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Pacific Notes: Wiseman, JTA, Davis, Kings, Suns

February 12th, 2021 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hinted earlier this week that James Wiseman may be close to returning from sprained left wrist, but after being reevaluated on Thursday, the rookie center has been ruled out for at least another week. He’ll be reassessed again in seven-to-10 days, as Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.

Wiseman has been going through individual workouts, but has been somewhat limited in those sessions because he’s still feeling pain in his injured left hand. Until that pain goes away, the Warriors’ big man is unlikely to return, tweets Andrews.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the Pacific…

An Oakland native, Juan Toscano-Anderson still can’t quite believe that he’s a member of the Warriors, as Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated writes in an in-depth look at the forward’s circuitous path to the NBA. While he’s currently on a two-way contract, Toscano-Anderson is a candidate to eventually be promoted to the standard 15-man roster.
Lakers star Anthony Davis, who has missed the last two games due to right Achilles tendonosis, is content to play it safe with the injury to avoid the risk of making it worse, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes. “I just don’t want to play a game where I still feel it and then get hurt and now I’m out for the playoffs or whatever or for multiple weeks,” Davis said.
Although it’s still too early to say whether the Kings will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee points out that veterans like Cory Joseph, Jabari Parker, and Nemanja Bjelica are candidates to be moved no matter which direction the team goes.
The Suns are increasing the limited capacity at the Phoenix Suns Arena from 1,500 fans to 3,000, as of February 16, the team announced in a press release.

Pacific Notes: Dudley, Suns, LeBron, Davis, Toscano-Anderson

February 4th, 2021 at 3:38pm CST by JD Shaw

Lakers forward Jared Dudley said the team was motivated by Clippers star Paul George‘s comments last season, with Dudley clarifying further in his book released earlier this week, “Inside the NBA Bubble: A Championship Season under Quarantine”.

“We hear some of those guys talking about how they’re the team to beat in L.A.,” Dudley and co-author Carvell Wallace wrote, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “It’s fine if Kawhi [Leonard] says stuff like that. He’s defending a championship. We don’t trip if someone like Patrick Beverley is talking trash; that’s how he feeds his family. We get it. We respect the hustle.

“But we think it’s disrespectful for Paul George, who hasn’t won, to put himself on the level of [LeBron James] and [Anthony Davis]. This motivates us.”

Dudley also mentioned how the league could benefit from having a Lakers-Clippers rivalry, with both teams seemingly eager to meet in a playoff series — potentially the Western Conference Finals.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Suns are set to welcome back fans for the first time this season, the team announced on its website. Phoenix will host 1,500 fans on February 8, with suites being available to purchase at 25% capacity for each game after February 7.
Marc Stein of the New York times examines the pairing of Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, exploring whether the duo has gotten even better together since signing long-term extensions in the offseason. Los Angeles has opened the 2020/21 season with a 16-6 record, good for third-best in the Western Conference.
Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic looks at the making of Warriors swingman Juan Toscano-Anderson. Toscano-Anderson is in his second season with Golden State, with the 27-year-old adding 16 points off the bench in Tuesday’s loss against Boston. “He has an appreciation for the grind that it’s taken for him to get to this level,” teammate Stephen Curry said. “He has a spirit of representing Oakland. Playing for the hometown team for him has got to be such a dope experience. But when it comes to getting on the floor, he plays hard. He’s a smart basketball player. He’s reliable in that sense. He’s worked for everything he’s gotten, for every opportunity. … He hasn’t taken his foot off the gas pedal.”

Western Notes: Davis, Grizzlies, Jazz, Popovich

January 28th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers star Anthony Davis will miss Thursday’s game vs. Detroit due to a bruised right quad, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. As McMenamin notes, Davis seemed to be favoring his right leg during Wednesday’s loss to Philadelphia, but downplayed the issue after the game and said he felt “physically fine.”

