Anthony Davis

Knicks Rumors: Trades, Portis, Fizdale, Davis

January 8th, 2020 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

Several teams who have been in touch recently with the Knicks have come away with the impression that the team isn’t simply looking to trade for rebuilding assets such as draft picks, expiring contracts, and young prospects, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Those teams say New York has shown interest in acquiring “starter-level players” who can help the team in the short term as well as in the future, sources tell Begley.

While seeking only short-term upgrades would be a mistake for the 10-27 Knicks, it makes sense for the club to consider a variety of trade options rather than focusing exclusively on dumping its veterans for draft picks. Still, it’s hard to envision many scenarios in which the organization could use its most expendable trade chips to acquire a starter-level player who could be retained for multiple seasons.

Perhaps if the Knicks go that route they’ll target players who are a year or two away from restricted free agency and could be more comfortably re-signed than a player like Marcus Morris, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Players like Kyle Kuzma and Malik Beasley might fit that bill, though finding a Knicks package that would work financially and would appeal to a contender like the Lakers or Nuggets could be tricky.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Bobby Portis is drawing trade interest from multiple teams, Begley writes in a separate story for SNY.tv. Begley suggests that Portis’ pseudo-expiring contract could appeal to teams seeking a frontcourt piece, though I suspect the big man’s modest production (9.9 PPG on 44.0% shooting) and $15MM cap hit will limit his value.
Former Knicks head coach David Fizdale said during a Wednesday appearance on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo that he has “no ill feelings” toward the franchise following his dismissal, as Malika Andrews of ESPN.com relays. “That’s the business we’ve chosen,” Fizdale said. “I respect those guys greatly. I miss the hell out of them. … I obviously learned a ton from it and I was just really grateful to have that opportunity to say I was the head coach of the Knicks.”
During his radio appearance, Fizdale stated that the “media market” and “scrutiny” in New York put a lot of pressure on people within the Knicks’ organization and make it a “tough environment.” However, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News takes exception to Fizdale using outside pressure as an excuse for the Knicks’ failures, arguing that media and fans largely gave the club a pass for tanking away the 2018/19 season and weren’t responsible for the team’s questionable roster moves.
Anthony Davis had New York on his list of preferred destinations when he asked for a trade out of New Orleans, but he wasn’t interested in talking about the Knicks when the team visited the Lakers this week, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I’m kind of just over the whole situation,” Davis said. Asked what appealed to him about the Knicks, he replied, “That was all in the past. I don’t talk about no other team than the Lakers.”

Anthony Davis Suffers Lower Back Injury

January 8th, 2020 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

9:36am: According to the Lakers, Davis’ MRI revealed a gluteus maximus contusion, tweets Medina. He’ll be listed as questionable for Friday’s game, which sounds like a best-case outcome for the team. Even if AD does miss a game or two, the injury doesn’t appear to be serious.

8:46am: Davis’ MRI came back clean and he intends to travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll actually play on Friday or Saturday, but it’s certainly good news for the Lakers either way.

8:24am: The Lakers got a scare on Tuesday night when star big man Anthony Davis fell awkwardly to the floor during the third quarter of the team’s win over the Knicks. After attempting to block a shot, Davis landed hard on his tailbone, suffering what the team called a sacral contusion (Twitter link). Head coach Frank Vogel referred to the injury after the game as a bruised tailbone (video link via Mark Medina of USA Today).

While X-rays were negative, Davis was scheduled to undergo an MRI late Tuesday night, so we’re still waiting for an official update from the team on the results and a potential recovery timeline. For now, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that AD is expected to miss the Lakers’ upcoming road trip to Dallas (Friday) and Oklahoma City (Saturday). It remains to be seen whether he’ll be sidelined beyond the weekend.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Davis was escorted out of the arena on Tuesday laying on the bed of a motor carrier and acknowledged he’d miss some time, but seemed confident that the injury wasn’t a significant one. “I’m fine,” he told Haynes.

Davis suffered his injury just hours after word broke that he had declined a contract extension from the Lakers. As we explained in our story on the subject, the decision doesn’t mean the 26-year-old isn’t committed to the franchise — it just makes more financial sense for him to become a free agent this summer, since his maximum salary will be higher at that time.

