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Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Collins, Sochan, Johnson

December 14th, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Spurs have abandoned two experiments related to the development of No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. San Antonio began the season by starting Zach Collins at center and Wembanyama at power forward so the 18-year-old wouldn’t have to battle with other NBA big men. However, Collins’ unexpected struggles with outside shooting — he’s connecting at just 28.4% from three-point range after hitting 37.4% last season — caused coach Gregg Popovich to move him to the bench after 20 games.

“I think if we were shooting it a little bit better, I think it would have worked better,” Collins said. “The negative right now is spacing, so that’s a big reason why we went back to one big out there starting the game instead of two.”

Popovich has also stopped using Jeremy Sochan as his primary point guard, Fischer adds. Sochan is a versatile forward with a gift for passing, but he had never played point guard before Popovich decided to try him at the position in training camp. Fischer notes that instead of having a designated ball-handler, any of the Spurs’ starters are free to lead the break after grabbing a defensive rebound.

Even though the Spurs are losing at unexpected levels, dropping their 18th straight game last night, Wembanyama’s performance is providing hope for the future. He had 30 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and six blocks against the Lakers on Wednesday, and Fischer believes he’ll be a perennial candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

There’s more from San Antonio:

The Spurs may consider moving Keldon Johnson before the trade deadline (video link), Marc J. Spears of Andscape said on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to RealGM ). San Antonio has a surplus of wing players on its roster, and sources tell Spears that Johnson isn’t viewed as a good fit with the rest of the starting lineup.
Wembanyama’s first meeting with LeBron James didn’t happen Wednesday because the Lakers‘ star sat out the second game of a back-to-back with calf soreness, but the French rookie was excited about matching up with Anthony Davis, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. “He’s somebody I’ve studied a little bit in the past and a great player of course,” Wembanyama said, “and I’m glad I’m going to be able to play so much more times against him.”
While Wembanyama has been outstanding, the Spurs don’t have the foundation they were hoping to build by having lottery picks in the previous three drafts, McDonald adds. Joshua Primo, their 2021 pick, is already off the roster. Sochan (2022) has been struggling, possibly because of the attempted position change, and Devin Vassell (2020) has cooled off in December after a strong start to the season.

Latest On Draymond Green

December 14th, 2023 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The players union wouldn’t have been on board with an indefinite suspension for Draymond Green if he wasn’t willing to accept it himself, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on a SportsCenter appearance (video link).

Green and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, will meet today with Warriors general manager Mike Dunlevy Jr. to determine what kind of help Green will need to deal with the issues that are leading to his repeated suspensions, and sources tell Wojnarowski that Green has a desire to get counseling.

“I’m told he wants to get help to keep this from happening again,” Wojnarowski said, “to handle whatever issues he might have and whatever challenges he might have in his life.”

Woj adds that by making the suspension indefinite, commissioner Adam Silver is “trying to get to the root of the problem” rather than placing a number of games on Green’s latest act, which involved striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the head in Tuesday’s game. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Green is looking to deal with the underlying causes of his behavior, maybe for the first time in his career.

There’s more on the Green suspension:

The NBA office is sending a message to the Warriors that it’s tired of dealing with Green’s frequent transgressions and their effect on the league’s image, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Kawakami points out that Green has already missed five games this season due to suspension and has been ejected from three others. If his current ban lasts for 10 games, he will have been either suspended or ejected from 18 of the team’s first 33 contests. He’s also just two more flagrant fouls away from another automatic one-game suspension. Green seems incapable of controlling his behavior, adds Kawakami, who speculates that the league’s response to a future incident would be “swift and thunderous” and may result in a suspension for the remainder of the season. If that happens, Kawakami notes that the Warriors’ could either try to get out of the remainder of the four-year, $100MM contract that Green signed this summer, trade him for little or nothing in return, or release him and take the financial hit.
Green’s latest incident could spark much-needed roster changes, suggests Sam Amick of The Athletic. The Warriors have lost 12 of their last 17 games and aren’t doing enough to justify a payroll that hovers around $400MM with luxury taxes. With Green unable to stay on the court and Klay Thompson‘s dramatic drop in production ahead of free agency, Amick sees a reduced chance that they and Stephen Curry will all get to retire with Golden State.
Green’s suspension will result in a financial benefit for the Warriors because it was imposed by the league instead of the team. Scott Allen of Spotrac looks at how much the organization might save depending on how long Green is out of action.

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 12/14/2023

December 14th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat this morning at 9:00 am Central time (10:00 am Eastern).

Click here to read the transcript.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Chats

Hall Of Famer George McGinnis Passes Away

December 14th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA and ABA star George McGinnis has died at age 73, the Pacers announced today in a press release. McGinnis passed away early on Thursday morning due to complications from a cardiac arrest he suffered last week.

