Anthony Davis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Rumors: Coaching Change, Davis, Westbrook, THT, Nunn, Monk

April 5th, 2022 at 12:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

An offseason coaching change seems inevitable for the Lakers, who could see their hopes for the play-in tournament end as early as tonight, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Sources tell Fischer that L.A. is expected to fire Frank Vogel after the end of the season. Vogel has reportedly been on the hot seat for some time, and only received a one-year contract extension last summer.

There will be a long list of potential replacements, but Fischer identifies Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Sixers coach Doc Rivers as the most intriguing names to watch. Marc Stein of Substack recently linked Snyder to the Lakers’ job, and possibly to the Spurs as well. Snyder responded by calling it “disrespectful” to the teams involved to discuss rumors while those coaching positions are filled.

Snyder was a Lakers assistant 10 years ago, and Utah may decide to make a coaching change of its own after a late-season slide, but Fischer cites skepticism around the league that he’ll wind up in Los Angeles. The feeling is that Snyder would prefer to wait for the San Antonio job, even if Gregg Popovich returns next season.

Rivers could become available if Philadelphia has an early playoff exit, and he would be considered by the Jazz as well, Fischer adds. Rivers had a long history in Boston with Utah CEO Danny Ainge.

Fischer has more news regarding the Lakers:

Some rival teams have wondered if Anthony Davis might be available in a trade this summer, but multiple sources told Fischer that won’t be an option the Lakers seriously consider. Davis has been severely limited by injuries the past two years, playing 39 games so far this season and 36 in 2020/21, but L.A.’s front office still believes it has the makings of a championship contender when Davis and LeBron James are healthy.
The Lakers will try again to trade Russell Westbrook, but they still may not have any options other than a deal with the Rockets for John Wall that would likely also cost them a future first-round pick. Talen Horton-Tucker, who Fischer said was nearly sent to the Raptors at the deadline in a three-way deal that would have included the Knicks, will also be on the market, along with Kendrick Nunn, who is expected to pick up his $5.25MM player option.
Malik Monk was the Lakers’ best offseason signing, ranking third on the team in points scored and minutes played on a minimum-salary contract, but he may be somewhere else next season. L.A. only holds Non-Bird rights on Monk and will be limited to a contract that starts at the taxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected to be $6.4MM. Rival executives expect him to get offers with a starting salary as high as $10MM, says Fischer.

Lakers Notes: Davis, James, Injuries, DeRozan

April 4th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers aren’t technically out of playoff contention yet, but after falling two games (and a tiebreaker) behind San Antonio in the Western Conference standings on Sunday, their odds of claiming a spot in the play-in tournament are increasingly slim — in fact, the Lakers could be officially eliminated as soon as Tuesday if they lose in Phoenix and the Spurs win in Denver.

Following Sunday’s loss, Anthony Davis sounded like someone who recognized that L.A.’s season is all but over, as he reflected on “what could have been” if the team had been healthier.

“I think the biggest thing that I think about personally is what we could have been, had we stayed healthy all year,” Davis said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “What could we have been. … Guys feel like, ‘OK, what could we have been if I was healthy all year, [LeBron James] was healthy, [Kendrick] Nunn was healthy.’ You think about those things. We put this team together and it looked good on paper, but we haven’t had a chance to reach that potential with guys in and out of the lineup.”

Davis, who has only played in half of the Lakers’ 78 games so far this season, has been bothered throughout his career by injuries, but he bristled at the perception that he’s fragile, telling Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times that he hasn’t been sidelined due to “little ticky-tack injuries.”

“This is what I’ve learned about injuries,” Davis said. “Last year when I wasn’t playing, people were saying, ‘AD’s giving up on his team. It’s the playoffs. AD has to play. He’s got to play.’ And when I went out there to play, got hurt again, they said, ‘Who was his trainer? Who let him play?’

