link). The Wolves, down by eight points at the time with 5:14 left, ended up winning by three. “Momentum changed like that, after the tech,” Braun said, suggesting he views the incident as a learning experience. “… It should have been a positive, and then I get the tech, and that turns it to a negative. … I’ve gotta be smarter after I make that play. Get back on defense.”
Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has come a long way since being sent to Minnesota at the 2023 trade deadline as a throw-in alongside Mike Conley, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at Alexander-Walker’s impact after he helped Minnesota steal a win from Denver on Friday. The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
After being acquired in an offseason trade, Deni Avdija is off to a miserable shooting start with the Trail Blazers, making just 33.9% of his field goal tries, including 14.3% of his three-pointers, in his first six outings. As Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian writes in a subscriber-only story, Avdija – who had a key blocked shot late in Wednesday’s one-point win over the Clippers, is making an effort to help the team in other ways during his shooting slump. “I feel like I’m still trying to get in rhythm with everything,” he said. “Opening the season a little bit on the slow start for me personally but I’m trying to contribute with other things.”

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