People around the NBA don’t expect Davis to leave the Lakers, and Vogel suggested in the wake of Tuesday’s injury that the star forward is at the center of the organization’s long-term plans.

“He’s one of our pillars,” Vogel said of Davis, per McMenamin. “He’s our present, he’s our future and he’s one of the best players in the world. So obviously he means a lot.”

With Davis out for at least the Lakers’ next couple games, Kyle Kuzma – who has been the subject of some trade rumors as of late – figures to get an opportunity to step into the starting lineup, a possibility he acknowledged after Tuesday’s win, as McMenamin relays.

“Coach always talks about ‘next man up,'” Kuzma said. “I just feel like if I have an opportunity, I’ll be fine. … I mean, I’m not Anthony Davis, so I’m just going to be myself. And just do me.”

Anthony Davis Declines Lakers’ Extension Offer

January 7th, 2020 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that he has officially been a member of the Lakers for six months, Anthony Davis became eligible today to sign a four-year, $145.7MM extension with the team, and L.A. put that offer on the table, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. However, sources tell Haynes that Davis will pass on an in-season extension in favor of reaching unrestricted free agency this summer.

Davis’ decision to decline the Lakers’ offer doesn’t mean he’s thinking about leaving the team. While it’s possible he wants to keep his options open, it makes financial sense for him to turn down an extension now even if he’s 100% committed to the Lakers. As a free agent, he’ll be eligible to sign a five-year contract worth nearly $202MM with the club, based on the NBA’s most recent cap projections.

Although Davis is expected to decline his 2020/21 player option to become a free agent in the offseason, no one in league circles expects him to leave the Lakers, according to Haynes, who says the star big man wants to focus solely on the current season at this time.

Davis, 26, has been an MVP candidate and Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner so far in 2019/20, averaging 27.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 2.6 BPG in 34 games (35.4 MPG) for the 29-7 Lakers, who lead the Western Conference by four games. His next contract will certainly be a maximum-salary deal, but in-season extensions are limited to starting salaries worth 120% of a player’s current salary and can only be for five years total, including the current season, so they often aren’t true max contracts.

For Davis, a 20% raise on his current $27.09MM salary would work out to $32.51MM. His maximum 2020/21 salary if he waits until the offseason projects to be $34.8MM. Additionally, his Bird rights would make him eligible for five full years on a new contract if he re-signs with the Lakers at that time. He’d be limited to a four-year deal if he changes teams.

Davis was ineligible for an extension for the last six months because he waived his trade kicker as part of the blockbuster deal that sent him from New Orleans to Los Angeles last July.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Anthony Davis Talks His Journey To The Lakers

December 28th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by marksuleymanov

Despite having dropped their last four games, the Lakers remain atop the Western Conference and offseason import Anthony Davis has been a huge part of L.A.’s return to prominence. The Lakers’ dynamic duo – Davis and LeBron James – has lived up to the billing thus far and championship aspirations remain intact for the franchise.

Ahead of the team’s eventual Christmas Day loss to the Clippers, Davis spoke to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports to discuss the journey that brought him to Hollywood. Davis, a free agent at the end of the season, has not committed to the Lakers beyond the current season. However, he was reflective in his discussion on the mindset that led him to request a trade from the Pelicans and what his goals are for the remainder of the regular season.

Check out some of the highlights from Davis’ chat with Haynes below:

On which teams Davis had in mind as potential destinations after his trade request:

“There were several teams in mind. My agent [Rich Paul] was doing a good job talking to the front office and management over there. He was the one communicating back and forth with them, and I was just trying to continue being a leader over there and still playing when they allowed me to. I’m not sure what was really being talked about, but the Pelicans didn’t do anything. So I still tried to lead that team, and when I got a chance to play, I played my heart out. It’s basketball. I’m still going to be a professional, and any time I’m on the floor with four other guys, I’m going to go out there and compete.”

On when he decided that he wanted out of New Orleans:

“I think it was just the wins weren’t adding up, and it seemed like we weren’t making the playoffs. Everyone around me and everyone who knows me knows that I want to win. And I didn’t feel like we were going to be able to do that last year. I want to be able to win. We got off to a great start. We were 4-0. Then guys got hurt and little things started to go south. But my mindset at the time was to keep trying to lead my team.”

