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New York Notes: Thomas, Simmons, Kolek, Knicks, Klutch

October 12th, 2024 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Nets guard Cam Thomas is eligible for a rookie scale extension until Oct. 21. If he doesn’t sign an extension, he’ll be on track for restricted free agency next summer.

Speaking to Erik Slater of Clutch Points on the Bleav in Nets podcast (YouTube link), Brian Lewis of The New York Post said opinions on Thomas vary wildly around the NBA, making it difficult to get a read on what type of contract he might receive in a possible extension or as a RFA.

“With Cam Thomas, there is no sort of baseline,” Lewis said. “Some scouts, they think he walks on water, they love him. ‘Oh, he’s a bucket. Oh, he’s this, he’s that.’ Others wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole. They want no part of it. No matter what he’s getting paid, they don’t want any part of it.

“I’ve never seen a player like this, frankly, that is, when I say he’s divisive, I don’t mean that he’s divisive in the locker room and guys don’t get along with him. I mean, there is no sort of agreement between scouts or front office personnel [on] what his value is on the market, or how good of a player can he be.”

Here are some more notes on the NBA’s two New York-based teams:

Oddsmakers think the Nets will have the worst record in the league in 2024/25. Critics of Cam Thomas think he’s just a high-volume scorer on a bad team. He’s out to prove his doubters wrong and has taken up head coach Jordi Fernandez‘s challenge of scoring more efficiently this season, according to Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). “I definitely keep receipts,” Thomas told Sports+ this week. “Everybody uses different stuff as motivation. So, you know, I have a lot of stuff I’m going to use for motivation this year. And we’ll see how that goes for us. But I’m definitely ready and ready to prove people wrong this year.”
In an exclusive interview with Lewis, swingman Ben Simmons says he’s focused on providing leadership to a young Nets team and isn’t thinking about what the future might hold. Simmons, a three-time All-Star who has missed most of the past three seasons with back issues, is on an expiring $40.3MM contract. “We have a younger team that I want to help these guys get better. I want to lead by example. I want to compete,” Simmons told The Post. “Jordi [Fernandez] is coming in first year. It’s a big year for him. I want to be a leader on this team. So f– what happens next year, and what contract I get, if I get a contract. I want to do my job while I’m here and be professional and help these guys in any way I can. So who knows? I want to play as long as my body will allow me. So if it’s one year, five years, six years, I don’t know what it is. But I just want to keep going until I can’t anymore.”
Simmons also recently spoke to Law Murray of The Athletic about what roles he might play for the Nets this season, assuming he stays healthy, which is obviously a major question mark. The 28-year-old sounds more open to playing frontcourt minutes than he has in the past. “I’m an older guy now,” Simmons said. “I’m pretty strong down there. … I’m always up for that challenge. I think it’s just one of those things where, if your name is called to do a job, then you step up and try and do it to the best of your ability. So that’s what I’m going to do every night and try and contribute and do the best I can.”
Rookie second-rounder Tyler Kolek is soaking up wisdom from the veterans on the Knicks‘ roster as he adjusts to the NBA, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). “All the vets, just leaning on them, they’ve been there before,” Kolek said. “They know how this works. I’m kind of coming into this blind. Three years in college, each year I knew what to expect. Coming into this league I don’t really know what to expect, so just really leaning on those guys, leaning on my teammates to guide me through.”
Stefan Bondy of The New York Post explains how the Knicks‘ improved relationship with Klutch Sports played a significant role in the team’s blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Thunder Sign, Waive Javonte Cooke

October 12th, 2024 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: Cooke has been released, according to the Thunder, putting him in line to receive his Exhibit 10 bonus as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Blue.

OCTOBER 11: A few weeks after the deal was agreed to, the Thunder announced that they’ve signed Cooke.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Thunder have agreed to sign free agent guard Javonte Cooke to an Exhibit 10 contract, agent Jerry Dianis tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Cooke, who finished his college career at Winston-Salem State in 2022, has spent the past two seasons playing in the G League for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s affiliate. In 48 Showcase Cup and regular season games for Iowa in 2023/24, he averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 33.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .441/.363/.759.

Cooke also played in the Canadian Elite Basketball League this spring for the Brampton Honey Badgers before joining the Timberwolves’ Las Vegas Summer League team for a second consecutive July.

Iowa traded Cooke’s G League returning rights to the Oklahoma City Blue earlier this month. Assuming he returns to the NBAGL this fall and spends at least 60 days with the Blue, the 6’6″ guard will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his standard G League salary.

