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Warriors Move Klay Thompson To Bench

February 16th, 2024 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

After making 727 consecutive starts, Klay Thompson came off the bench for the Warriors on Thursday for the first time since 2012 in the team’s final game before the All-Star break. Thompson had his best night of the year, scoring a season-high 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting in 28 minutes of action in a 140-137 win over the Jazz in Utah.

As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area and Anthony Slater of The Athletic write, the move to the second unit wasn’t viewed as a punishment for Thompson, who has been benched in some clutch-time moments as of late and made some costly mistakes on defense on Wednesday.

Head coach Steve Kerr explained that he decided to insert Brandin Podziemski into the starting five in Thompson’s place because lineups that feature the rookie alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Jonathan Kuminga have been so effective — they’ve outscored opponents by 57 points in 107 minutes, good for a +26.0 net rating. Additionally, using Thompson as a sixth man gives Golden State “a lot of firepower” off the bench, Kerr added.

“He wasn’t thrilled about it,” Kerr said of informing Thompson of the decision before Thursday’s game. “I didn’t expect him to be thrilled about it.”

However, Thompson – whose overall production and shooting efficiency have dipped well below his career rates this season – said he ultimately decided to “embrace” the move before the opening tip.

“You can do two things. You can pout or you can go out there and respond. I thought I did the latter very well tonight,” Thompson said (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). “… I realize I’m going to play a ton of minutes, so you’ve just gotta let the ego go when you think of coming off the bench and all that. I thought about Manu Ginobili, that guy has four rings and a gold medal, and he came off the bench his whole career. And I don’t think anyone looks down on his Hall of Fame candidacy. He’s one of the greats.

“… The moment you worry about what people say or what headlines will be written about being benched or the streak being broken, is when you go out there and you don’t play with that love, that compassion for your teammates, and that freedom that has gotten me to this point. So I realized that I didn’t want to go to All-Star break on a sour note, and I had my best game of the season. Hopefully (can) build off it.”

As Slater notes, Kerr said after the game that having Thompson come off the bench isn’t necessarily “permanent.” However, he wants to at least take a longer look at it, so the plan is to keep Podziemski in the starting lineup and Thompson in that sixth man role when the Warriors resume play after the All-Star break next Thursday.

Thompson has averaged 17.3 points per game on .421/.373/.918 shooting in 50 contests (30.6 MPG) this season. The Warriors have a -1.9 net rating during his minutes this season, compared to a +5.5 mark when he’s not on the court, but the team was a +7 with the veteran sharpshooter on the floor in Thursday’s three-point victory.

Thompson remains extension-eligible and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t re-up with Golden State on or before June 30.

Central Notes: Williams, Haliburton, Fontecchio, Grimes

February 15th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls forward Patrick Williams hasn’t played since Jan. 25 due to a left foot injury. He’s also dealt with a right ankle injury while missing a total of 12 games this season.

Coach Billy Donovan hinted that Williams, a restricted free agent after the season, needs to give the team’s medical staff a heads-up if he’s not feeling 100 percent.

“I think Patrick has got to get better at when he has ailments and issues, not that he’s not getting treatment, but sometimes – and I’m not saying that this was the issue – but he’s got to really make sure that he’s not taking himself to a point where he’s putting himself in harm’s way health-wise,” Donovan said, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Williams’ hasn’t had any setbacks regarding his current injury but his return depends on his ramp-up activity, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. He doesn’t have discomfort walking at this time but it’s unlikely he’d play against Boston, Chicago’s first game out of the All-Star break, Johnson adds (Twitter links).