On the ultimate goal of a championship driving his decision:

“You don’t have a lot of time in this league. It goes by very fast. So for me, it was about putting myself in position where I can win before this career is over. And hopefully win several championships and have several winning seasons. That’s what was going through my head at that time. I’m not sure what the record was, but I felt like it was time for me to at least let the organization know where my head was at.”

Injury Updates: LeBron, AD, Doncic, Hayward, Gordon

December 24th, 2019 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

A handful of the NBA’s Christmas Day games have lost some of their luster due to injuries, but that shouldn’t be the case for the league’s marquee December 25 matchup. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin, Lakers stars LeBron James (groin) and Anthony Davis (knee) went through an impromptu practice today and are expected to play on Wednesday vs. the Clippers. James and Davis had been listed as questionable.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the league:

Mavericks star Luka Doncic was a full participant in practice today, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Doncic’s status for Thursday’s game remains up in the air, but “things are looking better and better,” according to head coach Rick Carlisle.
As expected, Celtics forward Gordon Hayward has been listed as probable for the team’s Christmas Day game vs. Toronto. Hayward, who has missed 16 of Boston’s last 19 games, said today that he has been dealing with a nerve issue in his foot, which he believes is related to his ankle injury from two years ago. He has received three cortisone shots and feels “a lot better” after the most recent one, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston relays.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon, out since November 11 with a knee injury, may be targeting Sunday’s game for his return, says Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Feigen also explores the ripple effect that Gordon’s return will have on Houston’s rotation.
Magic guard Michael Carter-Williams has made good progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury and is hopeful he won’t miss much time, writes John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com.

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Davis, Ayton, Suns

December 19th, 2019 at 6:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Giannis Antetokounmpo has high praise for Lakers star LeBron James and his ability to play at an MVP level this late in his career.

“For me, that’s one of my goals, to be able to play at a high level for the next 10 years,” Antetokounmpo said (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “But about to turn 35 this month and he’s moving like that, playing like that, playing smart… it’s insane what he’s able to do.

“But he’s LeBron James, you know. He’s different, he’s an alien… you expect it from him.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Anthony Davis will play for the Lakers tonight against the Bucks, ESPN passes along. The big man missed his second game of the season on Tuesday because of an ankle injury.
Deandre Ayton recently returned from a 25-game suspension, but the Suns will again be without the big man on Friday because of a sprained ankle, as Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic relays. “We’re just patiently waiting for everybody to come back,” teammate Mikal Bridges said. “I think we’ll be a way better team. It’s the NBA. Things happen. Injuries happen. We’ve just got to be patient.”
Gina Mizell of The Athletic examines what the Suns‘ rotation will look like when Ayton is able to stay on the floor. New additions Frank Kaminsky and Dario Saric are expected to play almost exclusively at power forward once Ayton is consistently in the rotation.

L.A. Notes: Williams, Clippers, Magic, AD

December 18th, 2019 at 6:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers guard and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, 33, tells Stadium’s Shams Charania in an exclusive video sitdown that he considered retirement in the summer of 2017. After being traded from the Lakers to the Rockets to the Clippers within the span of a few months, Williams felt like his NBA days were numbered.

“I was done,” Williams said. “[I was on] three teams in six months. You know, you kind of look around and you’ve got to be realistic with yourself… When guys [are] getting bounced around, you know, eventually it’s going to stop bouncing and you’re going to be sitting around waiting for a phone call.” Williams would go on to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in each of his two seasons with the Clippers, and is a frontrunner thus far this year.

Thus far, Williams boasts averages 19.9 PPG, 6.3 APG and 3.2 RPG for the Clippers. He is shooting 36.8% from beyond the three-point line and 83.8% from the free-throw line.

Williams credits Clippers head coach Doc Rivers with reassuring him that he was valued in Los Angeles. “I had a conversation with Doc. He was like, ‘I don’t know what these other teams are thinking, but we need you, and you can get comfortable, [you’re going to] be here.'”