“So, what the [expletive] do you want me to do? When I play, it’s a problem. It’s a problem when I don’t play. At the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and how my body feels. And we go from there. I’m not worried about who’s saying what or who thinks this about me because none of them have stepped on the floor and played. And the ones that did play, they should understand.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

A source familiar with James’ status told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that the star forward is “unlikely” to play on Tuesday vs. Phoenix. However, according to McMenamin, the source said there’s still a chance that could change if LeBron’s ankle improves more than expected by tomorrow night.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic and his colleague John Hollinger both pushed back against the idea that injuries have been the primary cause of the Lakers’ disappointing season. Buha observed that even in games when Davis and James played, the team was just 11-11, while Hollinger said the team’s offseason plan needs to be better than simply running it back and hoping its two superstars stay healthy in 2022/23.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up and First Take on Monday, former Lakers president Magic Johnson criticized the club for not acquiring DeMar DeRozan last offseason instead of Russell Westbrook (link via Jenna Lemoncelli of The New York Post). While that’s not an unreasonable take, given that DeRozan had interest in playing for his hometown team, Johnson’s assertion that the Lakers could’ve had DeRozan, Buddy Hield, Alex Caruso, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope instead of Westbrook is a fantasy that doesn’t pass muster. Unless DeRozan had been willing to sign for the taxpayer mid-level exception (which wasn’t viewed as a viable option at the time), L.A. would’ve become hard-capped by acquiring him and would have had no way of carrying all those contracts in addition to James’ and Davis’ maximum salaries. Acquiring both DeRozan and Hield without giving up Caldwell-Pope also likely wouldn’t have been possible due to salary-matching rules.

Lakers Notes: Play-In Race, Davis, Vogel, LeBron

April 2nd, 2022 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers still have a chance to reach the play-in tournament, but there was an air of defeat surrounding the team following Friday’s loss to the Pelicans, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. After falling in what LeBron James called “pretty much was a must-win for us,” L.A. trails New Orleans by three games and San Antonio by one game with five left to play and the Spurs holding the tiebreaker.

The Lakers may need to go 5-0 to qualify, which would be a tall order for a team that hasn’t won more than four straight games all season and hasn’t posted consecutive wins since early January. The stretch starts with a home game against the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon, followed by the Suns, Warriors, Thunder and Nuggets again to close out the season.

“I mean, I hate losing,” James said Friday. “This is not what none of us signed up for obviously. But it’s not the worst thing that has happened to me so far.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Friday marked Anthony Davis‘ return after missing six weeks with a sprained right foot, but he admits the injury wasn’t fully healed, Goon states in the same piece. Davis played nearly 37 minutes, but scored only four points in the fourth quarter and missed two important shots down the stretch. “The urgency was always there to try and get back; the foot was just not participating,” he said. “And then after the road trip, it was just, ‘All right, let’s do it. Just go and see what happens.’ I’m not all the way where I want it to be and maybe that’s where the discomfort was in the fourth quarter.”
Missing the play-in tournament would probably seal the fate of coach Frank Vogel, who is already rumored to be on the way out, Goon adds. Vogel used his 38th starting lineup of the season Friday, benching Austin Reaves and Talen Horton-Tucker and relying more on veterans such as Avery Bradley. “Put this one behind us, we competed, we fell short,” Vogel told reporters. “We have to beat Denver, start the recovery now.”
At 30.3 PPG, James has a narrow lead in the scoring race over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, but he still must play in two more games to be eligible for the title, tweets Marc Stein. James missed two games this week with a sprained left ankle and is listed as questionable for Sunday, according to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

Anthony Davis, LeBron James Return On Friday

April 1st, 2022 at 9:04pm CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 1: Coach Frank Vogel said Davis will play on Friday, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). James will play as well, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Lakers face the Pelicans at 9:30pm CT.

MARCH 31: Lakers star Anthony Davis intends to return Friday against the Pelicans as long as there are no setbacks, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reports (via Twitter) that LeBron James is going to test his sprained left ankle in an effort to return to action with Davis. Wojnarowski listed Davis as a game-time decision, but he apparently plans to play. Both players are out Thursday versus Utah, Wojnarowski tweets.

