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Team USA Notes: Germany, Edwards, Roster

September 7th, 2023 at 9:17pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Team USA blew out the Italian national team in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and intends to keep playing to its strengths ahead of a matchup with the undefeated Germans on Friday morning, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst writes.

While a loss to Lithuania earlier in the event stung, Team USA’s coaching staff featuring Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Mark Few reinvigorated the team’s identity prior to the 37-point victory over Italy, Windhorst writes, and they’ll plan to execute the same way against Germany in the semifinals.

Germany is 6-0 in World Cup play and has a size advantage, which Team USA struggled with in its loss to Lithuania, according to Windhorst. Dennis Schröder has been one of the best players in all of World Cup play, though he had an off day against Latvia on Wednesday. However, the Germans have depth, including NBAers Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, along with Daniel Theis.

“They’ve probably been the best team in the tournament overall,” Kerr said. “They’re connected, really well coached and have a lot of continuity and have a very strong team, physical team. So we’re going to have to play well to beat them.”

Team USA first took on Germany in a friendly game on Aug. 20, where Anthony Edwards fueled an 18-0 run by the Americans that helped the team complete a 16-point comeback victory.

The play of Edwards, how Germany chooses to guard him, and how the United States dictates the pace of play are key factors in determining which team will move on to play for the World Cup championship on Sunday, according to Windhorst.

“The challenge is to figure out when to attack and when not to,” Kerr said of Edwards, per Windhorst. “And we’re gonna need both. The last time we played Germany, he completely took over the game. [Against Italy] when we throw the ball ahead, whether it’s him or anybody else, we’re really lethal. So you just got to find that balance.”

We have more Team USA notes:

  • Edwards is doing everything Team USA asks of him, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, including dropping 35 points against Lithuania and then taking just six shots against Italy. “It’s the same thing with the Timberwolves,” Edwards said. “I’ve gotta look to score, look to pass. It’s not that hard.” Vardon writes that Edwards is on track to earn the elusive title of an NBA superstar, but he’ll need to close out the World Cup on a high note.
  • While Edwards has been a star, Team USA is benefiting from a team-oriented style of play featuring several impressive performances thus far, writes The Ringer’s Danny Chau. Chau highlights several of the team’s most impressive players, including Mikal Bridges, who scored 24 points on Tuesday against Italy. While none of what Chau calls “A-list NBA stars” are participating in the event, Chau believes many players on the team can or will elevate to that status.
  • Don’t forget to participate in our poll from this morning and chime in with who you think will win each World Cup semifinal matchup.
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Woj: Blazers May Be Prepared To Hold Damian Lillard Into Season

September 7th, 2023 at 7:46pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Appearing on a recent episode of NBA Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that “very little of substance” has happened in terms of movement on a potential Damian Lillard trade since the star guard first made his trade request in early July (YouTube link).

According to Wojnarowski, the league had shut down since summer league in a way he hadn’t seen in the last several years, leading to a lack of any traction on any potential blockbuster trades.

Now that executives are returning from vacations and players are coming in to work out in team facilities, there’s an expectation that conversations between the Trail Blazers and interested teams will ramp up in the coming weeks, per Wojnarowski. The next real deadline or landmark for Portland, Wojnarowksi adds, is the start of training camps in late September.

Wojnarowki says that the Blazers and maybe even Lillard are prepared for the possibility of the veteran remaining with the team in training camp and even into the regular season. The Blazers could look to reevaluate the situation after the first 20-25 games of the season and see how they’re performing, in addition to determining at that point whether the landscape of interested teams has changed, Wojnarowski said.

As ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently reported, there has been no indication that any team besides the Heat has expressed serious interest in making a trade for Lillard. However, as has long been the case, the Blazers aren’t interested in any packages Miami is putting on the table at this moment in time. Miami’s best offer would almost certainly include some combination of Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson, as well as first-round picks and young players like Nikola Jovic or Jaime Jaquez Jr.

After the first 20-25 games of the season, Wojnarowski suggests, teams that weren’t inquiring on Lillard before may become interested, such as an unexpected contender looking to go all in. Additionally, teams with existing interest in Lillard (ie. Miami) could be willing to increase their trade offers. Wojnarowski adds that he expects any Lillard trade to be a multi-team deal, rather than a two-team agreement.