This will be the third time this season that Davis has missed one half of a Lakers back-to-back set. Assuming the injury is minor, he should be able to return on Saturday when L.A. faces the Celtics in Boston.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

After five straight postponed games, the Grizzlies returned to practice on Wednesday night, writes Evan Barnes of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. That’s a strong signal that the team will be ready to resume its schedule against San Antonio on Saturday, though it remains to be seen how many players will be available, says Barnes.
With the Jazz on a 10-game winning streak, forward Joe Ingles told reporters on Wednesday that the team is “just a really fun group to play with,” tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “There’s no egos involved,” Ingles said, adding, “It’s not as unsalvageable as some people think.” His last comment is a tongue-in-cheek reference to an Athletic report from last April in which a source suggested the relationship between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert didn’t appear “salvageable.”
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who is celebrating his 72nd birthday today, received the COVID-19 vaccine as part of an NBA-sponsored PSA (YouTube link). The NBA has said it won’t jump the line for the vaccine, but Popovich’s age made him a higher priority to be vaccinated. Mark Medina of USA Today has more details.

Lakers Notes: Horton-Tucker, Caldwell-Pope, Davis, 2020

January 2nd, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Preseason sensation Talen Horton-Tucker hasn’t seen significant playing time since the regular season began, but that might change soon, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The Lakers are low on wing players with Alex Caruso in the NBA’s health and safety protocol and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dealing with a sprained left ankle he suffered Friday night.

“He’s a guy who’s young but seems like he’s been in the league for a while,” Anthony Davis said of the second-year shooting guard. “He likes to learn. He’s not afraid of the moment, and we have a guy who’s 19, 20? – something like that – where you can throw him in the fire and he’ll be ready to go, so we for sure got a steal in the draft with him.”

Horton-Tucker spent most of last season in the G League and didn’t make a strong impression on the coaching staff until the restart in Orlando. He was awed by the chance to match skills with veteran J.R. Smith in practice, but now he’s gotten used to facing NBA stars.

“It’s great just being around those guys to see where you are every day,” he said. “For me, it gives me a measuring stick. I wouldn’t say I’m still star struck.”

There’s more Lakers news to pass along:

Caldwell-Pope didn’t need a walking boot as he left the arena Friday and isn’t concerned that the ankle will be a long-term problem, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Ankle is fine,” he said. “X-rays was negative, just a little sprain. And hopefully I can go in a couple days. We’re gonna treat it for the next couple days until we get to Memphis and see how we go from there.”
Davis is one of the best shooting big men in the league, and coach Frank Vogel wants him to put up more shots from long distance, Buha adds in the same piece. Davis shot a career-high 3.5 three-pointers per game last season and the plan is for him to increase that number. “Coach wants me to shoot at least five, average five, a game this year,” Davis said. “… Sometimes I pass up for a better shot. But I just got to shoot it. Any time I can shoot a high volume, I usually shoot pretty well from the field.”
Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times talks to Lakers players about the highs and lows of 2020, which included a 17th NBA title, the shocking death of Kobe Bryant and the havoc created by COVID-19.

Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Kaminsky, Lakers, Green

December 29th, 2020 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie Warriors center James Wiseman has quickly emerged as a big contributor for Golden State and an early top Rookie of the Year contender, as Tim Kawakami of The Athletic details.

Though Golden State has had an up-and-down 2-2 start, Kawakami argues that the 19-year-old No. 2 draft pick out of Memphis clearly has established himself as the most intriguing prospect among the Warriors’ young guys. “I told y’all after Day 1 that I think he’s going to be really special,” power forward Draymond Green said of Wiseman. “I had never seen James play much and so to see his skill set is, ‘Wow, it’s nice.’”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

New Suns center Frank Kaminsky was excited to play well against the Kings, the team that had just cut him, Suns writer Gina Mizell tweets. “I gotta be honest, that felt good,” Kaminsky said. He scored 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench for Phoenix on Sunday.
After the Lakers had their first All-Star player absence, their deep roster showed its mettle in a 127-91 Anthony Davis-free route of the Timberwolves Sunday, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. “The expectation and the norm for us, for most of the league, is that there will be guys out,” head coach Frank Vogel noted. “We just have to make sure we understand that’s the norm and don’t let it slow us down at all.” Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder and Talen Horton-Tucker all scored in double digits, along with Los Angeles’s remaining healthy All-Star, LeBron James.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has said that he is optimistic that power forward Draymond Green will appear in his first 2020/21 season game in the club’s first home game on Friday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: Davis, Warriors, Moore, Kings

December 27th, 2020 at 7:53pm CST by JD Shaw

Lakers superstar Anthony Davis missed the team’s game against the Timberwolves on Sunday due to a right calf strain, an injury he sustained in the team’s season opener against the Clippers and re-aggravated against the Mavericks on Christmas, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes.

The team will be cautious with his return, as the 27-year-old is coming off a season in which he averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks en route to his first-ever NBA championship.

