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Central Notes: Turner, Stewart, Williams, Bulls

February 19th, 2024 at 6:34pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Pacers center Myles Turner is the longest-tenured player on the team, having played in Indiana since being drafted in 2015. Fresh off winning the Skills Challenge at All-Star weekend as part of a Pacers trio that also featured Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin, Turner sat down with HoopsHype’s Sam Yip to discuss his career, team and philanthropic efforts.

“Honestly, it’s all been a blur,” Turner said of being Indy’s longest-tenured player. “Like for real. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend my entire career here in Indianapolis, and when I see young guys coming in, I just don’t see them lasting more than two or three years. They come in with a lot of hype and whatnot, but then it just dies down.”

Turner is averaging 17.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in his ninth season with the team, helping the Pacers to a 31-25 record at the break. With Haliburton and Turner as fixtures, the Pacers have transformed into a playoff contender, virtually removing the big man from trade rumors that have followed him throughout his career.

“Honestly, I still got PTSD from that, so I really didn’t even feel super secure at that,” Turner said of those rumors. “I was kinda expecting at least a rumor or something here and there (at this season’s deadline), but I’m just very fortunate to be in the same position. A little bit… I guess you can say that. I think it was just more of that we had a more clear-cut idea of the direction we were going with so it made it easier for me.”

Clippers forward Paul George has expressed a desire to remain in Los Angeles but has yet to reach an extension agreement with his current team, and rumors have started to circulate about the possibility of George and Indiana reuniting this offseason. Turner and George played together from 2015-17.

“PG was my favorite teammate, personally,” Turner said. “When I first got here to the league, he’s someone who took me under his wing, and obviously he’s one of the most dynamic players that’s out there right now. And I’ve always enjoyed and appreciated his approach to the game, so he’s definitely someone I rock with.”

I recommend checking out the rest of Turner and Yip’s conversation here.

We have more notes from the Central Division:

Phoenix Municipal Court set a Feb. 23 court date for Pistons center Isaiah Stewart on a misdemeanor assault charge, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Stewart was arrested and issued a citation on Thursday after punching Suns center Drew Eubanks in the face.
Even though the Pistons have been improved as of late, the season as a whole has been hard to stomach. Shawn Windsor of Detroit Free Press (subscriber link) argues that Monty Williams‘ rotations are stunting the team’s ability to develop. Windsor asserts that playing all five reserves at a time is a mistake and – despite recent moves – all-bench lineups continue to bleed points. Another questionable decision was to play Killian Hayes, whom the Pistons released at the deadline, over Jaden Ivey, who looks like a long-term fixture, according to Windsor.
The Bulls know what they have to do to secure a play-in and potential playoff spot, and DeMar DeRozan expressed confidence in the team’s ability to make a postseason push, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “Now we can kind of just breathe a little and gather our minds and emotions,” DeRozan said. “Get some bodies back and get rejuvenated for the next 27 games. We’re going to need to put everything and more into those.“

Nets Notes: Vaughn, Bridges, Wilson, Schröder

February 19th, 2024 at 5:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nets fired Jacque Vaughn this morning, a quick turnaround for a coach who signed a four-year contract at around $5MM per year last year, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. However, as Fischer writes, Vaughn wasn’t initially the team’s preferred candidate — that was now-Rockets coach Ime Udoka. Players losing confidence in Vaughn and the Nets losing 18 of their previous 24 games spelled the end of his tenure in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn plans to pursue stars to pair with two-way wing Mikal Bridges, for whom the franchise has repeatedly turned down trade packages of first-round picks. Fischer notes that Damian Lillard had interest in teaming with Bridges last offseason, which is as an indication that other star players could follow suit in the future. With current players upset by the structure of the offense, per Fischer, the Nets felt it was best to stay as appealing as possible to outside free agents.

According to both Fischer and SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter video link), there’s rising speculation that general manager Sean Marks could soon be out the door. While Fischer acknowledges Marks’ high standing with Nets governors Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, both note Vaughn is the third coach hired and fired by Marks.

Even though he wasn’t their first option last year, the Nets gave Vaughn the luxury of filling out most of his staff, something that is becoming less common. Kevin Ollie will be given the chance to make an impression as the interim head coach, though Fischer names Mike Budenholzer and James Borrego as potential options for the permanent job after this season.