Davis last played on February 16, when he suffered a right mid-foot sprain. A report earlier this week indicated he was hoping to return this weekend. Through 37 games this season (35.1 MPG), Davis is averaging 23.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG and 2.3 BPG on .537/.182/.709 shooting.

It has been a strange season for Davis in a number of ways, as he hasn’t made his usual impact defensively, and his marks from three-point range (since he started attempting them semi-regularly in 2015/16) and the free throw line are both career-lows. However, he’s shooting a career-best .578 on two-pointers.

After appearing in 36 of 72 contests last season, he’s had another injury-played season in 2021/22, appearing in 37 of 75 games.

James, meanwhile, injured his ankle Sunday in the team’s loss at New Orleans, saying it felt “horrible” at the time. He was subsequently granted permission to leave the team’s road trip and return to Los Angeles for treatment and evaluation of the injury.

At 37 years old, James is averaging 30.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.3 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .523/.359/.756 shooting through 55 games (37.2 MPG). He currently leads the league in scoring, but needs to play at least three more games to qualify for the scoring title.

Friday’s matchup with the Pelicans will be crucial for the Lakers as they attempt to make the play-in tournament. The Pelicans (33-43) are the current No. 9 seed in the West, while the Lakers (31-44) trail by one-and-a-half games. Both teams are trying to fend off the Spurs (31-45) to secure a chance to make the playoffs.

If the Lakers and Spurs finish the season with an identical record, the Spurs would hold the tiebreaker and advance to the play-in tournament due to a better conference record (21-25 for the Spurs, compared to 16-29 for the Lakers).

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Davis, Westbrook, Malone

March 30th, 2022 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are in danger of missing the play-in tournament and their stars may not return in time to save them, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Tuesday’s loss at Dallas knocked L.A. into a 10th-place tie with San Antonio with seven games remaining, and the Spurs hold the tiebreaker because of a better conference record.

LeBron James missed the game against the Mavericks because of a sprained left ankle that he suffered Sunday. He has already been ruled out for Thursday’s contest at Utah and has been granted permission to return to Los Angeles for treatment and evaluation of the injury, Turner tweets.

Anthony Davis is listed as doubtful against the Jazz, but hopes to be ready for Friday’s game with the ninth-place Pelicans, sources told Turner. Davis, who hasn’t played since spraining his right foot and MCL on February 16, was “a little sore” after practicing Monday and the Lakers haven’t decided if it’s safe for him to play Friday.

There’s more Lakers news to pass along:

Coach Frank Vogel was disappointed with how his team responded to the challenge against the Mavericks, Turner states in the same piece. With a chance to solidify their play-in position, the Lakers fell way behind early in the game. “We executed very poorly to start the game and really that whole first half, with what our game plan was,” Vogel said. “And then as we tried to adjust to look at some Plan Bs and Plan Cs, we just didn’t execute well enough and play with enough toughness, IQ, intelligence, focus and fight in that half. So, not acceptable and just a poor performance across the board. Coaches, players, everybody.”
Russell Westbrook had a testy exchange with reporters after Tuesday’s loss, Turner adds. Westbrook became irritated when he was asked what the team has to do for the rest of the season and challenged media members to come up with a solution. “I’m only one person. It’s a team game,” he said. “So, I don’t have an answer. You may have it.”
Vogel is likely to be replaced after the season ends, and a source told Harrison Wind of DNVR that Nuggets coach Michael Malone could have been a prime target if he hadn’t signed an extension with Denver (Twitter link).
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report reviews the mistakes the Lakers have made that caused them go from a championship team to a floundering also-ran in two seasons. The Westbrook trade was an obvious error, but Pincus also points to a lack of roster continuity after the 2020 title and a troubling pattern of letting young talent leave without sufficient compensation.