“Well, we just want to be responsible with it,” coach Frank Vogel said. “…We want to take advantage of our depth and be intelligent with this injury.”

Los Angeles has plenty of frontcourt pieces besides Davis, including LeBron James, Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell. The team remains one of the deepest in the league as it seeks its second straight title and fourth since 2009.

Here are some other notes from the Pacific Division:

Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines what’s concerning about the Warriors‘ start to the season, along with what’s not. Golden State has suffered two straight blowout losses to start the campaign, struggling on both ends of the floor. The team is also coping with the losses of Draymond Green (foot), Klay Thompson (torn Achilles; out for season) and Marquese Chriss, who suffered a broken fibula in practice and will also miss the season. “I’ve got to stay on them and continue to work, find ways to get better organized and look like a five-man unit,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re just scattered right now. It just looks like we’re a series of moving parts.”
Suns guard E’Twaun Moore is staying ready despite not making the team’s rotation in the first two games, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. “To his credit, when I talked to him about it, he handled it about as good as anybody I’ve ever seen,” coach Monty Williams said. “It’s one of the reasons why we wanted him on the team. He’s going to be ready when he’s called on, but he handled it like a champion.”
The Kings have recorded two straight wins, the franchise’s best start to a season in 17 years, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes. As Jones notes, players on Sacramento fully expected this to happen, taking a 124-122 win over Denver on Wednesday and 106-103 win over Phoenix on Saturday. “Why not?” Marvin Bagley III asked. “They tie their shoes the same way we tie ours. They practice the same way we practice. Why not? We have a good team, a great team. I know for myself, I’m not satisfied. I want to keep continuing to push, keep continuing to get better, continue to keep winning. Nobody’s surprised over here.”

Lakers Notes: Kuzma, LeBron, Gasol, Star Minutes

December 23rd, 2020 at 6:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Even after inking a lucrative three-year, $40MM contract extension on Sunday, Lakers power forward Kyle Kuzma remained uncertain about his precise role with Los Angeles, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. After starting all of the Lakers’ four preseason games, Kuzma came off the bench last night for the club’s regular season opener, a 116-109 loss to the Clippers.

Ahead of last night’s game, head coach Frank Vogel offered his thoughts on how Kuzma would contribute to the club regardless of whether or not he started.

“So, the No. 1 thing with Kuz in terms of this team is to bring energy on both ends of the floor,” Vogel said. “He knows what we’re asking him to do with regard to offensively, being more aggressive in catch-and-shoot situations, playing through him some but also complementing [LeBron James] and [Anthony Davis] and continuing to grow on the defensive end… Where he’s going to fall in terms of starting role or coming off of the bench is still to be determined and will likely be fluid throughout the year.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

After suffering an ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of last night’s season opener, Lakers All-Star LeBron James still expects to be ready for L.A.’s next game, a Christmas Day contest against the Mavericks, per Jovan Buha of the Athletic. “I turned it pretty good, but I don’t think it’s gonna stop me from playing on Friday,” James said.
New Lakers starting center Marc Gasol has a long history with LA, despite playing his first game with the team yesterday, as Bill Oram of the Athletic details. Gasol was originally drafted with the No. 48 pick in the 2007 draft by former Los Angeles GM Mitch Kupchak, then was traded in an infamous deal with the Grizzlies for his older brother, then-All Star Pau Gasol, before ever suiting up for the Lakers. He signed a two-year, veteran’s minimum deal this offseason to add his defense, shooting and passing acumen to the reigning champs.
The Lakers are exercising caution with their minutes allotments for James and Anthony Davis, according to The Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike. Davis played 31 minutes in L.A.’s season opener, while LeBron was limited to just 28 after his ankle sprain early in the fourth quarter. “We’re going to be conservative with their minutes early on in the season, and we have the depth to do it,” head coach Frank Vogel commented.

NBA GMs Vote Lakers As Offseason Winners, Title Favorites

December 18th, 2020 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s general managers liked the Lakers‘ offseason moves and are bullish on the team’s chances to repeat as champions in 2020/21, as John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes in his annual survey of the league’s GMs.

An impressive 81% of the responding general managers picked the Lakers to win the championship in 2021, which is the third-highest percentage any team has received since Schuhmann began conducting his annual GM survey 19 years ago. The Clippers ranked second at 11%, while the Nets and Heat received one vote apiece.