Magic Sign Robert Baker, Waive Javonte Smart

October 12th, 2024 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 12: Baker’s Exhibit 10 deal with Orlando is now official, the Magic announced. To make room for Baker, the team waived Javonte Smart.

SEPTEMBER 20: The Magic have agreed to sign forward Robert Baker to an Exhibit 10 contract, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Baker, who played college ball at Harvard from 2017-20, has spent the last few seasons in the G League, playing for the Kings’, Lakers’, and Hawks’ affiliates. Last season, he appeared in 29 games for the College Park Skyhawks – Atlanta’s NBAGL team – and averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.2 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .448/.340/.780.

The 6’10” forward had his G League returning rights traded earlier this month from the Skyhawks to the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s affiliate. Given that context, it looks like the plan is for him to be signed and waived by Orlando and then head back this fall to the G League, where he’ll earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Osceola.

The Magic currently have a full 21-man offseason roster, so someone will need to be waived in order for Baker to officially sign his contract. Five of those 21 players are on Exhibit 10 deals, so the cut will almost certainly come from that group.

Atlantic Notes: George, McCain, Shead, VanVleet, Horford

October 12th, 2024 at 9:24am CST by Rory Maher

Nine-time All-Star Paul George was the most accomplished player to switch teams in free agency over the summer, inking a four-year, $212MM contract with the Sixers. He made his preseason debut with Philadelphia on Friday night vs. Minnesota, recording 23 points (on 8-of-15 shooting), six rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes, per The Associated Press.

With the obvious caveat that it was only a preseason game, it was still an encouraging sign of what the 76ers could look like if their “big three” of Joel Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey are healthy, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic.

“He’s pretty good at basketball,” Maxey said of George. “I can see the vision. I really do. My goal coming into tonight is to see how comfortable he can get and to try and make him as comfortable as possible. It’s amazing to see what things he can do on the floor. I wanted to try and sit back and watch and see how he fits in and see how I can help him fit in. It was good to see him on the floor.”

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey admits the Sixers’ pursuit of George was “risky,” but he believes Philadelphia is now firmly on the short list of title contenders, he tells Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

“I feel like we’re one of the top few teams,” Morey said. “I think Boston’s pretty clearly the team that deserves to be called the favorite. They played great last year. They played really historically well, but I think we have a shot to get right in there, in the mix with them, and beat them this year.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

Rookie guard Jared McCain, the 16th pick of the 2024 draft, says he’s focused on improving defensively during the Sixers‘ preseason slate, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “I’m really not trying to set expectations for myself,” McCain said. “I feel I played well [in the exhibition opener against the New Zealand Breakers], [but I] definitely have things to work on defensively. But what I’ve always tried to do, especially in college, is focus on my defense, focus on playing hard, and my offense will come.”
Second-round pick Jamal Shead has quickly endeared himself to the Raptors with his defense, hustle, and willingness to accept his role, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Former Raptor Fred VanVleet, another small guard, sees similarities between his game and Shead’s, and the rookie says he’s hoping to emulate VanVleet’s NBA success. “He’s somebody that you look at as a role model,” Shead said of VanVleet. “Being in [college at] Houston, I got to see him [last season], just going up to [the Rockets] facility, watching him workout, watching him play. He’s somebody that’s my size, does what I do and shoots the ball a lot better than me. So, he’s just a role model and somebody that I can look at and try to be like in this league. Toronto’s known for doing smaller guards justice, so he set the pathway for me and I’m just trying to figure out how I can do what he did.”
Celtics big man Al Horford sat out Boston’s preseason games vs. Denver in Abu Dhabi, but he’ll make his 2024/25 debut this weekend, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. The Celtics have back-to-back home games this weekend vs. Philadelphia and Toronto. “Just ramping him up,” Mazzulla said of Horford. “We’re still talking about that. He’ll definitely play in one of them, maybe two, just kind of ramping him up and making sure he stays sharp. That’s all.” The 38-year-old veteran will make $9.5MM this season in the final year of his contract.

And-Ones: Preseason, Abu Dhabi, China, Nakase

October 11th, 2024 at 11:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Unlike the regular season schedule, which is entirely controlled by the NBA, teams around the league dictate their own schedules for preseason, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic details.

“It is a fascinating, not well-known part of the NBA ecosystem,” said Warriors chief revenue officer John Beaven. “We’re pretty pleased that control has remained with us. We lean into it. I think there’s some teams that probably do it to check the box.”