We have more from the Central Division:

Tyrese Haliburton believes the Pacers can reach the Eastern Conference Finals, and perhaps even represent the conference in the NBA Finals. “I have no doubt in my mind that we can be a conference finals team, no doubt in my mind that we have that capability,” he told Marc J. Spears in an Andscape interview. “And again, I don’t even want to say that because I don’t want to put a limit on it. I think that teams already know when they see us it’s not a walk in the park. That was established last [season] with the way we played. And now add another guy like Pascal (Siakam) and with the success that I’m having and the success that everybody on our team is really having this year, it ain’t a walk in the park at all.”
The Pistons enter the All-Star break with eight victories in 54 gamse. After the Pistons made numerous trades before the deadline, James Edwards III of The Athletic believes that the impact of acquisitions Simone Fontecchio and Quentin Grimes will be one of the top storylines to follow in Detroit for the rest of the season.
As for the Bulls, Johnson takes a look at the reasons for optimism and pessimism heading into the second half of the season. Chicago currently holds a play-in spot.

Northwest Notes: Henderson, Ayton, Murray, Gordon, Flagler

February 15th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Scoot Henderson received his first start since Jan. 14 on Thursday and Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups plans to keep him in the lineup, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter links).

“The biggest thing is he deserves it. He’s just played really well,” Billups said. “I’ve wanted him to earn everything he gets. And he’s done that.”

Henderson, the third pick of last year’s draft, averaged 19.0 points and 5.6 assists in the previous five games.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Deandre Ayton has averaged 17.8 points on 62% shooting from the field, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks in his last 10 games. The Trail Blazers center missed 12 games due to a knee injury and returned to action on Jan. 19. Ayton feels he’s fitting in better by taking inventory of his past mistakes, he told Casey Holdahl of the Blazers’ website. “I’ve been trying to humble myself a little bit and just accept the challenge, have some humility when it comes to failure,” he said. “Not try to rush anything. We’re a young team but we’re an exciting team as well. We just can’t skip no steps and we have to go through these growing pains a little bit where we’re just trying to know each other, really.”
Jamal Murray was passed over for All-Star recognition yet again this season, but he has something more important — a championship ring. The Nuggets guard expressed that sentiment to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “I’m an All-Star when you need the All-Star to show up — in the playoffs,” he said. “You want the best to step up (then), right? And I think I do a good job of that. So I kind of backed myself up in that way. That’s it. That’s what it is. So it’s just more fuel to the fire. But (not being selected an All-Star) doesn’t hurt me like that, psychologically. I haven’t made it for so long, and I’m a champion. And I’m on the best team in the world playing with the best player in the world.”
The Nuggets enter the All-Star break on a three-game skid and Aaron Gordon tells The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando that some time off is exactly what they require. “I think everybody needs a break,” Gordon said. “Everybody needs some rest. I think that’s what it comes down to. When you’re fatigued, not only is your body tired, but your mind is tired, too. Your ability to focus is just not as laser-sharp.”
Adam Flagler‘s two-way contract with the Thunder is for two seasons, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Flagler, an undrafted guard playing with the team’s G League affiliate, signed on Saturday.

New York Notes: DiVincenzo, Knicks’ Roster, Johnson, Bridges

February 15th, 2024 at 7:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks swingman Donte DiVincenzo would like to represent Italy in this year’s Summer Olympics but it apparently won’t happen.

“Ideally, I would love to,” DiVincenzo told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Logistically and how everything plays out, I don’t know if it’s possible. But if everything works out perfectly, I would love to.”

However, in a follow-up story, Bondy said he received an email from a representative from the Italian Basketball Federation stating that DiVincenzo couldn’t be added to the team.

“For the next Olympic Games there would not be the time to complete the procedures to provide him with an Italian passport,” Francesco D’Aniello wrote.

We have more on the New York teams:

The Knicks only have 13 players on standard contracts and need to add at least one more. According to Ian Begley of SNY TV, signing one – or more — of their G League players to a standard contract is a possibility. Charlie Brown Jr., Jacob Toppin and Duane Washington are currently on two-way deals and may be candidates for a promotion, while Taj Gibson, who is currently on a 10-day deal, could receive a rest-of-the-season contract, Begley adds.
Nets forward Cameron Johnson returned to action on Wednesday after missing four games with a left adductor strain. He came off the bench and played 18 minutes, contributed four points, three rebounds and two assists. Johnson started in all 40 of his previous appearances but Dorian Finney-Smith got the starting nod with Johnson on a minutes restriction. Coach Jacque Vaughn will have to choose between the two of them going forward, unless he wants to put Cam Thomas in a sixth man role again, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post,
The Nets’ last game before the All-Star break was a disaster, as they lost by 50 to the first-place Celtics. Forward Mikal Bridges told Lewis that the team shouldn’t forget about the loss. “Yeah, I mean you gotta learn and fix the issue; that’s pretty much what it is. You can’t just let this one go and think like, ‘Oh, like, let it drop.’ No,” he said. “Yeah, maybe if you lost towards the end, but you got beat by 50. It’s not just, ‘Let it go.’ A lot of (bleep) is not right, and you’ve got to fix it.”

Pacific Notes: Hachimura, Ham, James, Brown, Lee

February 15th, 2024 at 5:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rui Hachimura, who remained with the Lakers by signing a three-year, $51MM contract last summer, erupted for a career-high 36 points against Utah on Wednesday. His teammates implored him last week to be more assertive on the offensive end and Hachimura believes he’s capable of playing an important role the rest of the way, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“I want to be the X factor for the team, either coming off the bench or starting, whatever that is, offensively, defensively, everything,” the Lakers forward said. “Just got to be aggressive, use my size, whatever it takes to win.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The NBA world was shaken up by the revelation that the Warriors had made inquiries to the Lakers about LeBron James‘ availability prior to the trade deadline. Lakers coach Darvin Ham was asked for his reaction and Ham did his best to sidestep the issue, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register writes. “To put it [simply], the alignment that I have with [Lakers governor] Jeanie [Buss] and [GM] Rob [Pelinka] is they handle that stuff,” Ham said. “It’s my job to try to extract the most positive performances out of our team.”
Mike Brown isn’t backing down from publicly criticizing officials, even though he’s already been fined by the league for it. The Kings coach was upset about a number of officiating decisions during the team’s loss to Phoenix on Tuesday, including what he felt was a foul by Devin Booker that wasn’t called in the final minute. “I don’t know, man. You fight so hard and then you just feel like it’s just not fair down the stretch,” Brown said to Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee and other media members. “That no-call — I’m going to be interested to see the 2-minute report, because if they say that’s not a foul on Booker, I’m really lost.” Brown was fined $50K last month by the league for comments about the officiating.
Following Booker’s first-quarter ejection against Detroit on Wednesday, Suns two-way player Saben Lee stepped in and contributed 16 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists in 24 minutes against one of his former teams. It was easily his most impactful outing this season, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic notes. “He’s an elite athlete. He can really touch the paint at will and he makes good decisions when he gets there,” coach Frank Vogel said. “Very shifty. He’s got great ability to draw fouls, sweet moves and shot fakes and those types of things. He’s a hell of a guy to have in that situation to come in and give us that spark.”

Clippers Notes: Leonard, Gallinari, Tucker, Hyland

February 15th, 2024 at 3:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard missed his fifth game of the season on Wednesday vs. Golden State due to a left adductor strain, but head coach Tyronn Lue said the injury isn’t significant, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

“I don’t think it’s that serious,” Lue said before Wednesday’s game. “He played through it last game (on Monday), was experiencing some soreness in the hip, so when the game got out of reach we didn’t bring him back in the fourth quarter to be smart about it.”

Leonard was named to his sixth All-Star team in 2023/24, but his status for this weekend’s exhibition game is to be determined. The 32-year-old is expected to travel to Indianapolis either way, a source told ESPN.

