Blake Griffin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Griffin, Mitchell, Suns

January 27th, 2016 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nearly half of the Timberwolves roster has expressed concern regarding the performance of interim coach Sam Mitchell, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press relays. The players’ concerns stem from issues with Mitchell’s outdated offensive system, his tendency to platoon his rotations and a lack of personal accountability for the team’s struggles, Krawczynski notes. Point guard Zach LaVine answered tersely when asked if Mitchell’s tough love approach was making him a better player, the AP scribe adds. “It’s not fun. Sometimes unfair,” LaVine said. “But he’s the coach, I’m the player and sometimes that’s what you have to deal with. You can’t really do anything about it but play good on the court.”

Team owner Glen Taylor doesn’t appear overly concerned that some members of his roster may be frustrated with the coach, Krawczynski notes. “I talk to the players. I talk to the coaches,” Taylor said. “I’m glad that they’re frustrated. I’m sure they’re trying very hard in practice to improve their skills. I know they want to win. I’m confident that it’s just going to be some game that we win against somebody that probably has a better team than us and it just kind of gets us going.”

Here’s what else is happening out West:

The NBA’s punishment for Blake Griffin, who was involved in a fight with Clippers equipment manager Mathias Testi, may not be known for some time, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times writes. The Times scribe cites the duration it has recently taken the league to mete out discipline to Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes and former Hornets small forward Jeff Taylor as examples of the NBA’s propensity to take its time. Griffin’s injury status will also complicate matters, as any potential suspension he would face would not begin until he was medically cleared to play, notes Bresnahan. The power forward is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks after undergoing surgery this week to repair a fracture in his right hand.
With backcourt mates Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight out due to injury, the Suns are now looking to go big with their lineups, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “The court looks smaller,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “Length makes a difference in this league when you have a bunch of it.”

And-Ones: Griffin, Horford, Bazemore, Walton

January 27th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

People who work for the Clippers are “miserable” about the embarrassment that the reported altercation between Blake Griffin and equipment manager Mathis Testi has brought upon the franchise, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes. Griffin, who’s expected to miss four to six weeks recovering from the broken hand he apparently suffered in the incident, issued a statement of apology through his verified Twitter account.

“A situation among friends escalated and I regret the way I handled myself towards someone I care about,” Griffin wrote. “I want to apologize to the Clippers’ organization, my teammates and the fans for creating a distraction. I am working with the team on a resolution and getting back in the game as soon as possible.”

The Clippers earlier seemed to express frustration with Griffin in a sharply worded response to the affair when they announced Griffin’s injury Tuesday. See more from around the NBA:

The Hawks aren’t entirely sure that Al Horford will re-sign in free agency this summer, and they’re making it a priority to re-sign fellow soon-to-be free agent Kent Bazemore, too, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports says in the latest edition of his “The Vertical” podcast (audio link, scroll ahead to 48-minute mark). Wojnarowski and Yahoo Sports colleague Chris Mannix also elaborated on the Atlanta’s trade talks involving Jeff Teague.
Luke Walton said that he had fun as interim Warriors head coach but acknowledged that he still has much to learn as he spoke in a radio appearance on 95.7 The Game. Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group has the partial transcription (Twitter links). “I’m not in a rush to go out and do anything different,” Walton said. “I enjoy the assistant role too … I’d love to be back again next season.”
Matthew Dellavedova was “definitely shocked” when the Cavaliers fired David Blatt and said to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’s sure he’ll cross paths with the coach again. “Coach Blatt was huge for me,” Dellavedova said. “He gave me a great opportunity. He really believed in me and 100% supported me. It was really great for my career, so I’m always going to be appreciative for what he did for me.” Dellavedova is set for restricted free agency at season’s end.

Blake Griffin Breaks Hand, Expected Out 4-6 Weeks

January 26th, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:12pm: Rivers told reporters that expectations of Griffin returning to game action in four to six weeks were unrealistic, Woike tweets. The coach/executive did not provide a timetable that he felt was more appropriate for the power forward to make his return.

3:04pm: It’ll take approximately four to six weeks for Griffin to recover, the team confirmed via press release, adding that he suffered the broken hand Saturday and had surgery today. The statement, co-signed by owner Steve Ballmer and coach/executive Doc Rivers, didn’t mince words.

“This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who are as a team,” the statement reads. “We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.”

1:51pm: Griffin is at least four to six weeks away from returning, two sources tell USA Today’s Sam Amick. The equipment manager whom Griffin reportedly hit, Mathias Testi, has been a close friend of the power forward for years, Amick writes.

1:23pm: The hand is indeed broken, and the early timetable for his recovery is four to six weeks, sources tell Woike (Twitter link).