One exception is when international teams — like the New Zealand Breakers — come to North America to participate in preseason. NBA teams actually pay those clubs, and the league gets involved to figure out broadcasting rights.

Here are some more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Speaking of the preseason, the NBA canceled Friday’s contest in Orlando between the Magic and Pelicans due to Hurricane Milton, the Magic announced (via Twitter). The game will not be rescheduled.
The Celtics and Nuggets were eager to travel to Abu Dhabi for the NBA’s third consecutive preseason in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, writes Tania Ganguli of The New York Times. The league says it’s focused on growing the sport globally, but it has drawn criticism from human rights groups for partnering with the UAE, China and Rwanda.
Commissioner Adam Silver believes the NBA will return to China in the future, according to Vorkunov. The league hasn’t played a game in the country since then-Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent out a tweet in support of freedom for Hong Kong in 2019. “I think we will bring back games to China at some point,” Silver said Thursday at a sports management conference at Columbia University. “We had a well-known incident there pre-pandemic with a tweet and China’s government took us off the air for a period of time. We accepted that. We stood by our values.”
Former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase has been named head coach of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, the team announced in a press release. Nakase has spent the past three season as the top assistant for the Las Vegas Aces. “Being named the head coach of the Golden State Valkyries is a lifelong dream come true,” said Nakase. “I am thankful to Joe Lacob, Ohemaa Nyanin and the Golden State front office for entrusting me with this responsibility. We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work, and competitiveness. We will strive to improve, compete, and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization.”

Pacific Notes: Huerter, Monk, A. Williams, Redick, Rivers, Ham

October 11th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings wing Kevin Huerter, who underwent left shoulder surgery in the spring due to a torn labrum, has been cleared for full contact work, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee).

While it’s obviously great news that Huerter is getting closer to a return, he’ll still have to clear the Kings’ return-to-play protocol before he suits up in an official game, per the team.

Huerter, whose name has popped up in several trade rumors over the past year-plus, is coming off a down 2023/24 season in which he averaged career lows in multiple statistics, including minutes per game (24.4) and three-point percentage (36.1%). He’s under contract through ’25/26.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Kings guard Malik Monk exited Wednesday’s preseason contest early due to personal reasons. He remains away from the team and will miss Friday’s preseason contest vs. Golden State, but sources tell Anderson that the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up is “not expected to miss an extended period of time” (Twitter links).
Third-year guard Alondes Williams, who is on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Clippers, impressed several of his veteran teammates with his strong performance in Tuesday’s preseason game vs. Brooklyn, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Williams finished with 10 points (on 4-of-7 shooting), six rebounds, seven assists and a steal in 16 minutes off the bench. If he keeps it up, it’s possible the 25-year-old could earn a promotion — Exhibit 10 deals can be converted to two-way contracts, and the Clips have a two-way opening.
JJ Redick had some pointed criticism for Bucks coach Doc Rivers, his former head coach with the Clippers, last season while he was working as an analyst for ESPN. Asked about the status of their relationship before Thursday’s preseason game, the new Lakers head coach didn’t offer many details, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I don’t carry beef with people,” Redick said. “And I’m not going to get into the history of Doc and I’s relationship right now. And I probably won’t ever. He’s fine in my book.”
At his media availability on Wednesday, Rivers was critical of the Lakers‘ decision to fire Darvin Ham, who is now his top assistant in Milwaukee (YouTube link). “I’m not going to get into the whole thing that happened there, but he took a team to a Western Finals, and then the following year, he won the in-season tournament, which they say we should have a lot of value on, and then they release him,” Rivers said (hat tip to Paul Terrazzano Jr. of TalkBasket.net). “It literally makes no sense, but it happens. It happens to all of us. It’s part of what we do.”

Bulls Notes: Ball, Rose, Dosunmu, LaVine

October 11th, 2024 at 7:51pm CST by Rory Maher

On his podcast, the WAE show (Twitter video link), Bulls guard Lonzo Ball said he plans to play in two of the team’s final three preseason contests. As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune notes (via Twitter), that means Ball expects to make his preseason debut either next Monday in Milwaukee or Wednesday vs. Minnesota.

It’s been a long road back for Ball, who has missed the past two-and-a-half seasons due to a knee injury that required three surgeries. The former No. 2 overall pick will be a free agent next summer, as he’s on an expiring $21.4MM contract.