Here’s more on the Clippers, who are currently 36-17, the No. 3 seed in the West:

Bucks guard Patrick Beverley sent out a tweet through his podcast’s account saying veteran forward Danilo Gallinari will either sign with the Clippers or the Bucks. While he couldn’t corroborate Milwaukee’s interest, Law Murray of The Athletic confirms (Twitter link) the Clippers are open to a reunion with Gallinari, who spent two seasons with the Clips from 2017-19. However, as Murray observes, the Clippers currently have a full roster, and there isn’t an obvious candidate to be released. The 35-year-old became an unrestricted free agent after he was waived by Detroit last week. The Suns are reportedly among the teams interested in Gallinari’s services.
Forward P.J. Tucker claims that not playing leading up to the trade deadline was a “collaborative decision” with the Clippers, according to Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic. Tucker hasn’t played in a game since November 27. “It was agreed upon that I would sit,” Tucker told The Athletic over the weekend. “I didn’t just sit, it was agreed upon. Until they moved me, I would sit. They didn’t do it. But (I) try to be professional, as professional as possible. But at the same time, if I don’t advocate for myself, who is? You know? But it is what it is, man.” Tucker was fined $75K on Thursday for publicly expressing a desire to be traded.
Tucker also told The Athletic it’s unrealistic to expect him to be productive in the postseason after not playing for so long in the regular season. “Becoming teammates, you’re building bonds,” Tucker said. “You have to take time when you have something built. Can’t just throw somebody out there, ‘Go play now.’ You know what I’m saying? It don’t work like that. So I don’t know where it goes from here. I don’t know. I know what they think is going to happen. But I don’t think it happens like that. Just throw somebody in the playoffs in the second round. ‘Alright, now go do what you do.’ Don’t work like that.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning about sending home Tucker and Bones Hyland, Lue suggested that Hyland may have submitted his own trade request prior to last week’s deadline after receiving scant playing time the past few months. The third-year guard has struggled in his limited garbage-time minutes, Charania and Murray note. “You want to have competitors on your team,” Lue said. “They want to play. So when you try to get traded, it doesn’t work out, and you want to go to a place (where you can) play, it doesn’t mean they’re not happy here. They are. But they want to play, they want to compete.” Tucker holds a $11.54MM player option for 2024/25, while Hyland is owed a guaranteed $4.16MM in the final season of his rookie scale contract.

Clippers’ P.J. Tucker Fined $75K By NBA

February 15th, 2024 at 2:23pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers forward P.J. Tucker has been fined $75K for publicly expressing a desire to be traded in comments to Andscape reporter Marc J. Spears last week, the NBA announced on Thursday (via Twitter).

“I want to be somewhere where I’m needed, wanted and can do it all,” Tucker told Spears. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I have my fingers crossed and I’m hoping to go somewhere else.”

Tucker also told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk last week that he was “actively trying to get traded.”

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, the maximum fine Tucker could have received was $150K.

The 38-year-old hasn’t seen action since November 27 after initially playing a rotation role for the Clippers. He averaged just 1.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game across 12 appearances off the bench for his new team, making 4-of-14 field goal attempts (28.6%). He was sent to L.A. from Philadelphia in the James Harden trade.

Tucker has been unhappy with his role for much of the season, with reports of his discontent first surfacing in December. In the days and weeks that followed, he repeatedly expressed frustration with his lack of playing time, and the Clippers reportedly made an effort to trade him at last Thursday’s deadline. However, he presumably had negative value on the trade market due to the $11.54MM player option on his contract for next season, and L.A. didn’t find a deal.

The Clippers sent home both Tucker and Bones Hyland — another player who hasn’t been getting minutes — ahead of Wednesday’s win over Golden State. Both players are expected to return to the team after the All-Star break.

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/15/2024

February 15th, 2024 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central time (3:00 pm Eastern).

Click here to read the transcript, and join us next Thursday for our next live chat.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Chats

Pacers Notes: Siakam, Raptors, Haliburton, Meeting, McDermott

February 15th, 2024 at 1:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Pascal Siakam made an emotional return to Toronto on Wednesday evening, including converting a bank shot that sealed the Pacers‘ victory with 25 seconds remaining, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

“I tried to stay focused on the game as much as I could, but it [was] just hard, just coming in here and seeing so many familiar faces and reflecting on everything,” Siakam said. “Coming back here after eight years, just to see the reception and people being so genuinely happy for me, I think for me that was the most important thing. … I couldn’t really ever dream of that. It means a lot, so I appreciate everyone for everything. I’m humbled.”