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

Former Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson tells Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke that the 24-4 Lakers, who have retained just six players from the 2018/19 season, “would not be in the position [they’re] in without me.” Johnson infamously quit the position on television ahead of the Lakers’ final regular season game. “This was my strategy, this is what I thought we’d be in three years,” he tells Plaschke. “I knew we were on the right track. Everybody wanted to do it their way, but I’m good with who I am. … I think people respect what I’ve done for the team.”
The Clippers‘ forthcoming Inglewood arena has been given the fast-track green-light by California governor Gavin Newsom on December 13, according to Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times. California’s Joint Legislative Budget Committee has 30 days from the date of the Newsom certification to approve the signing.
During a First Take interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Lakers All-Star power forward Anthony Davis was careful to note that his team’s hot start has not altered his noncommittal stance on his impending 2020 free agency. “We’ll see what happens at the end of the season,” Davis told Smith. “I’m trying to stay in the moment and worry about [free agency] when the season’s over.”

Knicks Rumors: Fizdale, Durant, Porzingis, Griffin

December 11th, 2019 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

Before being hired by the Knicks in the spring of 2018, David Fizdale was a highly sought-after head coaching candidate, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski, who suggest that Fizdale had offers from the Hawks and Suns and was the leading candidate for the Hornets‘ opening as well. However, Fizdale was focused on New York and turned down other offers even before he received any assurances from the Knicks.

A year and a half later, Fizdale is back on the market after a miserable start to the 2019/20 season. Leading up to his ouster, Fizdale knew that team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry were meeting with players to get their input on why the Knicks weren’t showing progress, sources tell Shelburne and Wojnarowski. Eventually, Fizdale told Mills and Perry that he understood if they felt he’d become part of the problem.

Mike Miller has taken over as the Knicks’ interim head coach and should keep the job at least through the end of the season, assuming players respond to him, per the ESPN duo. But there have already been talks at the ownership level about potentially hiring a new coach during the season if the club’s struggles continue. That would present a new series of complications, since Mills and Perry are now on the hot seat themselves, and it’s not clear whether they’d get the go-ahead to pick a new coach.

Shelburne and Wojnarowski touch on many more topics in their latest article, exploring many other factors that have contributed to the Knicks’ ongoing struggles in recent years. The piece is absolutely worth checking out in full, but here are a few highlights:

Kevin Durant did “strongly” consider the Knicks as a free agent destination earlier this year, but when he and Kyrie Irving talked about teaming up, Durant never pushed the Knicks the way Irving pushed the Nets, sources tell ESPN. Shelburne and Wojnarowski also suggest that team owner James Dolan was wary about bringing aboard Durant and his torn Achilles after the Knicks’ experience with Amar’e Stoudemire.
The Knicks began gauging Kristaps Porzingis‘ trade value early in 2019, offering him to the Pelicans in an Anthony Davis package, per ESPN. When New Orleans showed little interest in that proposal, the Knicks began to wonder if league-wide interest in Porzingis may not be as high as they believed.
When Porzingis and his brother (and agent) Janis found out the Knicks were discussing a possible trade with the Mavericks, they hurried a meeting with the team, providing a wish list of four destinations (Nets, Clippers, Raptors, and Heat), according to Shelburne and Wojnarowski. The Knicks turned around and quickly finalized a deal with Dallas, perhaps not wanting to lose leverage when Porzingis’ request leaked. The series of events left more than a dozen teams around the NBA wondering why they didn’t have a chance to bid on Porzingis, and suggested one of two things to rivals, per Shelburne and Woj: Either the Knicks knew Durant and Irving were coming, or they didn’t know how to properly execute a franchise-altering trade.
After parting ways with Phil Jackson in 2017, the Knicks initially zeroed in on David Griffin, who told the organization he was interested only if he could become president of basketball operations and report directly to ownership. Dolan suggested he was “excited” about that idea, sources tell Shelburne and Woj. However, Griffin soon realized – particularly when word broke that the Knicks had signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71MM deal – that he likely wouldn’t have full autonomy and would have to report to Mills. He met with the club but withdrew his name from consideration shortly after that meeting.
The Knicks subsequently pivoted to Perry, a candidate “without the gravitas or leverage to demand a direct line to ownership.” Perry’s contract includes fourth- and fifth-year options that must be exercised this season, according to ESPN. It seems unlikely at this point that New York will pick up those options for 2020/21 and ’21/22.

L.A. Notes: Davis, Clips Arena, Harkless, Lakers’ Pace

December 7th, 2019 at 4:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers are off to a terrific 20-3 start, and seemingly in the thick of the hunt for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. All-Star power forward Anthony Davis has been making an early case for some hardware all his own: the Defensive Player of the Year award. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin spoke with Davis about the prospect.