We have more from the Nets:

Vaughn issued a statement to ESPN after he was dismissed this morning, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). “To Joe Tsai, Clara Wu-Tsai, Ollie Weisberg, Sam Zussman, Sean Marks and front office, Nets coaches, staff, players, BSE family and the entire Brooklyn borough: It was a pleasure being your Head Coach,” Vaughn’s statement reads. “I hope each individual I interacted with felt respected and valued. Just know I gave you everything I had every single day. Onto the next chapter. Amor Fati.“
Jalen Wilson, on a two-way contract with Brooklyn, made his first big in-game impression on the Nets when he recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds while getting to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo in a Dec. 27 loss to Milwaukee, The New York Post’s Andrew Crane writes. Wilson’s role has been steadily increasing as of late, and he’s played the final six minutes of the fourth quarter in each of the Nets’ past four games. Moving Royce O’Neale at the deadline opened up some minutes for the 6’8″ power forward, and he’s averaging 7.8 points in 25.8 minutes over his past five games while shooting 69.2% on his threes.
The Nets acquired veteran point guard Dennis Schröder at the deadline from the Raptors and he’s immediately taking on a big role for his new team. Though his scoring average is down, Schröder is playing 25.3 minutes in his first three games with the team, including one start. In a subscriber-only story, Brian Lewis of the New York Post breaks down what Brooklyn is hoping to get from the vet and what the club can do for him.

Cavaliers Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Deal

February 19th, 2024 at 3:50pm CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers have signed free agent forward Pete Nance to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.

An undrafted rookie who played four college seasons at Northwestern and a fifth at North Carolina, Nance made two brief appearances with the Cavs last month while on a 10-day contract. That deal expired on January 27, making Nance an unrestricted free agent.

Nance was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in September by the Cavs, then waived during training camp. He has spent the majority of 2023/24 with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate.

In 29 Showcase Cup and regular season games with the Charge, he has averaged 13.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.1 APG and 1.5 BPG on .471/.353/.795 shooting.

The Cavs had an open two-way slot after promoting Craig Porter, so no further roster moves were necessary to sign Nance, who turned 24 years old today. Nance is the son of former Cavs legend Larry Nance and the younger brother of Larry Nance Jr., who spent parts of four seasons with Cleveland.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Longevity, Bronny, More

February 19th, 2024 at 2:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers may be without star forward LeBron James for their first game after the All-Star break, as he’ll be undergoing left ankle treatment this week, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. faces Golden State on Thursday.

An All-Star starter, James played 14 minutes in Sunday’s exhibition game but sat out the second half to manage the ankle injury. He missed his seventh game of the season last Wednesday, the final contest before the break.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

James set a record by being named to his 20th All-Star game in 2023/24. Several young players at All-Star weekend said they were amazed by his remarkable longevity, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, who notes that seven Rising Stars participants were born after James made his NBA debut, including Jazz rookie Keyonte George. “It’s crazy. There’s a stat when we played him the first time that he was older than our coach (Will Hardy),” George said Friday morning with a laugh. “… All the young guys coming into the league know who Bron is. To me, he’s the best that ever touched the basketball. … The main goal coming into the league is, ‘How can I stay in it for as long as possible?’ Being a good teammate, with your play. The name of the game is longevity. … I think the shot-making ability, not going to the rim all the time, get to their spots, pick them, play with a good pace. I think that helps with longevity and your body. And then it comes down to skill.“
Appearing on TNT’s Inside the NBA before the All-Star game, James said his son, Bronny James, has yet to decide whether he’ll declare for the 2024 draft, as McMenamin of ESPN relays. Bronny is a freshman guard at USC. “It’s up to him, it’s up to the kid,” LeBron said. “We’re going to go through the whole process. He’s still in season now. He has the Pac-12 tournament coming up. … We’re going to weigh all options and we’re going to let the kid make the decision.”
Jovan Buha of The Athletic lists five reasons to be optimistic about the Lakers down the stretch, including the new starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, James and Anthony Davis. L.A. is 8-2 when those five players have shared the court together, Buha notes, including 5-0 with them starting.

Southeast Notes: Young, Banchero, Hornets, Leonsis

February 19th, 2024 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Trade rumors are a reality of life for most NBA players, Hawks guard Trae Young told reporters following Sunday’s All-Star Game (video link). Speculation has been growing that Young could be on the move this summer, especially after Atlanta decided to hold onto his backcourt partner, Dejounte Murray, at the deadline.