10:15am: The injury occurred when Griffin hit a member of the Clippers equipment staff multiple times, according to ESPN’s Michael Eaves (Twitter links).

10:03am: Griffin was involved in an off-court incident with a Clippers staff member, a source told Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Woike doesn’t say whether that caused the injury, though Stein and Shelburne wrote in their story that the fracture happened in an “undisclosed team-related incident.”

7:58am: Blake Griffin is expected to remain out for “a matter of weeks, as opposed to days” after suffering what is suspected to be a fracture in his right (shooting) hand, report Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Griffin had previously been expected to return to game action tonight from the quadriceps injury that had kept him out the past month, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times said to Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk in a recent podcast. It’s unclear whether it’s the team that suspects the fracture, and, according to Stein and Shelburne, the Clippers are still trying to determine the severity of the injury, but a broken shooting hand would almost certainly sideline the star power forward for a significant length of time.

The Clippers wouldn’t have the ability to apply for a disabled player exception, since the deadline to do so passed earlier this month, and their injuries aren’t widespread enough to warrant a hardship exception for a 16th roster spot. The team has gone 11-3 since Griffin last played, on Christmas, but nine of those wins have come against teams with losing records, as Stein and Shelburne point out.

A continued absence of Griffin for the long term would be a massive blow to the Clippers, who sit in fourth place in the Western Conference. They traded fellow power forward Josh Smith to the Rockets last week but signed big man Jeff Ayres to a 10-day contract, filling the roster spot that the swap opened. The team is otherwise thin up front, with DeAndre Jordan, Cole Aldrich, the undersized Luc Mbah a Moute and Paul Pierce, and rookie Branden Dawson the only other healthy bigs.

Clippers Notes: Mbah a Moute, Griffin, Smith

January 3rd, 2016 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are enjoying the benefits of the Sixers’ decision not to bring back Luc Mbah a Moute, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The eighth-year veteran signed with L.A. on September 25th, just before the start of training camp. He expected to remain in Philadelphia after starting 61 games there last season and was surprised when the Sixers’ front office showed little interest. “They didn’t call me,” Mbah a Moute said. “I talked to them at the end of the season. They said they were interested in bringing me back. And then the free agency period, we didn’t hear from them. So I had to make a decision.” That decision has worked out well for the Clippers, who added one of the NBA’s best defenders. Mbah a Moute is allowing 0.5 points per defensive isolation play this season, which is among the top rates in the league. “He literally can guard all five positions,” said L.A. coach Doc Rivers. “That’s not a lot of guys in the league [that can do that].”

There’s more news out of Los Angeles:

Mbah a Moute, who played for the Bucks, Kings and Wolves before coming to Philadelphia, told Rowan Kavner of NBA.com that he enjoys being part of a successful team. The Clippers are 22-13 overall and 14-5 since he joined the starting lineup. “You appreciate being on a team like this,” said Mbah a Moute, who has only been part of one winning season. “No offense to Philly, or my time there, every time we played hard. We were young, played hard, competed, but we weren’t as talented. You definitely appreciate the value of having a good team and playing on a good team.”
The Clippers are hoping for an update this week on the status of injured forward Blake Griffin, writes Robert Morales of The Long Beach Press-Telegram. The Clippers announced on December 26th that Griffin was expected to miss at least two weeks with a partially torn left quadriceps. Rivers said Griffin is doing pool workouts and will meet with a team doctor at the middle or end of the week.
Josh Smith shouldn’t expect to return to the rotation any time soon, tweets Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times, as Rivers doesn’t want to tinker with a lineup that has produced six straight victories. “Right now,” the coach said, “why would you want to touch what’s going on?”

Western Notes: Henderson, Griffin, Whiteside

January 2nd, 2016 at 10:15am CST by Eddie Scarito

Blazers swingman Gerald Henderson was supposed to provide some much needed veteran leadership on the court in the wake of the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge as a free agent and the trade of Nicolas Batum to the Hornets, but instead he has fallen to third-string on the team’s depth chart, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com writes. Henderson and his expiring contract could potentially be dealt prior to this season’s trade deadline, but his struggles on the court may make it difficult for Portland to extract much in the way of value if the swingman is traded, Quick notes.

Henderson understands he’s not performing up to par, but believes he can turn things around, Quick adds. “I don’t feel like I can really play worse,’’ Henderson said. “I think I play good defense; I think I’ve done a good job on that end of the court. But offensively … just been inconsistent. I look at myself … I know how to play. And it will turn around at some point … but I feel like I can help the team, obviously more.’’