Here are a few more notes from Chicago:

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose announced his retirement as a player last month. On Friday, the Bulls announced they’ll hold a “Derrick Rose Night” on January 4 vs. the Knicks. However, the team won’t be retiring his No. 1 jersey during the halftime ceremony, according to Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Still, as Poe observes, no player has worn that jersey number since Rose departed the Bulls in 2016, so it’s possible the Chicago native could see his jersey hang in the rafters of the United Center in the future.
The Bulls’ starting lineup — Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic — doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence on the defensive end. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times suggests one workaround could be taking LaVine out early in favor of Ayo Dosunmu, which is something the Bulls did the past few seasons with DeMar DeRozan. Dosunmu would provide point-of-attack defense to pair with the other four starters, and staggering LaVine’s minutes would enable him to serve as the primary scorer with the reserves, Cowley notes.
Head coach Billy Donovan says LaVine looks fully recovered from a foot injury that limited him to 25 games last season, per Cowley. “I think he’s practiced really well,” Donovan said. “I don’t think I could say that the last couple of years, and I don’t think it was necessarily because of him not wanting to practice well. I think a lot of times he was coming out of an injury. Seeing him in September and some of this August, I felt like this is about as good as I’ve seen him physically in a couple of years.”

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Portis, Johnson, Robbins, Buckner

October 11th, 2024 at 6:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was dominant in his preseason debut on Thursday vs. the Lakers, observes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. As Nehm writes, Antetokounmpo sat out Milwaukee’s preseason opener on Sunday, so Thursday marked his first NBA action since he injured his left calf in April, prematurely ending his 2023/24 season.

The two-time MVP was back to normal Thursday, recording 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes. One of those blocks — a chase-down of LeBron James — made the highlight reels. It was an encouraging sign for Milwaukee, which has had disappointing first-round playoff exits in each of the past two seasons, in part due to Antetokounmpo’s untimely injuries.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Big man Bobby Portis continued to his scorching-hot shooting Thursday, Nehm notes. Portis, who finished third in Sixth Man of the Year for the second straight season in ’23/24, has scored 39 points in 28 preseason minutes, including 9-of-10 from three-point range. “My biggest thing this summer was to get in the gym and just work,” Portis said as part of a larger quote. “I worked every f—ing day of my life this summer, like a madman, bro. I just want my work to show on the court. So hopefully, it just translates in preseason. But I’m just playing with confidence and going out there and being who I am. I put a lot of work into my craft.”
Rookie guard AJ Johnson struggled in his preseason debut Sunday vs. Detroit, but he played with a much better rhythm Thursday, Nehm adds in the same story. “The biggest thing with him, man, is just trying to tell him just to slow down,” Portis said of Johnson. “Obviously, when you first get into the league, you’re kind of playing ultra-fast and you don’t know that the game can be just slow. It takes some minutes to find your rhythm, find your pace on how you want to play it at your speed. Everybody has their own speed on the court, right? So I think his biggest thing is trying to find the speed that he needs to play at to be effective and to be a pro.”
Center Liam Robbins, who was born in Wisconsin and grew up a Bucks fan, missed part of his final college season with a right leg fracture, which required surgery. A second surgery was needed in January after an issue with a plate that was inserted in his leg, but he says he’s fully healthy now and has no limitations, according to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “(Sunday) was my first game in like a year and a half so to get back out there, I definitely had a little bit of nerves getting back out there,” Robbins said. “I was really excited. Obviously not perfect by any means but just to get back out there and have the opportunity, just very grateful and count my blessings for sure.” Robbins, who has recorded five blocks in 22 preseason minutes, is on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Bucks.
Nehm of The Athletic details how head coach Doc Rivers recruited assistant Greg Buckner over the summer to spearhead Milwaukee’s defense. Buckner, who played 10 NBA seasons with five different teams from 1999-2009, has spent the past four seasons as an assistant with Cleveland, but Rivers pounced on the opportunity to speak to him when the Cavs fired J.B. Bickerstaff, Buckner’s close friend. The Bucks finished just 19th in the league in defensive rating last season, but they’re hoping Buckner will help turn that number around.

Heat Notes: Larsson, Herro, Jaquez, Bam, Backup Centers

October 11th, 2024 at 4:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Arizona wing Pelle Larsson, who received a standard contract from the Heat after being selected No. 44 overall in June’s draft, has made a strong impression on his new club ahead of his rookie season, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The 23-year-old recorded 10 points (on 4-of-5 shooting), two assists and a steal in 16 minutes of action during Tuesday’s preseason opener in Charlotte.