Lillard, 33, is coming off an elite All-Star season in which he averaged 32.2 points and 7.3 assists in 58 games. One of the best Blazers ever, Lillard has played with Portland for 11 seasons, so he may be unwilling to sour relationships in the organization.

Lillard’s status as an all-time great who is still capable of averaging over 30 points per night makes high trade demands from Portland’s end understandable. However, hesitation from opposing teams also makes sense, given the guard’s age and contract (he could be on the books for $63.2MM in his age-36 season, pending a player option in 2026/27).

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Atlantic Notes: Quickley, Knicks, Pritchard, Porzingis, Giles

September 7th, 2023 at 6:42pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Teams are getting closer to training camp, which means lingering questions facing NBA clubs will be answered sooner than later. The Knicks, like every team, have several issues to sort out either before training camp or shortly before the season begins writes Zach Braziller of the New York Post in a mailbag.

The biggest question the Knicks must answer is whether or not Immanuel Quickley will get a rookie scale extension before the regular season tips off. In his own mailbag, SNY’s Ian Begley writes that New York and Quickley are expected to negotiate a contract sometime this month. However, if the Knicks decide to make him available via trade, they’ll have plenty of suitors, per Begley.

Begley hears that the Knicks had several trade talks with teams surrounding Quickley at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, prior to his breakout that saw him finish as the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up. However, Begley ultimately expects Quickley to extend with New York, and believes the team will begin extending other core players – Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and Quentin Grimes – down the road.

Braziller concurs with Begley, and sees the two sides agreeing to a deal that winds up in the four-year, $90-95MM range. Other topics included in Braziller’s mailbag include the future of Evan Fournier and what a matchup between Team USA and Canada in the 2023 FIBA World Cup would look like, with Brunson and Josh Hart potentially squaring off against RJ Barrett.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has never averaged more than 19.2 minutes per game in his first three seasons in the league, with his playing time declining in each subsequent season. Jared Weiss of The Athletic explores what Pritchard’s role may look like in 2023/24, which will be instrumental in determining his future with the organization. Pritchard, who wished to be moved at last year’s deadline, could be in line for more minutes with Marcus Smart‘s departure, but will need to improve. Weiss does a full video breakdown of the guard’s game to determine how he can take the next jump.
  • Battling plantar fasciitis, Kristaps Porzingis was forced to be a spectator as Latvia made the final eight of the World Cup and fell to Germany in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston writes that Porzingis choosing to preserve his body in such a crucial moment for his national team is a key indicator that he’s all in on the Celtics this year. Porzingis, whom Boston traded Smart for, is expected to be ready to go by the time the NBA’s training camps begin.
  • While Harry Giles has an uphill climb to make Brooklyn’s roster out of training camp, the Nets have one of the more interesting roster battles on deck, Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily writes. Giles, Trendon Watford and Darius Bazley appear to be in direct competition for two roster spots on the Nets. Giles, who hasn’t appeared in a game since 2020/21, only has 142 games of NBA experience and is just 25 years old, indicating he may have plenty left in the tank.
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Trey Murphy Undergoes Surgery On Left Meniscus

September 7th, 2023 at 5:31pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 7: Murphy has undergone surgery to repair his slightly torn left meniscus and is expected to miss 10-to-12 weeks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). That timeline would have him back in action around mid-November, Wojnarowski adds.

Per a Pelicans press release (Twitter link), Murphy underwent a successful partial meniscectomy and received a biologic injection in his left knee. The release states that Murphy is expected to make a full recovery.

SEPTEMBER 5: Pelicans sharpshooter Trey Murphy III has suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the injury occurred during a workout on Tuesday.

Murphy will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury and the best treatment path, Wojnarowski adds, noting that it’s not yet clear whether he’ll require surgery.

The 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Murphy emerged as a full-time starter for New Orleans in his second NBA season. He averaged 14.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 31.0 minutes per night across 79 appearances (65 starts), posting an impressive shooting line of .484/.406/.905.

If Murphy has to miss a significant chunk of the season, it would be a major blow for a Pelicans team that would badly miss his shooting. However, we’ll have to wait for further updates to get a sense of what sort of recovery timeline the 23-year-old might be facing.