Here’s more from out West:

One unsung aspect of injured power forward Blake Griffin‘s game that the Clippers will miss is his passing, and the team’s offense has already taken a hit in its efficiency since the high-flying big man has been out of the lineup, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. “You forget, other than CP [Chris Paul], who makes the passes for our team,” Rivers said. “You realize how important Blake is. Most people just look at his scoring, and it’s his passing that makes us go as well.” Griffin is expected to be out of action for at least two weeks after suffering a partially torn left quadriceps.
Look for Heat center Hassan Whiteside to be one of the top free agent targets for the Mavericks this coming offseason, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News opines. While Sefko does praise the play of Zaza Pachulia for Dallas this season, he notes that Whiteside would be a clear upgrade, especially on the defensive end, and the Heat’s salary cap situation could make it difficult for Miami to re-sign the big man, thus helping the Mavs’ cause in regards to inking Whiteside this summer. Miami is currently projected to have approximately $39MM-$45MM in free cap space, but those figures only include six players and don’t account for pending free agents Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng, among others.

Pacific Rumors: Bledsoe, Karl, Clippers

December 29th, 2015 at 7:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The loss of Eric Bledsoe to a season-ending knee injury has forced Suns coach Jeff Hornacek to make several adjustments to his rotation, Greg Esposito of the team’s website reports. Brandon Knight has taken over the role as the main floor leader with Ronnie Price and Bryce Cotton backing him up. Rookie Devin Booker gets the nod at shooting guard, with Sonny Weems and Archie Goodwin in reserve, Hornacek told Esposito. The Suns nearly upset the Cavaliers on Monday and Hornacek felt his new backcourt played reasonably well in Bledsoe’s absence. “Without Eric in the game, it was a little different,” Hornacek told Esposito. “We had gone over a few plays that might be good for the guys. I thought they really came out and executed it. Defensively, we gave up a lot of 3-point attempts that we need to get better at. Some of it was closing out that we need to get better at.”

In other news around the Pacific Division:

Kings coach George Karl has found it difficult to connect with his players and is frustrated by their lack of consistency, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Karl can no longer be as fiery as he once was because of the way current players react, so he has tried to appeal to them in other ways, Jones continues. “Just tell stories,” Karl told Jones. “You try to bring up situations. My explanation the last couple of weeks is just trying to explain to them how difficult this league is, how tough it is to be successful in this league.”
The Clippers used a three-guard alignment against the Wizards on Monday and coach Doc Rivers liked the results, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports. Rivers played reserves Jamal Crawford, Pablo Priogioni and Austin Rivers during the first half and the Clippers extended their lead. His son’s versatility allows the three-guard set to work, according to the coach. “The reason we get away with it is because Austin can guard the one, two or the three,” Doc Rivers told the assembled media. “We just put him on them and then we put Pablo on the second-best guy and put Jamal on the third guy. And so it works for us.”
Chris Paul is impressed how the Clippers are playing without Blake Griffin, according to Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. The Clippers won their first two games after Griffin suffered a partially torn quad tendon. “I just think we’re fighting,” he told Morales. “We know we’re a big man short and so everyone knows that they have to be involved in the game.”

Clippers Notes: Griffin, Rivers, Smith, Tskitishvili

December 26th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers forward Blake Griffin will be out of action for at least two weeks after suffering a partially torn left quadriceps, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. That means Griffin will miss at least six games before being re-evaluated two weeks from now. The team is hoping that rest and physical therapy will be enough to treat the injury, a source told Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). A source close to Griffin tells Ken Berger of CBS Sports that the Clippers are confident two to three weeks of that treatment will be sufficient for Griffin to recover (Twitter link). “Tough break,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. “Blake was playing so well. We just have to keep pushing forward until his return.” The five-time All-Star is averaging 23.2 points and 8.7 rebounds through 30 games.

There’s more Clipper-related news out of Los Angeles:

Rivers is taking a calm approach to the team’s 17-13 start, Woike writes in a separate story. The Clippers are fourth in the Western Conference standings but have been disappointing against the league’s best clubs, compiling just a 5-11 record against teams that currently hold playoff spots. Still, the coach said immediate changes aren’t needed. “I’ve had some teams where I would be panicked now,” Rivers said. “I’d have some teams where I’d go to sleep right now, they’ll be fine. So I think it depends on your team. This is a team that is just a team in motion. We made a lot of changes. It takes time.”
The Christmas Day win over the Lakers marked the second straight game in which Josh Smith was left out of the rotation, Woike notes in the same article. Smith signed a veteran’s minimum deal with the Clippers in July, but he’s struggled to find a role with the team. He is averaging just 5.9 points and 14.6 minutes of playing time this season. Rivers gave Smith’s normal minutes to Cole Aldrich Friday night.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who spent part of training camp with the Clippers, will soon be joining Champville in Lebanon, tweets international journalist David Pick. Tskitishvili has spent parts of this season in China and Japan after L.A. waived him in early October.