Lakers Health Updates: Davis, Nunn, LeBron, Gabriel

March 29th, 2022 at 8:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Lakers star big man Anthony Davis is aiming to return to action this weekend, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Davis has been shelved since spraining his right foot and MCL on February 16. He has missed 37 games for Los Angeles all told this season, including the past 17. The 6’10” big man has produced at a typically high clip this year when healthy, but his shooting numbers and defense have dipped. He is averaging 23.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 BPG and 1.2 SPG through his 37 healthy contests.

Sporting a 31-44 record, the Lakers currently occupy the Western Conference’s 11th seed. The team owns a record identical to that of the tenth-seeded Spurs, but the Spurs sport a better intra-conference record. Even with Davis back in the fold this weekend, an extended absence for LeBron James could doom the depth-challenged team’s play-in tournament odds.

The rest of L.A.’s schedule will not get much easier down the home stretch of the 2021/22 season. Across five of their final seven games, the Lakers will face off against four Western Conference playoff-bound teams in the Jazz, Nuggets (twice), Suns, and Warriors.

Here are a few more Lakers-related health updates:

Haynes’ sources have informed him that combo guard Kendrick Nunn, one of just five Lakers players earning more than the minimum this year, is expected to miss the rest of the 2021/22 season. Nunn has not played a single game for Los Angeles since incurring a bone bruise in his knee during the 2021 preseason. He signed a two-year, $10MM contract with L.A. during the 2021 offseason with a player option for 2022/23. Given his health predicament, it seems likely he will pick up that option.
According to Haynes, All-Star forward LeBron James is expected to miss his second consecutive game on Thursday after rolling his ankle during a 116-108 loss to the Pelicans on Sunday. Thursday would mark the four-time MVP’s 20th missed contest this year.
Reserve power forward Wenyen Gabriel, who has emerged as an important role player for Los Angeles, has been listed as day-to-day going forward after suffering a left ankle sprain, tweets Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Notes: James, Davis, Coffey, Ojeleye, Powell

March 28th, 2022 at 10:08pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers star forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis are listed as doubtful to play Tuesday at Dallas, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. James injured his left ankle against New Orleans on Sunday and under treatment on Monday. In Davis’ case, it’s an upgrade. Davis went through a full, live practice for the first time since he suffered a mid-foot sprain on February 16.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

Amir Coffey has been a steady contributor since Clippers forward Paul George was sidelined and his status won’t change when the perennial All-Star forward potentially returns on Tuesday, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register tweets. Coffey is averaging 8.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 1.8 APG in 23.6 MPG in his third NBA season. “He’s earned it, last three years, the work he’s put in … this season he’s kind of kept us afloat,” Lue said.
Coffey had his two-way contract converted to a standard one this weekend and Semi Ojeleye was waived to make room for him on the 15-man roster. It was due to the franchise’s desire to reward Coffey rather than anything regarding Ojeleye’s play. Lue said Ojeleye “did everything right” and was sad to see him depart, Greif tweets.
Norman Powell still has a number of steps to go before returning from his left foot injury. The Clippers forward has done some shooting but hasn’t progressed beyond that in his recovery, Greif added in another tweet.

Southwest Notes: Ingram, Grizzlies, Davis, Pelicans, Green

March 27th, 2022 at 8:12pm CST by JD Shaw

Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing 10 straight games with right hamstring soreness, as the team shared on social media (Twitter link). New Orleans started Ingram alongside CJ McCollum and Jonas Valanciunas for just the 11th time this season.

The Pelicans acquired McCollum from Portland on February 8, of course, but injuries have prevented the club from maximizing its potential. Zion Williamson also reportedly isn’t expected to play this season as he rehabs from a right foot injury.

The Pelicans own a 31-43 record, leading the No. 11 ranked Spurs by one game. By holding the No. 10 seed, New Orleans would qualify for the play-in tournament and could make the playoffs. Ingram has averaged 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, playing a key role in the team’s success.