As Lewenberg writes, Siakam seems truly happy to be playing for Indiana, which is a contrast to the “unfortunate end” of his tenure with the Raptors, who traded him to the Pacers last month.

“It feels amazing,” Siakam said before the game. “[From the moment I got to Indiana] it’s just been so much love, so much appreciation and just like overly supportive in everything. It feels good to be in a place like that. I’m just looking forward to continuing to be there and just have an opportunity to do something special with that team.”

A source tells Lewenberg the Raptors reached out to Siakam’s camp to see if he’d be interested in a three-year, maximum-salary extension before the 2023/24 season began, though Lewenberg cautions that the offer was “informal, at best.” Siakam, meanwhile, wanted a fourth year added, and talks broke down after that.

Lewenberg believes the Raptors took Siakam for granted, but the two-time All-NBA member is “excited to have the opportunity” to play for the Pacers. The 29-year-old is set to hit free agency this summer and is widely expected to sign a long-term deal with Indiana, which holds his Bird rights.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Speaking to JJ Redick on his Old Man and the Three podcast (Twitter link), All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton admitted he might’ve taken another game or two off following his hamstring injury if he didn’t have significant financial considerations at stake. Haliburton’s rookie scale extension features Rose rule language, which means he’s eligible to make 30% of next season’s salary cap instead of 25% if he makes an All-NBA team. However, he needs to play at least 65 games to qualify for major postseason awards due to a rule change in the new CBA.
Indiana held a brief players-only meeting following Monday’s loss to Charlotte, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “Some things were addressed after the game,” center Myles Turner said. “We all got together and we spoke without the coaches and just talked it out and I think we’re headed in the right direction.” However, Turner was miffed by the team’s performance, starting with his own. “There’s no excuses, man,” Turner said. “This isn’t the first time this has happened this season. It starts with me as a leader of this team. Our defense just wasn’t there tonight. I wasn’t very good defensively tonight. I think as a whole going into All-Star break, these games matter. I don’t think we had the right mindset tonight.” As Dopirak notes, while the Pacers are currently 31-25, the No. 6 seed in the East, they have several losses to teams at the bottom of the standings, including the Hornets (twice) Trail Blazers (twice), Wizards, Grizzlies and Raptors.
Veteran sharpshooter Doug McDermott is “thrilled” to be back with the Pacers, who traded for him prior to last week’s deadline, according to Dopirak. “It feels good to be a part of winning basketball,” McDermott said. “I haven’t really been a part of that in a couple years. Just to be a part of the Pacer organization, I’m super excited but very thankful for my time in San Antonio. I’ve always felt like this place is home for me. It’s kind of the place where I revamped my career.” The Midwest native previously played three seasons with Indiana, from 2018-21.

Dyson Daniels Out At Least Four Weeks After Knee Surgery

February 15th, 2024 at 11:12am CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels underwent successful left knee surgery on his torn lateral meniscus, the team announced. The 2022 lottery pick is expected to make a full recovery and will be reevaluated in four weeks, per the release.

Daniels has been a rotation regular for New Orleans in his second NBA season, averaging 5.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 52 games, including 15 starts (21.9 minutes). He posted a .438/.291/.640 shooting line in those contests.

Asked about Daniels on Wednesday, head coach Willie Green didn’t rule out the possibility that he could return before the playoffs begin on April 20, according to Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). New Orleans is currently 33-22, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

A 6’8″ combo guard out of Australia, Daniels was selected to the Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, which will place tomorrow. However, due to his injury, he was replaced by Grizzlies wing Vince Williams.

The Pelicans exercised their third-year team option on Daniels before the season began, so he will earn a guaranteed $6,059,520 salary in 2024/25.

The Pels will have until the fall to decide they want to pick up their fourth-year option — worth $7,707,709 — for the final season of the 20-year-old’s rookie scale contract. That seems very likely given his solid contributions, particularly on the defensive end.