“The best players in the game have all been traded,” Young said. “Some of the few lucky ones have been blessed to be drafted in situations where they can win championships and it will all be perfect for them. They can stay in that one situation forever. That’s what I wanted to do, and that’s what I want to do with Atlanta. But who knows? This is the type of league where things change, but obviously my mindset is staying in Atlanta right now. I don’t get caught up in all the rumors and stuff. My contract is locked in for a couple years. I don’t have very much say in it right now.”

As Young notes, he’s under contract for the next two seasons and has a nearly $49MM early termination option for 2026/27. His contract also includes a 15% trade kicker, which would factor into the price of any deal unless he chooses to waive it. Young is in his sixth year with the Hawks after being taken with the fifth pick in the 2018 draft, but the organization may be ready for massive changes following another disappointing season.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Now that his first All-Star Game is over, Paolo Banchero will return his focus to getting the Magic into the postseason, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Banchero said the playoff race was a topic of conversation among Eastern Conference players. “In the locker room, we were talking about the standings and stuff,” he said. “… How intense it’s going to be after the break.”
The new-look Hornets entered the All-Star break with three straight wins as the shakeup at the trade deadline has brought a new energy to the team, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The organization opted to part with veterans Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward and P.J. Washington while bringing more young talent onto the roster. “It feels good. Guys are happy, coaches are happy,” said Tre Mann, who was acquired in a deal with Oklahoma City. “We know it’s a lot more work to do. We can get better and it’s a small sample size. And we’ve got to build on it.”
The Washington Post (subscription required) takes an inside look at the secret negotiations that led to Ted Leonsis’ plan to move the Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals to Arlington, Virginia.

Nets Fire Jacque Vaughn

February 19th, 2024 at 9:16am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets have dismissed head coach Jacque Vaughn, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The organization made a formal announcement of the move in a press release, stating that an interim coach will be appointed soon.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward,” general manager Sean Marks stated. “Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years. The consistent positivity and passion he poured into our team daily will remain with the players and staff he interacted with throughout his tenure. We thank Jacque for all he has done for the Nets and the borough of Brooklyn, and wish him, Laura and their family nothing but the best in the future.”

The move comes in the wake of a 50-point loss to Boston last Wednesday that left the team with a disappointing 21-33 record at the All-Star break. Because Brooklyn doesn’t own its first-round pick in this year’s draft, management was hoping to be more competitive, but the Nets will need a strong finish to the season just to reach the play-in tournament.

Brooklyn has dropped 18 of its last 24 games, and players lost confidence in Vaughn as the losses piled up, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link). Management is hoping to land a star player this summer to build around, and there were concerns that keeping Vaughn as head coach might impede that effort, according to Begley’s sources.

There’s no immediate word on who the interim coach might be, but Brian Lewis of the New York Post suggests current assistant Kevin Ollie (Twitter link). Ollie, who won an NCAA championship at Connecticut, joined Brooklyn’s staff at the start of this season after coaching two years with Overtime Elite.

Lewis notes that Marks will hire his third coach in his eight years as GM, but this will be the team’s first extensive search since 2016 (Twitter link). Vaughn was promoted after taking over for Steve Nash on an interim basis in November of 2022, and Nash was selected because of his relationship with the team’s former stars, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

An assistant with the Nets dating back to the 2016/17 season, Vaughn compiled a 71-68 record as the team’s head coach, including 10 games on an interim basis during the 2019/2020 season. He also spent two-and-a-half seasons as head coach in Orlando and holds a 129-226 career record.

Community Shootaround: Fixing The All-Star Game

February 19th, 2024 at 8:06am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA continues to tinker with ideas to produce a more competitive All-Star Game, but nothing seems to be working. Scoring records fell Sunday night as the East defeated the West, 211-186, in Indianapolis, but there was little celebration afterward from players, fans or media members following another year of minimal effort and virtually no defense.

As commissioner Adam Silver said dryly at the MVP presentation (video link), “And to the Eastern Conference All-Stars, you scored the most points. Well … congratulations.”