Western Notes: Griffin, Morris, Nowitzki

December 26th, 2015 at 4:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers have been a disappointment thus far this season after the franchise added numerous offseason pieces in an attempt to bolster its depth, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post writes. “We haven’t won any big games,” said power forward Blake Griffin. “We haven’t won the games you go into it thinking, ‘Okay, this is one we have to get.’ We’ve lost all those games.” Griffin also notes that the team trying to get all its new personnel on the same page can no longer be used as an excuse, Bontemps adds.

“That was kind of the narrative early on,” Griffin told Bontemps, when asked if trying get everyone on the same page was still a legitimate excuse. “But after however many games, you can’t keep saying that over and over. At a certain point, it can’t be about new guys. It’s just got to be about buying in. Every team has some new guys. Most teams have some new guys. We have to figure something out. We have to be better than this. We are better than this and we’re not showing it.”

Here’s more from out West:

Suns GM Ryan McDonough said that the team would have disciplined any of its players the same way as Markieff Morris, whom the club handed a two-game suspension for throwing a towel at coach Jeff Hornacek during Wednesday’s game, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays. “We try not to be punitive with these kind of things,” McDonough said. “We try to be fair. That’s why we consulted with the league. Sometimes, these things do get emotional. We asked for their opinion. There was precedent for these kind of situations but we would’ve done the same thing if it was any of the other 14 players on the roster.“
Despite the Mavericks‘ attempts to add big name players, power forward Dirk Nowitzki still remains the face of the franchise and the team’s best player, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “The names [on the scoring list] he’s passed and continues to creep up on are the greatest legends in the history of our game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re very fortunate to be able to see a guy like this play. And we’re doing everything possible to keep him playing at a high level and keep him playing as long as possible.”
The Rockets have assigned K.J. McDaniels and Montrezl Harrell to their D-League affiliate, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Pacific Notes: Griffin, Kobe, Chandler

September 19th, 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

High-flying power forward Blake Griffin would ideally like to remain with the Clippers for his entire career, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays. “Yeah, I mean L.A. is my home now,” said Griffin. “This is where I got drafted and I’ve been here since the beginning. I’ve been with this franchise during some bad times. You know, it hasn’t always been like it is now; anytime you have a chance to go from that to this, you feel invested. I’m not looking to go anywhere. With that being said, you never know [in this business]. But I’m happy here, I love it here, and I would love to finish my career here.” Griffin’s current deal runs through the 2017/18 season, though that final year is a player option worth $21,373,952. Be sure to check out the full interview Griffin did with Kennedy, as it is certainly worth a read.

Now here’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Kobe Bryant is expected to be fully healthy at the start of Lakers training camp, but coach Byron Scott intends to carefully limit the veteran’s minutes this season to maximize what could potentially be Bryant’s final NBA hurrah, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register writes. “We’ve got to stick to the guns,” Scott said. “If we agree on a certain amount of time we’re going to stick to it. I know Kobe’s a competitor and he’s going to play as many minutes as you want him to play. I’m also a competitor, so I want to win and I know having him on the court gives me the best opportunity to win. If this is his last year. I want him to go out standing. I don’t want him to go out hurt.“
Even though center Tyson Chandler is past his prime he brings with him exactly what the Suns need — stability to the pivot, spectacular interior defense, and leadership, the crew at Basketball Insiders opine in their season preview of the team. They also believe that the eighth seed in the Western Conference is likely to come down to a fight between Phoenix and the Jazz, with how well Utah compensates for the loss of Dante Exum being a big determining factor.

James, Curry, Harden Lead All-NBA Teams

May 21st, 2015 at 10:32am CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James and Stephen Curry finished atop the voting for the All-NBA Teams, with James Harden, Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol joining them on the first team, the league announced via press release. Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Paul, Pau Gasol and DeMarcus Cousins comprise the second team. Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Tim Duncan, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving make up the third team.

Curry, the league’s MVP, and James each received 645 points through a system in which five points are awarded a first team vote, three points go for a second team vote and one point is given for a third team vote. The duo garnered 129 first team votes each, making them unanimous first team selections. They were followed closely by Harden, with 125 first team votes and 637 points, and Davis, who had 119 first team votes and 625 points. Marc Gasol, who’s heading into free agency, wasn’t as widely seen as a first-teamer by the media members who cast their ballots, rounding out the squad with 65 first-team votes and 453.

Every member of the second team received at least one first team vote, and Thompson and Irving were the only members of the third team not to get a first team vote. Al Horford also received a first team vote even though he didn’t make any of the teams. The NBA will soon display the votes of each media member on its website, but the league has already distributed the information via press release, so click here to check it out in PDF form.