“He’s as advertised,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Larsson. “I think that’s what is so interesting about the draft process for all the different teams. Each team has their own philosophy, each team values different things. He’s an elite role player. If you mention that to some organizations, they probably think that that’s horrible. I think it fits absolutely with our style of play, our culture, how we view players and how they impact winning.

“He knows how to defend multiple positions, he brings you physicality on that side of the floor. Offensively, he moves very well without the ball, so he could be a connector with whatever unit he plays. And also, he’s been really working diligently on his shooting.”

As Chiang notes, Larsson may not receive consistent rotation minutes when the roster is fully healthy, but he’s doing his best to make it a difficult decision for Spoelstra.

“Just that I can make winning plays,” Larsson said when asked what he wants to prove this preseason. “They’re not going to put anyone out there who doesn’t show that. That’s the first thing they look for. And then if you can knock down open shots, they’ll be really happy. But the main thing is making winning plays — on the ball and off the ball. As a cutter, as a passer, whatever it is, just stack up winning plays.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Tyler Herro (right groin strain) and Jaime Jaquez (left groin strain) were both able to practice on Friday and could make their preseason debuts on Sunday vs. New Orleans, Chiang writes in another story for The Miami Herald. Spoelstra previously said the injuries were considered relatively minor, and a little bit of rest seems to have gone a long way.
Three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo, who won his second Olympic gold medal over the summer with Team USA, appears committed to expanding his offensive repertoire, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Adebayo went 5-of-9 from the field in 17 minutes on Tuesday, recording 13 points. Notably, he went 2-of-5 from long distance. Adebayo attempted a career-high 42 three-pointers in 71 games last season, converting 15 (35.7%). He should easily set new career bests in makes and attempts if he continues to feel confident from beyond the arc.
In a mailbag column, Winderman says he expects Kevin Love to open the season as the primary backup center behind Adebayo, leaving rookie Kel’el Ware and veteran Thomas Bryant on the outside looking in for rotation minutes. Winderman believes Miami will run various small-ball lineups as well due to the team’s wing depth, which could further limit the opportunities for frontcourt players.

Mavericks Notes: Thompson, Irving, Prosper, Doncic

October 11th, 2024 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The anticipation of his first game with the Mavericks led to a rare bout of nerves for Klay Thompson, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. After sitting out Monday’s preseason opener, Thompson was in his new uniform for the first time Thursday night, hitting three three-pointers and scoring 10 points in 18 minutes against Utah.

“I hadn’t been that nervous since the 2015 [NBA] Finals, Game 1,” Thompson said. “It felt so good to just get out there and play, and work those jitters out, because it was a new experience. It’s a natural feeling when you’ve been somewhere so long. … To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing.”

The former Golden State star missed his first three attempts, but he discovered his shooting touch in the second quarter after returning to the game following a brief rest. Thompson admitted he needed to “sit down and breathe and realize it was just basketball,” and he felt more comfortable the rest of the way. Thompson added that his back “tightened up” later in the game, but he doesn’t believe it’s anything serious. Coach Jason Kidd expects him to play in the first half of Monday’s road game against the Clippers.

“I think Klay’s a weapon, no matter how fast he gets it or how closely he’s guarded,” Kidd said. “He’s able to get his shot up and he’s done that his whole career. For him tonight, there’s a lot of positives. He had some great looks that we all know he’s capable of making. He never rushes. He never forces anything. He probably turned down some shots that we would encourage for him to take. We trust that he’s making the right decision if he does turn it down to get something better.”

There’s more from Dallas:

Thursday also marked the first preseason action for Kyrie Irving after having offseason surgery on his left hand, notes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link). Irving scored 12 points in 16 minutes, and Kidd said he has already developed a great relationship with Thompson. “The chemistry with those two has been strong in practice,” Kidd said. “Seeing them together in a game setting was great, and it’s only going to get better as we keep working toward the regular season.”
Injuries to P.J. Washington and Maxi Kleber have created an opportunity for 2023 first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who was on the court for 33 minutes Thursday night, Afseth adds. He posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and two steals and put constant pressure on Utah’s ball-handlers. “It feels great to be out there starting with the guys,” Prosper said. “I’ve been working hard on defense, and I want to bring energy every night. I know there’s a lot to learn, but I’m getting more comfortable in the system, and the coaches and my teammates are helping me grow.”
Luka Doncic sat out the first two preseason games with a left calf contusion, and it’s not clear if he’ll play Monday. Kidd told reporters, including Afseth, that it’s good preparation in case Doncic is sidelined for an extended stretch during the regular season.

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