Meniscus injuries can be treated differently depending on the severity. Even if a player has to go under the knife, the recovery timeline varies drastically depending on whether he has his meniscus repaired or removed. Some players have missed most or all of a season while recovering from a meniscus tear, while others have returned within a month or two.

Murphy is entering the third year of his rookie scale contract and will become extension-eligible for the first time during the 2024 offseason. While a big performance this season could benefit him financially, the Pelicans presumably envision him as part of their future and will prioritize his long-term health over his short-term availability.

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Questions Surround Pelicans Following Trey Murphy’s Meniscus Injury

September 7th, 2023 at 4:55pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee on Tuesday, leaving New Orleans without one of its most crucial role players.

The Pelicans have “significant concern” about Murphy’s injury given his status as a staple of New Orleans’ rotation, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Wednesday via NBA Today (Twitter link). Wojnarowski goes on to say that Murphy has “at least a slight tear” in his meniscus and is undergoing further evaluation to determine what procedure he needs.

The severity of the injury is still to be determined, with Wojnarowski saying Murphy could, in the best-case scenario, be back around the start of the regular season. There are also scenarios in which it may be months before Murphy takes the court.

[UPDATE: Trey Murphy Undergoes Surgery On Left Meniscus]

Murphy, who averaged 14.5 points on 40.6% shooting from three last year, being out is a massive loss for a Pelicans team that seems to continually be dealing with health issues. This latest injury leaves New Orleans with both lineup and existential questions, writes Will Guillory of The Athletic.

Guillory echoes Wojnarowski’s report that if the damage is minimal, the third-year wing could face a recovery time of about six-to-eight weeks. Pelicans stars Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have combined to appear in 199 games over the past two seasons (out of a possible 328), and Guillory writes that their absences are a huge reason the Pelicans have been unable to take a step forward in a deep Western Conference.

Muprhy was one of the NBA’s most improved players last year, jumping from 5.4 points on 39.4% shooting in 13.9 minutes per game off the bench to 14.5 points on 48.4% shooting in 31.0 minutes (65 starts). As Guillory writes, not only did Murphy’s numbers improve, but his confidence and ability to score in transition put him on another level.

As Ingram and Williamson continue to get healthier ahead of the 2023/24 season, Murphy looked like the perfect fit between the two as a defensive specialist capable of stretching the floor at a high level. Without Murphy, Guillory expects Naji Marshall and Dyson Daniels to pick up some minutes because of their defensive resumes, and that 2023 first-round pick Jordan Hawkins could help offset some of the shooting lost from the Murphy injury.

Guillory also writes that the Pelicans’ medical staff continues to be under a spotlight, with many injuries and longer-than-expected recovery timelines for said players. In order for the Pelicans to truly take the next step as an organization, Guillory writes, they will have to better communicate with the fan base and media about the recovery timelines of injured players.

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Dillon Brooks Thinks He’s The Best Defender In The World

September 7th, 2023 at 3:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Rockets forward Dillon Brooks certainly doesn’t lack confidence. Following Canada’s quarterfinal victory over Slovenia at the 2023 World Cup, the veteran wing was asked if he was the best defender at the tournament.

“Yeah. This tournament, this world, in the NBA,” Brooks said, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “I feel like I bring a different type of defense with my IQ and how physical I play and how disciplined I am on the floor.”

Brooks earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team this past season, his first appearance on an All-League team. As Fischer writes, new head coach Ime Udoka singled out the former Oregon product as a key target for Houston in free agency this summer due to his defensive tenacity.

“He (Udoka) knows that I bring a different type of edge to the game,” Brooks told Yahoo Sports. “I have my ups and downs with it. But I can teach young guys. Houston was a great offensive team. They just needed more on the defensive end, stressing priority on the defensive end.”

Describing the Rockets as a “great offensive team” in 2022/23 isn’t exactly accurate — they ranked 27th in the league, only faring better than the Pistons, Spurs and Hornets. However, Brooks is right that Houston needs help on both ends — the team was even worse on defense, finishing 29th in ’22/23 after being dead last two seasons ago.