An Indianapolis native, McGinnis played his college ball with the Hoosiers, then joined the Pacers in 1971. He helped the franchise claim a pair of ABA championships in 1972 and 1973, earning three ABA All-Star nods from 1973-75 and co-MVP honors (with Julius Erving) in ’75, when he lead the league in scoring.

McGinnis later made the move to the NBA and teamed up with Erving in Philadelphia, playing for the Sixers from 1975-78. He made two All-Star teams as a 76er and one more with the Nuggets in 1979 before rejoining the Pacers from 1980-82 to finish his playing career.

In 842 career NBA and ABA games, McGinnis scored 17,009 points and grabbed 9,233 rebounds, good for a double-double average (20.2 PPG, 11.0 RPG). He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame as a player in 2017.

As the Pacers’ press release notes, McGinnis is one of four players in franchise history to have his number (No. 30) retired. Reggie Miller (31), Mel Daniels (34), and Roger Brown (35) are the others.

Our condolences go out to McGinnis’ friends and family.

Bucks, Pacers Have Postgame “Fracas” Over Game Ball

December 14th, 2023 at 7:49am CST by Luke Adams

A shootout between the Bucks and Pacers in Milwaukee on Wednesday night featured several milestones: Giannis Antetokounmpo set a new franchise record with 64 points, Damian Lillard surpassed Kyle Korver for the fifth-most total three-pointers in NBA history, and Pacers rookie Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first career point.

After the final buzzer sounded, fans in Milwaukee were treated to another unique moment: a frantic bid to track down and claim the game ball (Twitter video link).

As Eric Nehm of The Athletic and Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star detail, although there was video showing a Bucks staffer grabbing the game ball at the end of the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo was certain that the Pacers had taken it with them to their locker room. Following a brief on-court argument, Giannis and a few of his Bucks teammates ran down the tunnel toward Indiana’s locker room in search of the ball.

“It was Oscar Tshiebwe’s first official NBA point,” Carlisle later told reporters. “We always get the game ball. We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise record. So we grabbed the ball and a couple of minutes later some of their players ended up in our hallway. There was a big, I don’t know what to call it, a fracas, a melee, whatever. I don’t think any punches were landed, but my general manager (Chad Buchanan) got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players. He certainly has a bruised rib and who knows if it’s anything more than that.

“Unfortunate situation. We don’t need the official game ball. There’s two game balls there. We could have taken the other one. It didn’t need to escalate to that. Really just unfortunate.”

After subsequently watching the video that shows a member of the Bucks’ security team taking the game ball from the referee, Carlisle added: “Turns out that their security guy had grabbed the real game ball used in the game initially. They already had it.”

As Carlisle notes, the Pacers did end up with one ball to commemorate Tshiebwe’s night, but they believe they have a reserve ball, rather than the game ball itself. As for Giannis, while he also ended up with a basketball once things calmed down, he’s not convinced it was the one used in the game.

“I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand new ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “I can tell, I played, what, 35 minutes today? I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I will take and I’ll give it to my mom, for sure, but I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball.”

Giannis also said that his original goal was to get the game ball for Lillard rather than for himself.

“Dame is fifth of all-time,” he said. “I scored 60. At the end of the day, the ball they gave us, I offered it to Dame. I scored 60, he’s scored multiple times 60, he’s scored 70. He should have the ball. At the end of the day, I don’t think it’s fair. I understand when you score your first point in the NBA, you want to have the ball or whatever the case may be. But the end of the day, you’re talking about the guy who just jumped over Kyle Korver on the list. I feel like we should all stop what we’re doing and appreciate greatness.”

It’s hard to believe that this incident, which was essentially a misunderstanding over a piece of memorabilia, will become a source of genuine bad blood between the two teams. But the Bucks weren’t happy about their loss to the Pacers in the in-season tournament semifinal, and things got a little chippy in the fourth quarter on Wednesday following a hard foul by Aaron Nesmith on Antetokounmpo (video link).

It’s also worth noting that Antetokounmpo – who broke the team’s single-game scoring mark with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter – remained in the game until the final buzzer, despite the Bucks’ double-digit lead. He sealed the 140-126 victory with a dunk with 26 seconds remaining. Carlisle was asked after the game if he was surprised the Bucks star didn’t check out earlier.

“No point commenting on it,” Carlisle said. “I think it’s pretty obvious what the answer is.”

At the very least, the division rivalry between the Bucks and Pacers is getting more interesting than it has been in years. The two teams will face one another again on January 1 in Milwaukee and Jan. 3 in Indiana.

Injury Notes: Smart, Kennard, Smith, LeBron, Zion, Suns

December 14th, 2023 at 12:25am CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies are aiming to get some 5-on-5 work in for Marcus Smart this weekend, head coach Taylor Jenkins said on Wednesday (Twitter link via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal). Jenkins added that Luke Kennard is “probably a step behind” Smart in the recovery process, per Cole.