Meanwhile, the Lakers (37%) beat out the Suns (22%) and Thunder (15%) in the voting for best offseason roster moves. The Hawks, Bucks, and Sixers each received two votes, while the Trail Blazers got one too.

Here are a few more of the interesting responses from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

The Suns‘ acquisition of Chris Paul (44%) and the Bucks‘ trade for Jrue Holiday (33%) were voted the moves that will have the biggest impact this season. The Clippers‘ signing of Serge Ibaka (15%), the Pelicans‘ deal for Steven Adams (11%), and the Trail Blazers‘ trade for Robert Covington (11%) were the front-runners for the most underrated offseason player acquisition. Gordon Hayward‘s $120MM contract with the Hornets (54%) was voted the most surprising offseason move.
While NBA GMs view Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (39%) as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year over Warriors big man James Wiseman (29%), Wiseman received the most votes (36%) among this year’s rookies to be the best player in five years, followed by Ball (25%). Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, was voted the biggest steal in the 2020 draft (43%).
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were the top choices as the player GMs would want to start a franchise with today. They each received 43% of the vote, with Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James and Pelicans youngster Zion Williamson also picking up votes.
Speaking of Williamson, he helped the Pelicans receive the nod for the team with the most promising young core (41%). The Grizzlies (22%), Hawks (11%), Celtics (11%), and Nuggets (11%) also got multiple votes.

L.A. Notes: Horton-Tucker, LeBron, AD, COVID-19, Mann

December 15th, 2020 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

With his second consecutive impressive preseason performance on Sunday, second-year Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker is making a strong case to be part of the team’s regular season rotation, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes.

“It’s going to make my job difficult for sure,” head coach Frank Vogel said when asked about finding a role for Horton-Tucker, who poured in 33 points in Sunday’s win to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

“We have a very deep team. No minutes are guaranteed,” Vogel added. “He’s going to keep playing at a high level, and that should push everybody else to stay playing at a high level. It does give us that luxury of having him carry the load some for some of our guys who played deep in the championship run last year and had a short offseason.”

Even if the Lakers stay relatively healthy this season, the club should prioritize finding regular minutes for Horton-Tucker, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who says the franchise will need to develop young talent if it wants to remain a title contender for years to come

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles-based teams:

Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis didn’t play at all during the team’s first two preseason contests, but they’ll both be “ready to go” when the regular season gets underway next week, according to Vogel (link via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times).
Both the Lakers and Clippers were missing players on Sunday due to “excused absences” believed to be related to the NBA’s coronavirus protocols, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Those absences may be related to inconclusive tests or contact tracing, so they don’t necessarily mean the individual tested positive for COVID-19, according to Greif, who notes that the Lakers were without Kostas Antetokounmpo and Devontae Cacok, while the Clippers were missing Reggie Jackson and assistant coach Chauncey Billups.
Although Terance Mann has seen some time at shooting guard and small forward, the Clippers view the 24-year-old as a point guard and expect him to be a key contributor off the bench, as Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register writes.

Pacific Notes: Green, Wiseman, Mulder, AD, LeBron, Clippers

December 11th, 2020 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors shared some positive news on Draymond Green and James Wiseman on Thursday, as Green was able to lift weights and sit in on the team’s film session, while Wiseman completed his first individual workout. Both players had been unable to participate in training camp so far, possibly due to positive coronavirus tests.

However, as Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that both players will miss Saturday’s preseason opener and added that it’s “very unlikely” that either Green or Wiseman will play at all during the preseason. The Warriors’ final two preseason games – both against Sacramento – will take place next Tuesday and Thursday.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Kerr said this week that guard Mychal Mulder, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, has a “good chance” to make the Warriors‘ regular season roster, as Tommy Call III of Warriors Wire writes. “He’s a shooter. He’s a smart player at both ends,” Kerr said of Mulder. “We were really pleased with his play a year ago. We’re a team that’s not heavy on shooting as we know, especially with Klay (Thompson) going out. Mike just has to be himself and play hard and compete.”
Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James won’t play in the team’s preseason opener on Friday, head coach Frank Vogel confirmed (Twitter link via Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group).
Paul George‘s $176MM contract extension with the Clippers is a precursor to the real referendum on the franchise, according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times, who says that Kawhi Leonard‘s willingness to re-up with the team in 2021 will determine whether or not these are still the same “Clippers of old.”