Silver, who had predicted a more watchable contest during his annual All-Star Game press conference, was clearly annoyed by what took place, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Bontemps notes that Silver and NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars have been stressing the need for effort in one of the league’s signature events. Instead, the players produced a lackluster series of dunks and long three-pointers that again raises questions about the future of the game.

LeBron James, an All-Star for the 20th time, summarized the problem of trying to make players care about the outcome when there are no real stakes involved.

“I think it’s something we need to figure out,” said James, who was dealing with a sore left ankle and didn’t play in the second half. “Obviously from a player’s perspective, it’s fun to get up and down. But at the end of the day, our competitive nature don’t like to have free-flowing scoring like that. But I think the good thing that came out of tonight was none of the players were injured, and everybody came out unscathed or how they were before the game started. So it’s a deeper conversation.”

After years of experimenting with having captains choose teams, the NBA went back to its traditional East vs. West format this year. The “Elam Ending” which brought novelty to the game when it was first introduced by setting a target score for teams to reach, has also been dropped.

Several scoring records were set Sunday night, although none of them were all that thrilling to witness, notes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The teams combined for 397 points in the game and 193 in the first half. They also made a record 67 three-pointers on a record 167 attempts. The East made 42 three-pointers and scored 104 points in the first half.

None of it seemed to captivate the crowd or even the players, as Anthony Davis told reporters that he felt the highlight of the night was a dunking exhibition involving hype teams from the Pacers and Bulls before the start of the fourth quarter.

“For me, it’s an All-Star Game, so I will never look at it as being super competitive,” Anthony Edwards said. “It’s always fun. I don’t know what they can do to make it more competitive. I don’t know. I think everyone looks at it … it’s a break, so I don’t think everyone wants to come here and compete.”

It’s not a problem that’s exclusive to the NBA, as other sports have made changes to their All-Star contests over the past decade in an effort to make them more watchable. Some have suggested adopting a U.S. vs. international players format. Some believe the game should be scrapped entirely.

We want to know what you think. Are there changes the NBA can make to improve its All-Game or is the league stuck with an noncompetitive exhibition every year? Please leave your comments in the space below.

Northwest Notes: Henderson, Reath, OKC’s Big Three, Johnson

February 18th, 2024 at 9:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson has earned another opportunity to be a starter, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Henderson was reinserted into the starting five on Thursday, contributing 15 points and four assists against Minnesota.

“He’s made so many advancements, he’s just doing so good,” coach Chauncey Billups said. “And also, I just felt like as a young player, I want him to learn everything he gets. And he’s played so well on both sides of the floor.”

Henderson feels that having a former star point guard like Billups to coach him has aided his development, he told Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports.

“I take hard coaching very well,” said Henderson, who participated in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend. “When I was growing up, my dad was really hard on me. He taught me lessons, and I’m glad I went through things when I was younger, rather than learning them now. I had Coach [Jason] Hart last year, and he’s not easy to be coached by. Chauncey is coaching me hard, but it’s more information rather than just pounding on me.”

We have more from Northwest Division:

Trail Blazers big man Duop Reath‘s new three-year contract is guaranteed for two seasons and non-guaranteed for the third, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who tweets that Portland used $1.95MM of its non-tax mid level exception to sign him. The Blazers are now $1.3MM below the luxury tax, adds Marks, noting that Reath’s first-year salary is five times more than the minimum for a first-year player.
The Thunder now have a new Big Three in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. While that trio might not reach the levels of OKC’s former Big Three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, it’s amazing how quickly the franchise has assembled three top-level talents in the early stages of their careers, Mussatto observes.
Thunder second-round pick Keyontae Johnson participated in the NBA G League Next Up game on Sunday. It’s another achievement for a player who faced a major health crisis. Sports Illustrated’s Rylan Stiles details Johnson’s journey to the pros after he collapsed on the court while playing for the University of Florida due to a heart condition. Johnson was initially told by doctors he would never play competitive basketball again.

LeBron: Hopeful To Stay With Lakers, Unsure On Retirement

February 18th, 2024 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James is hopeful to remain with the Lakers as his career winds down but he’s not sure how many more years he wants to play, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and other media members during a press conference prior to the All-Star Game.

Speculation about James’ future has ramped up since it became public that the Warriors had inquired about James’ availability prior to the trade deadline. Talks didn’t get serious, as the Lakers had no interest in trading James.