Smart was diagnosed with a left foot sprain on November 17 and was expected to miss three-to-five weeks. He’s four weeks into that process now, and could be nearing a return. Kennard, meanwhile, has been dealing with a left knee bone bruise. Almost two weeks ago, the Grizzlies said he was expected to be back in two-to-three weeks.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Pacers big man Jalen Smith (left knee bone bruise) has begun on-court work, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). “It’s possible within the next week to 10 days we could see him in a game,” Carlisle said. Smith is averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 70.7% from the field through 14 games (15.4 MPG).
Lakers star LeBron James was held out of Wednesday’s back-to-back in San Antonio after playing 40 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Dallas, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The Lakers said James, who was initially listed as questionable, was dealing with left calf soreness, but it doesn’t sound like anything serious, as he was interacting with teammates on the sidelines throughout the contest.
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson missed Wednesday’s win over Washington with left ankle soreness, but it should be a short-term injury, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “His ankle is getting better,” head coach Willie Green said. ” ... His ankle is fine. Day to day.” Williamson sustained the injury late in Monday’s game, Clark notes.
Suns wing Josh Okogie sustained a right hip injury and was sidelined for Wednesday’s loss to Brooklyn, per Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). It’s unclear how long Okogie might be sidelined. Guard Eric Gordon also missed the game with a calf injury. On a more positive note for Phoenix, fellow wing Nassir Little returned to the lineup after clearing the NBA’s concussion protocol, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Little wore a black face mask during the contest, as he sustained an orbital fracture last Friday against Sacramento. Surprisingly, Little only missed one full game and most of another with the injury.

Jazz’s Keyonte George To Undergo MRI On Thursday

December 13th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Jazz guard Keyonte George will undergo an MRI on his left ankle on Thursday after sustaining an injury in the first quarter of Utah’s victory over New York on Wednesday, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

According to Walden and his Salt Lake Tribune colleague Andy Larsen (Twitter links), George initially tried to play through the injury before limping to the locker room. The Jazz referred to it as a left foot injury when they ruled him out for the remainder of the contest, but it sounds like it may be an ankle issue based on the latest update.

The Jazz have struggled to open the 2023/24 season and currently own an 8-16 record, but George has been a bright spot, averaging 11.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists through 23 healthy games (26.7 minutes). However, as is the case with many rookies, scoring efficiency has been an issue for the 20-year-old, who has posted a .362/.322/.781 shooting line to this point.

George, who was selected 16th overall in this year’s draft, scored a career-high 30 points in Monday’s loss to Oklahoma City. He claimed a starting job just nine games into the 2023/24 season, replacing Talen Horton-Tucker.

Hopefully the injury is minor. The Jazz have dealt with injuries to multiple rotation players this fall, including star forward Lauri Markkanen, who just returned from a hamstring strain in the same game George was injured. Walker Kessler (elbow) and Jordan Clarkson (leg) have also missed several games, with Clarkson out at least two more weeks.

If George misses more time, Collin Sexton, Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji and Kris Dunn all figure to receive more playing time.

Pistons Notes: Wiseman, Losing Streak, Spacing, Ivey

December 13th, 2023 at 9:28pm CST by Rory Maher

With Jalen Duren and Marvin Bagley III injured, Pistons center James Wiseman received rotation minutes on Wednesday against Philadelphia, finishing with 10 points (on 5-of-7 shooting), three rebounds, one steal and one block, but fouling out in just 16 minutes. Asked after the game about the challenge of defending reigning MVP Joel Embiid (41 points in 31 minutes), Wiseman conceded it was a tall order.

“It was hard, but we tried our best,” the former No. 2 overall pick said (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). “Especially myself, because I haven’t played that much. I took on the challenge and tried to contain him. I didn’t back down from him.”

It was the 21st consecutive loss for the Pistons, who are now 2-22.

“We just have to keep working hard and figuring it out,” Wiseman said of the team’s spirit, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). “We’re a young squad, young team. We just have to figure it out.”

Wiseman could be a restricted free agent in 2024 if the Pistons give him a qualifying offer.