Long known for being an irritant and a tone-setter for Memphis, the 27-year-old received a lucrative four-year, $86MM+ deal from the Rockets via a complex sign-and-trade. Brooks tells Fischer he’s ready for a leadership role with Houston.

“Just having a positive mindset, knowing that it’s gonna be a transition day by day,” Brooks said. “Getting better day by day and finding ways to believe in the details and believe in the little things that get you to where you need to get to, whether it’s playoffs, whether it’s winning the in-season tournament, each game getting better and better.”

In case you missed it, Canada faces Serbia in the first World Cup semifinal early Friday morning. You can vote in our poll for both semifinal match-ups right here.

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Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie Talks Offseason, Nic Claxton, More

September 7th, 2023 at 2:03pm CST by Rory Maher

In a podcast appearance with Dylan Burris of NetsPress, Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie admitted there is a level of uncertainty surrounding Brooklyn and the league as a whole until the Damian Lillard and James Harden situations are resolved. The Nets have been cited as a possible Tyler Herro suitor in three-team scenarios with Portland and Miami.

“Obviously, the offseason isn’t over,” said Dinwiddie. “I know the entire league is in a holding pattern for Dame and James. It could affect what we have going on.”

When asked if he knew anything about the Nets’ interest in possible trades, Dinwiddie said that information was “certainly above my pay grade.”

Assuming the roster remains intact, the 30-year-old expects 2023/24 to be a “building” year, as NetsDaily.com relays.

“If we do have this team, which it looks like we will, it’s going to another year of coalescing, building,” Dinwiddie told Burris. “Mikal (Bridges) will try to establish himself as possibly an All-Star, a first time All-Star. I think Nic (Claxton) is going to try to establish himself as one of the premier big men in the league especially being in a contract year and heading into free agency next year.

“Cam (Johnson), I think, has more ball skills than people kind of expected. So I think you’ll see him play extremely well. I think him being comfortable signing his deal, being comfortable and stuff, you’ll see a little bit of a leap there. For Cam, Mikal and Dorian (Finney-Smith), I don’t think any of them had been in another system.

“We’re going to be a group that gets up and down and hopefully, we have a healthy Ben (Simmons) and if he’s in All-Star form, you might have two All-Stars. If he’s there, we have a real puncher’s chance against anybody.”

According to NetsDaily, Dinwiddie praised Simmons as a teammate and said he was encouraged by his recovery from back and knee injuries, though he didn’t know the specifics.

As Dinwiddie noted, starting center Claxton is on an expiring $9.6MM contract, and the former No. 31 overall pick is coming off a breakout fourth season, having averaged 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.5 blocks in 76 games (29.9 minutes) in ’22/23. Dinwiddie said his teammate has made strides in multiple areas this offseason, including his touch around the rim, strength, balance and conditioning.

“I think Nic is going to make the biggest jump,” said Dinwiddie, who is also entering the final year of his deal. “I think he’s going to be supremely motivated. I think we’re going to see a big-time year from him.”

Dinwiddie also said he was a “fan” of the team’s offseason moves to this point, per NetsDaily, specifically mentioning free agent additions Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker and second-round pick Jalen Wilson, who is on a two-way contract.

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Lakers Notes: Wood, Davis, Frontcourt Minutes

September 7th, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Part of the reason it took Christian Wood so long to find a new team in free agency is he was waiting to see what would happen with the trade requests made by Damian Lillard and James Harden, sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

As Buha explains, Wood might have found an opportunity for more playing time and/or more money had one of the stars been moved, but since there hasn’t been much — if any — traction in either of those situations, he decided to join the Lakers on a two-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum (the second year is a player option).

Team sources tell Buha the “early expectation” is that Wood will come off the bench as L.A.’s primary backup center, with Rui Hachimura likely to start in the frontcourt alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Wood’s ability to space the floor should open up some two-big pairings, with Davis sliding down to power forward at times after spending last season exclusively playing center.