“A couple of years ago, I feel like I should have won it,” Davis told McMenamin, who notes that Davis finished third to Jazz center Rudy Gobert in 2017/18. The Lakers big man has made three All-Defensive teams.

“I think he can and will win Defensive Player of the Year this year,” McMenamin cites Lakers head coach Frank Vogel as saying on Davis earlier in the week. “There’s no one in the league like him defensively in terms of being able to guard all positions, protect the rim the way he does and deflect the basketball,” Vogel said.

Bench point guard Rajon Rondo noted his own high confidence in Davis, with whom he has played on both the Pelicans and Lakers. “I got him as MVP and Defensive Player of the Year,” Rondo said.

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

Following a year of negotiations, the Clippers‘ proposed new 18,500-seat Inglewood arena has just been given a fast-tracked green light by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Jason Henry of The Orange County Register reports. Now that CARB has ruled that the new arena will not yield a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the $1.2 billion project should be ready in time for the 2024/25 NBA season. Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to stand by CARB’s decision and approve the project. Owner Steve Ballmer has long been pushing to move his team to its own arena and away from the Staples Center, located in downtown LA.
Clippers forward Maurice Harkless has been making his own impressive defensive impact, albeit on a smaller scale than Anthony Davis. The versatile, 6’7″ forward takes pride in guarding multiple positions, as Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register observes. The Clippers landed Harkless and his expiring $11MM contract as part of the four-team sign-and-trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Heat. Head coach Doc Rivers tells Swanson that Harkless’ defensive range even surprised the seasoned coach. Before the season tipped off, “I thought he was gonna be a defender on the bigs, like the fours and the threes,” Rivers said. “But what’s surprised me is his ability to guard ones and twos.”
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor tweets that the Lakers and Bucks (each 20-3) are both currently on pace to win at least 70 games a quarter of the way through the 2019/20 NBA season. O’Connor mentions that this marks just the fourth time in the last 40 years that a team in each conference has been on such a lofty trajectory at this point in the year. In each of the last three instances, one of the teams on this win pace wound up an NBA Finals champ.

Lakers Notes: Davis, Howard, Caldwell-Pope, Kuzma

December 5th, 2019 at 10:45am CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis has transformed the Lakers’ defense in his first season in L.A. and could be in line for his first Defensive Player of the Year award, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Davis is averaging a league-best 2.7 blocks per game and has become the anchor of a rapidly improving defensive unit. Going into last night’s win at Utah, the Lakers ranked fifth in defensive rating, third in points allowed per game and seventh in opponent’s field goal percentage.

“I think he can and will win Defensive Player of the Year this year,” coach Frank Vogel said. “I think there’s no one in the league like him defensively in terms of being able to guard all positions, protect the rim the way he does and deflect the basketball, contain the basketball. There really isn’t anyone in the league like him and if our team defense continues to play at a high level throughout the year, I think he’ll win it going away.”

Davis has been in the top five of the DPOY voting a couple times and believes he should have won the award two years ago. He said he developed his defensive philosophy by studying Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard, who is now a teammate.

“I’ve watched him grow over the years to blossom into a really great player on both ends of the floor,” Howard said. “So, really proud to see him sticking by his word and doing what he has to do every night to make this team better.”

There’s more Lakers news to pass along:

One of the reasons the Lakers have the league’s best record is Howard’s willingness to accept a complementary role, observes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. He’s giving the team quality minutes as a backup center without demanding to be the focus of the offense. “Throughout Dwight’s career, he’s been a guy you bring the ball down and you throw to him in the post and everybody works off of him,” LeBron James said. “Now he’s a screener. He’s a roller. He’s a guy who facilitates the offense if you pass it in to him. He gets the ball to the guards and he waits for his opportunities and he’s basically been great in that role.”
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope often heard boos early in the season, but his game has improved since he became a starter, Turner adds in a separate story. KCP is averaging 10.6 PPG while shooting 52.5% from the field and 47.7 on 3-pointers since an injury to Avery Bradley moved him into the starting lineup.
The Lakers still need to develop a dependable third scorer to go with Davis and James, notes Pete Zayas of The Athletic, who examines how Kyle Kuzma can fit that role.

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