James holds a $51.4MM option on his contract for next season. While stating that his preference is to remain in the organization, he didn’t tip his hand whether he’ll exercise the option.

“I am a Laker and I’m happy and been very happy being Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way,” James said. “But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully it is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization, so many greats. But we’ll see.”

James was similarly vague on how many more seasons he’ll suit up. It’s been reported in recent years he’d like to play with son Bronny James, currently a freshman at USC.

LeBron is also unsure whether he wants to have a farewell tour in his final year or just go quietly.

“I was asked this question a couple days ago,” James said. “‘Will you kind of take the farewell tour, or will you kind of just Tim Duncan it?’ I’m 50-50, I’m going to be honest, because there’s times when I feel like I guess I owe it to my fans that have been along this journey with me for two decades plus, to be able to give them that moment where it’s every city and whatever the case may be and they give you your flowers or whatever the case may be. That seems cool. But the other side of that, I’ve never been that great with accepting like praise. It’s a weird feeling for me.”

James claimed during a TNT interview prior to the game that he was unaware of the Warriors’ interest in him.

“I actually heard about it when everybody else heard about it,” James said. “Sometimes there’s conversations that happen behind closed doors that you don’t even know about it. And I guess until it’s real or not, then they’ll bring it to you. But it never even got to me.”

In the short run, James wants to maximize the remainder of the season. He arrived in Indianapolis on Sunday, rather than on Saturday like the other All-Stars, because he was seeking treatment on his left ankle. James missed the Lakers’ last game before the break on Wednesday. He’ll receive more treatment before L.A.’s next game on Thursday against Golden State.

“Trying to get my ankle as strong and as back to where I feel confident that I can finish off this last third of the season,” James said. “I won’t be playing the entire game (Sunday), for sure. I can get out there and run around with the young guys for a little bit and then shut it down at some point to give my body, and my ankle more importantly, another opportunity to rest.”

Following the NBA season, James intends to play for Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer.

“I told myself before the season when I committed to being a part of the Olympic team, obviously it was all predicated on my health,” he said. “As it stands right now, I am healthy enough to be on the team and perform at a level that I knew I could perform at.”

Southwest Notes: Doncic, Cuban, Barlow, Pelicans

February 18th, 2024 at 6:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic leads the league with 34.2 points per game, yet there’s little buzz regarding his Most Valuable Player award candidacy. Perhaps a big showing in tonight’s All-Star Game could change that narrative, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

However, Doncic himself is skeptical. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t know.”

He does know there’s a lot of work to be done to make this a special season for himself and the franchise. “I have a long, long way to go,” he said. “So I just enjoy every moment. . . I just appreciate every day. Every game. Every practice. For me it’s fun. So for me to do this as my job, it’s a dream.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Commissioner Adam Silver has plenty of praise for Mark Cuban, who has given up majority ownership in the Mavericks but will reportedly remain involved in basketball operations. Silver called Cuban a “game-changing owner” who continues to voice his opinions regularly to the NBA office, Townsend writes in a separate story. “He’s had an incredible impact on this league,” Silver said. “I have been with the league through the entire tenure of his ownership. From his earliest days in the league, he pushed us hard. He came in as a technologist.”
The Spurs’ Dominick Barlow, who is on a two-way contract, participated in the NBA G League’s Up Next tournament on Sunday. Barlow, who has appeared in 23 NBA games this season, said he’s grateful to have any type of pro contract. “If you don’t have a purpose and a passion for something and aren’t giving your all, you are just wasting your time,” he told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News. “So many people, especially young people, are searching for what they want to do in life and it takes a long time for a lot of different people to find that. I was fortunate to find what I wanted to do at a young age and I try to take full advantage, understanding I have a gift and a blessing. I don’t want to waste it.”
Former Warriors GM and current ESPN TV analyst Bob Myers compares the Pelicans to the Knicks, Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune relays. “I think the Knicks are the Pelicans of the East,” Myers said on ESPN. “Very deep. A lot of good players. Lacking greatness.” Myers adds that those types of teams are less effective in the postseason. “When you get to the playoffs, it’s not about the ninth or 10th guy,” he said. “When the Warriors were winning championships, you know what our bench scoring was? Twenty-seventh in the league; 28th in the league; 29th. You know who scored? The guy making $40 million. The guy making $30 million.”

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