Here’s more from Detroit:

The Pistons haven’t won a game since October 28. In a full story for The Athletic, Edwards examines the events that have led to the longest losing streak in franchise history, which is approaching the NBA record for futility. Cade Cunningham‘s season-ending shin injury in 2022/23 started the team down a path of losing that hasn’t reversed, according to Edwards, with excessive turnovers on the court and plenty of turnover in the rotation (mostly due to injuries) also playing factors. There’s plenty of blame to go around for all involved, says Edwards.
A lack of spacing due to poor outside shooting has been an issue all season for Detroit. Following Monday’s loss to Indiana, which saw the Pistons score a season-high 123 points, head coach Monty Williams said he was still learning how to utilize certain players. “I think we’re starting to figure out that we can score when we space the floor properly,” Williams said (Twitter video link via Bally Sports Detroit). “I’m learning how to use certain guys on the team.” For what it’s worth, the Pacers are 28th in the league in defense; the Pistons scored 111 points tonight against Philadelphia’s ninth-ranked defense.
It took until Monday for Williams to “allow Jaden Ivey to be Jaden Ivey,” Sankofa writes for The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Ivey was the No. 5 pick of last year’s draft and made the All-Rookie Second Team in 2022/23, but his playing time and role have fluctuated in his second season (first under Williams). He finished with 18 points in a season-high 34 minutes on Monday. “Obviously, it’s challenging,” Ivey said. “You’re trying to find yourself, when you play a certain role for a whole year and then are flipped into a different role. It’s like you’re trying to figure out how you can feel good and do your best in that role. It’s hard. The NBA’s hard. You’re playing different roles. I guess any guy can attest to that, playing different roles is hard when you’re trying to find yourself. Obviously it’s been hard and challenging, but my faith, it’s unwavering. My faith in my game. I always believe highly of myself and I’m going to continue to stick with it.”

Warriors’ Draymond Green Suspended Indefinitely

December 13th, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has suspended Warriors forward/center Draymond Green indefinitely, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The league confirmed the news in a press release.

The suspension will begin immediately and Green “will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” per the NBA.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), it sounds like part of those conditions will consist of Green receiving counseling following his latest incident, which involved striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head on Tuesday (video link). He received a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game.

While Green has been unapologetic about previous incidents, he claimed hitting Nurkic was unintentional.

“I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him,” Green said after the game, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “I sell calls with my arms … so I was selling the call … and I swung and unfortunately I hit him.

“… You guys have known me long enough, if I intended to do something, I am not apologizing. But I did make contact with him, so I do apologize. … It’s a hard hit.”

As was the case when he was suspended for one game during last season’s playoffs for stomping on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis, and once again after he received a five-game ban for putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock last month, the NBA cited Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” as a factor in his indefinite suspension.

Sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that Green, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. are expected to meet on Thursday to discuss “a path of counseling and help for Green to move forward.”

According to Wojnarowski, the NBA “didn’t want to put a specific number” on Green’s suspension, as the league wants him to “take the time he might need to deal with challenges he’s facing.”

It’s unclear what specific “challenges” Wojnarowski is referring to, but obviously Green’s behavior has become increasingly unhinged over the past year-plus. He wasn’t suspended for it, but he also punched former teammate Jordan Poole in the face during last season’s training camp, essentially torpedoing Golden State’s odds of defending its title before the 2022/23 season even began.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT hears Green will be able to practice with the Warriors during the indefinite suspension, which is an odd wrinkle in an unusual situation (Twitter link).

A former Defensive Player of the Year who has anchored the Warriors’ defense during four championships over the past nine years, Green re-signed with Golden State as a free agent over the summer, inking a four-year, $100MM contract.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Green will be docked $153,931 per game if he’s suspended fewer than 20 games. That figure will increase to $202,922 per contest if Green’s suspension exceeds 20 games. The Warriors, meanwhile, will reduce their projected luxury tax payment by $519,555 for each game Green is suspended, according to Marks (Twitter link).

There isn’t an obvious replacement for Green’s role on the Warriors, but it could result in more playing time for young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and perhaps Trayce Jackson-Davis, as well as veterans Dario Saric and Kevon Looney.

Lauri Markkanen To Return On Wednesday

December 13th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Luke Adams

6:31pm: Both Markkanen and Kessler will be available on Wednesday, head coach Will Hardy said (Twitter link via Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune). Markkanen will be on a “flexible” minutes restriction.

1:03pm: The Jazz appear likely to have All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen back in action on Wednesday for the first time since November 22. Markkanen has been upgraded to probable to play in Utah’s game vs. the Knicks, per the team (Twitter link).

The Jazz’s leading scorer this season, Markkanen averaged 23.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game with a shooting line of .484/.383/.840 in 15 games (34.1 MPG) before straining his left hamstring. He has been sidelined for the past eight games due to that injury.

While Utah pulled out a pair of upset victories over the Pelicans at home in Markkanen’s first two games on the shelf, the club has lost five of its last six contests and has the NBA’s worst offensive rating (102.3) during that stretch.

In other words, getting the 26-year-old forward back in their lineup would be a boon for the Jazz, who won’t have second-leading scorer Jordan Clarkson (right hamstring strain) or third-leading scorer John Collins (illness) available on Wednesday vs. New York.

Center Walker Kessler (right foot soreness) has also been upgraded to probable for Wednesday’s game after missing the Jazz’s loss in Oklahoma City on Monday.