Here are some other notes from the Southwest Division:

Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal explores why the Grizzlies are 16-2 without Ja Morant this season. Morant is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per contest. However, his supporting cast has stepped up on both ends, leading to Memphis’ unexpected jump up the Western Conference standings — the team has the NBA’s second-best record, at 52-23. “They talk about what they got to do going out there every single night to set a tone offensively, defensively, but with their spirit,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said. “It’s not just on the floor, it’s off the floor.”
The 2019 Anthony Davis trade between the Pelicans and Lakers has never looked better for New Orleans, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com opines. The Pelicans have a young core headlined by Ingram, while the Lakers and their veteran core sits just a half-game ahead of New Orleans in the standings. Still, the Lakers won a title in 2020 largely because of Davis. The Pelicans are seeking their first playoff appearance since 2018.
Veteran guard Gerald Green has the option to play in Puerto Rico, but he remains focused on landing an NBA opportunity, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Puerto Rican club Gigantes de Carolina announced Green’s signing on Saturday, but his agent cautioned it’s simply an option for after the season. Green retired from professional basketball in October, joined the Rockets‘ coaching staff, then unretired and joined the team’s G League affiliate in January.

Lakers Notes: Anthony, Davis, Nunn, LeBron

March 26th, 2022 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Whenever Carmelo Anthony decides to retire, he’s determined that no one else is going to break the news, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Anthony discussed the topic after Friday’s practice, but gave no indication that he’s thinking about ending his career. At age 37, he remains a valuable weapon off the Lakers‘ bench, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 38.7% from three-point range.

“I’m going to tell you that right now: You ain’t going to hear no whispers,” Anthony said when asked about retirement. “You’re going to hear it straight from me.”

Anthony, who along with teammate LeBron James are the only active players from the 2003 draft, wants to keep his career going as long as possible after finding himself out of the league nearly three years ago when it seemed nobody wanted him. He has remained durable despite his age, appearing in 64 games so far this season and missing only 15 combined over the past three years. Anthony credits that to his mental approach to each season.

“If coming into it you’re thinking, ‘Oh I want to play 70 games or 72 games,’ you’re not going to be really locked into that,” he said. “You’ll be worried about something going wrong or this happening.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Anthony Davis didn’t take part in contact during Friday’s practice, but his workload has been increasing and the team remains hopeful that he’ll be available before the end of the regular season, Goon states in the same piece. Davis hasn’t played since spraining his right foot in a February 16 game.
There’s less optimism surrounding Kendrick Nunn, an offseason free agent addition who hasn’t played all season, Goon adds. Nunn still isn’t able to practice, and coach Frank Vogel acknowledged that it’s “a good question” why he hasn’t been ruled out for the season. “I haven’t circled back with a recent update on that other than to know that’s he’s trying to (come back),” Vogel said. “I’m not sure when the next MRI is. But the intent is for him to continue to ramp up activity to where his imaging is coming back clean. I think there’s been some improvements, but not enough to see him back in practice.”
Vogel is touting James for MVP honors, but admits the Lakers’ poor record will affect his chances, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James is the league’s top scorer at 30.0 PPG, but L.A. is fighting to hold onto a spot in the play-in tournament. “He is as deserving for MVP consideration as anybody in the league,” Vogel said. “I know how the voting goes — the team with the best record or top couple of records usually gets most of those considerations, so the win-loss record definitely would probably hurt him. But you can’t tell me that anybody has played a better season than LeBron James has this year.”

Anthony Davis Could Return Before Postseason

March 24th, 2022 at 6:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Davis could return to action as early as the first week of April, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.

The Lakers star big man has been rehabbing for over a month after suffering a right foot strain on February 16. His projected timetable at that time was four-to-six weeks.

Coach Frank Vogel said Davis is “coming along really well,” sideline reporter Mike Trudell tweets.

The Lakers entered Thursday in ninth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Pelicans. The 11th-place Spurs are only two games behind the Lakers in the loss column.

In terms of the play-in round, Vogel said “We’re hopeful those two games will be played with Anthony Davis,” Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation tweets. Of course, assuming L.A. finishes ninth or 10th in the West, the team would only play two games if it win its first one.

The Lakers, who played without LeBron James in their loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday, don’t play again until Sunday. Overall, they have nine regular-season games remaining, including five from April 3-10.