Wood’s addition could also reduce the minutes and roles of Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes, Buha adds. Vanderbilt was a rotation regular after being acquired from Utah in February, while Hayes signed as a free agent this summer after spending the past four seasons with New Orleans.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

  • In a statement to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link), Wood says his relationship with head coach Darvin Ham — the two briefly worked together on the Bucks — was a factor in signing with the Lakers. “We’ve had great conversations everyday about this opportunity,” Wood wrote. “He believes in me and told me I’ll be playing a big role and knows what I can do.” The former Mavericks big man added that he was “motivated after what Dallas did,” though he didn’t specify what he meant.
  • While there are some risks to signing Wood, the Lakers believe they’re the right organization to bring out the best in the talented scorer, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Having better defensive personnel around Wood might help mitigate some of his shortcomings on that end, Woike notes.
  • The Lakers prioritized finding depth at center because Davis told the team he didn’t want to spend all his regular-season minutes manning the middle, sources tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Davis signed a three-year, maximum-salary extension last month to remain with L.A. long term, so there was motivation from both sides to find another big man to help ease his workload.
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World Cup Notes: SGA, Brooks, Doncic, F. Wagner

September 7th, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has separated himself from the field in the race for World Cup MVP, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. The Thunder guard had 31 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday against Slovenia and has been outstanding while leading Canada to its first semifinals appearance in tournament history.

Among those impressed by SGA’s exploits is Canadian star Steve Nash, who served as general manager of the national team and had him on the roster for an Olympic qualifying tournament in 2016. Although Gilgeous-Alexander was just a teenager at the time and barely played, Nash could tell he had the potential to become something special.

“I mean, he’s got it, right?” Nash said. “He has the game, the feel, the understanding of his responsibility in the moment. It’s just a beautiful thing when you have a player like that in your arsenal.”

There’s more on the World Cup:

  • Canadian coach Jordi Fernandez credited Dillon Brooks for his strong defensive effort against Luka Doncic in the win over Slovenia, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. The Slovenians were upset by some of Brooks’ tactics before both players were ejected in the fourth quarter, but Fernandez doesn’t mind if Brooks takes the same approach in the semifinals against Serbia. “If they complain, they complain,” he said. “We have to play our game and we have to keep our composure, so we can control what we can control. I think yesterday we did a great job as a team defensively and especially Dillon put on a defensive clinic and it should be in a FIBA museum at some point.”
  • Doncic was upset at not getting more foul calls and made a money-sign gesture toward FIBA officials during the game, but he and Slovenia remain on good terms with the organization, Barkas adds in a separate story. Doncic downplayed the incident in a post-game press conference, according to Barkas, and Slovenian Federation president Matej Erjavec sat with FIBA secretary general Andreas Zaglis for Thursday’s contest against Lithuania.
  • Franz Wagner is confident that German teammate Dennis Schröder will bounce back in Friday’s semifinal meeting with Team USA after shooting 4-of-26 from the field against Latvia, relays George Efkarpidis of Eurohoops. Wagner also discussed the ankle injury that sidelined him for much of the tournament before he returned for the quarterfinals. “We tried to do as much rehab, icing, all that stuff as much as possible, and I think we did a really good job,” Wagner said. “And then the last week or so, I started working out on the court and was able to do a little bit more. I did a bunch of conditioning stuff, too, just so I can play again.”
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And-Ones: Ignite, 2024 Draft, Unsuccessful Pairings, Eddy Curry

September 7th, 2023 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The G League Ignite’s impressive collection of talent was on display Wednesday night in Nevada, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Six players who may be selected in next year’s draft were on the court for the Ignite, and a seventh, Thierry Darlan of France, missed the game against Perth, Australia, with an ankle injury.

The biggest attraction was guard Ron Holland, whom Hollinger considers the “betting favorite” to be the top pick in 2024. Hollinger adds that Holland isn’t a clear-cut No. 1 choice like Victor Wembanyama was this year, but he looked good in his first pro game, using a mix of explosiveness and ferocity to put up 23 points.

“Ron is very, very competitive” Ignite coach Jason Hart said. “So now I’m wanting to channel it to where the opposition doesn’t know if you’re mad or you’re happy. I just told him to relax, calm down … I think he heard me. But that’s going to be a process because he’s so competitive, and I don’t want to take that from him. That’s his thing; he’s just has to learn how to use it.”

Matas Buzelis and Izan Almansa, who are projected to be top-10 picks, also showed off their skills, Hollinger adds, along with Tyler Smith, London Johnson and Perth prospects Alex Sarr and Ben Henshall. The teams will meet again on Friday.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

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