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Jalen Smith Recalled By Suns

February 26th, 2021 at 6:30pm CST by Ben Stinar

Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton has gotten off to a fast off the bench during his rookie season, averaging 13.2 PPG and 5.4 APG. However, the young guard isn’t concerned about not being in the starting lineup (he’s started just two games this season), according to The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson.

Instead of worrying about his place in the lineup, he switched the subject of discussion to the new fad NBA Top Shot.

“Naw, I’ve been on NBA Top Shot all day,” Haliburton said, via Anderson. “… I’ve been trying to explain to my teammates why they should get into it. There are two things that a lot of us love and that’s money and basketball, so put them together and good things can happen.”

Here’s more around the Pacific Division:

  • Kings forward Jabari Parker was placed in the health and safety protocols prior to Thursday’s game against the Knicks, relays Jason Anderson of The Bee (Twitter link). It’s unclear when 2014’s second overall pick – who has only appeared in two games this season – may be cleared. He joins teammate Hassan Whiteside in the protocols.
  • The Clippers‘ G League affiliate (the Agua Caliente Clippers) has waived guard Ky Bowman after he suffered a season-ending injury (Twitter link via JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors). Last season, Bowman averaged 7.2 PPG in 45 games for the Warriors.
  • The Suns have recalled rookie forward Jalen Smith from the G League (Twitter link via Gina Mizell of Suns.com). Smith was the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft but has appeared in just eight NBA games. Since the Northern Arizona Suns aren’t in action this season, the rookie had been playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers, averaging 8.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG in six games (16.3 MPG).
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Devin Booker Named All-Star Injury Replacement

February 24th, 2021 at 5:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns guard Devin Booker has been selected to replace Anthony Davis as a Western Conference All-Star, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Booker was considered one of the most glaring All-Star snubs after averaging 24.7 points, 3.8 points and 4.3 assists through 26 games. His play has helped Phoenix rise to fourth place in the West at 20-10. This will be the second All-Star appearance for Booker, who was chosen as a reserve last season.

[RELATED: Poll: Biggest 2021 NBA All-Star Snub?]

Davis is recovering from a strained right calf and isn’t expected to return for about four weeks.

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Suns Release Damian Jones

February 24th, 2021 at 6:17am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

FEBRUARY 24: The Suns officially waived Jones on Tuesday, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

FEBRUARY 23: Center Damian Jones is being cut by the Suns, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jones signed a partially-guaranteed two-year deal with Phoenix during the 2020 offseason. He never cracked the team’s regular frontcourt rotation, averaging just 6.7 MPG in 14 contests.

The 6’11” big man was selected with the No. 30 pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Warriors out of Vanderbilt. He won two titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018 as a little-used backup, then played significant minutes as a reserve with the Hawks during the 2019/20 season, averaging 16.1 MPG across 55 games (including 27 starts). Jones holds career NBA averages of 4.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 0.7 BPG in 13.3 MPG across parts of five NBA seasons.

With Jones gone, Phoenix now has an available roster spot to add a new player. As John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets, no specific free agent targets have been rumored yet, but the opening allows Phoenix general manager James Jones to explore a variety of possibilities.

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2021 NBA All-Star Reserves Revealed

February 23rd, 2021 at 6:16pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The 2021 NBA All-Star reserves have been revealed. Below is the full rundown of the 14 players scheduled to join the previously announced 10 starters for the March 7 contest in Atlanta. All-Star reserves are selected by the league’s head coaches.

Eastern Conference Reserves:

Notable omissions this season include recent Heat All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, two-time Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton, recent Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young, Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, recent Pacers All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis, and Sixers forward Tobias Harris.

Brown, LaVine, and Randle are making their All-Star debuts. Harden is the most decorated among the All-Star vets among the East reserves, as he will be appearing in his ninth All-Star contest.

Western Conference Reserves:

Lillard, who just barely missed out on a starting nod to Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, earns his sixth All-Star mention as he mounts a sleeper MVP campaign with the Trail Blazers. Paul will be playing in his 11th All-Star game, for a fourth different team (he did not earn an All-Star nod in either of his two Rockets seasons, but made it with the Clippers, New Orleans Hornets, and Thunder).

Snubs in the West include recent Suns All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker, Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, and 33-year-old Jazz point guard Mike Conley, the latter of whom may go down in history as the best NBA player never to make an All-Star team. Williamson, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, is a first-time All-Star. Last year, his teammate Brandon Ingram made his own All-Star debut.

Conley may still have his day in the sun, however. Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register notes that Lakers All-Star big man Davis, recovering from a right calf strain, will likely not be healthy in time to partake in the currently-planned All-Star game, and thus another Western Conference All-Star should eventually be named by NBA commissioner Adam Silver to replace the eight-time All-Star.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Examining Cameron Payne's Tough Road Back To NBA

February 21st, 2021 at 8:45pm CST by JD Shaw
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Suns Assign Jalen Smith To Clippers' G League Team

February 15th, 2021 at 4:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With no minutes available for rookie big man Jalen Smith in the Suns‘ rotation, the team has opted to send him to the G League. The Northern Arizona Suns aren’t in action this season, so Smith will join the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, Los Angeles’ affiliate, via the flexible-assignment rule, as the Clippers announced today.

Smith, who dealt with COVID-19 earlier in the season, has appeared in just eight games for the Suns so far, logging 50 total minutes. While the Clippers’ affiliate won’t necessarily showcase him like Phoenix’s own affiliate would, 2020’s No. 10 overall pick should still see regular playing time during his NBAGL assignment.

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Monty Williams Thankful For Time Spent In Philadelphia

February 14th, 2021 at 8:46pm CST by JD Shaw
  • Suns coach Monty Williams is grateful for the time he spent in Philadelphia as an assistant, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I was grateful when they first called me to be able to go to a team that was contending for a championship,” said Williams, who was with the Sixers in 2018/19. “You just don’t get those opportunities. … So for them to not only ask me to be apart of it, but take on a huge role is something that allowed me to answer the questions whether or not I was going to be able to do it again.”
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Jalen Smith Getting Slow Introduction To NBA Life

February 13th, 2021 at 6:36pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • Jalen Smith hasn’t seen much playing time in his first NBA season, but the Suns are content to bring him along slowly, according to Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports 98.7. Smith, who was sidelined by COVID-19 in parts of December and January, has appeared in just seven games, averaging. 6.9 minutes per night. “He’s a diligent worker,” coach Monty Williams said. “I don’t think any young player understands how hard you have to work to be a good player in this league. He embraced that part, which we’re really pleased with. He doesn’t miss days to get work in.”
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Saric Had COVID, Then Ankle Sprain

February 13th, 2021 at 2:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Suns forward Dario Saric confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 last month, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Saric hasn’t played since January 11 and his return was further delayed by an ankle sprain, Gina Mizell tweets. He took a bad step during sprints after recovering from the virus but he was active against Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
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