Bruce Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Notes: Brown, Braun, Watson, Jokic, Rest

May 26th, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Nuggets wing Bruce Brown has been one of the keys to the team’s success all season long, making winning plays with his versatility on both ends of the court. He referred to Denver as a “perfect fit” and said it was a “great decision” to sign with the Nuggets last offseason, tweets Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

The 26-year-old could be a free agent again this summer if he declines his $6.8MM player option in search of a bigger payday, which seems likely. The Nuggets will be limited to offering him $7.8MM, as they only have his Non-Bird rights.

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Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) hears the Nuggets are optimistic that Christian Braun will be able to step up as the sixth man if Brown leaves Denver in free agency, and the team is also bullish on Peyton Watson becoming a rotation player in 2023/24. Both Braun and Watson are finishing out their rookie seasons as Denver makes its first NBA Finals appearance.
In a Q&A with Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, former Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders, who is now an assistant with the Nuggets, raved about Western Conference Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. “It’s unbelievable his work capacity,” Saunders said as part of a larger quote. “How hard he works every time he steps on the floor. His approach. His commitment. Just everything that he does is with winning in mind. Everything he does is with helping his teammates in mind. … You can’t help but fall in line in how he approaches it because any time he’s around in the building you want to work hard for him, and he wants to work hard for everyone else involved. He leads by example in so many ways.”
After sweeping the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets have a lengthy wait until the Game 1 of the Finals, which starts June 1. While they keep a close eye on the Boston/Miami series, they plan to enjoy the extra rest without developing complacency, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “We take the rest, yeah, but you don’t want to pick up bad habits throughout this week,” guard Jamal Murray said. “… We don’t want to relax and just wait.”

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Barnes, Knicks, B. Brown, Nets

May 26th, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

It could be a “fascinating” offseason in Toronto, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who said in the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast that people who have been in touch with the Raptors recently have gotten the sense that the front office doesn’t yet know which direction it will take with its roster.

As Windhorst outlines, one path would see the Raptors re-sign Fred VanVleet, extend Pascal Siakam, and potentially pursue additional upgrades. Conversely, the team could make changes to its core, perhaps exploring a sign-and-trade of VanVleet and other deals involving players like Siakam and/or OG Anunoby. The front office’s decision on a direction for the roster isn’t necessarily separate from its ongoing head coaching search, Windhorst observes.

“They’ve interviewed a bunch of different coaches and it’s not clear which way they’re going to go,” he said. “They’ve gotta probably make a decision about whether or not they’re going to keep these guys together, and that is going to influence the kind of coach you hire.”

Windhorst points to Will Hardy and the Jazz last spring as an example of a head coaching hire that was made at the same time a team decided to retool its roster. If the Raptors have a similar overhaul in mind, they could target a coach who specializes in player development, though it seems unlikely that they’ll blow things up to the same extent Utah did.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Eric Koreen and Seth Partnow of The Athletic consider how the Raptors should view Scottie Barnes‘ sophomore slump following his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2021/22. Partnow, acknowledging that the team would’ve liked to see Barnes make greater strides as a play-maker, shooter, and defender last season, says he’d be “concerned but not worried” about the 21-year-old’s development.
The Knicks have the assets to be serious players for any impact player who hits the trade block, but will the right star actually become available for the team this offseason? In a story for subscribers, Peter Botte of The New York Post explores that question.
As Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily relays, Nuggets guard Bruce Brown suggested during an appearance on The Dan LeBatard Show that the Nets‘ front office was interested in re-signing him last summer, but declined to go into details on why things didn’t work out. “I don’t know who made the decision, but I just know the front office wanted me back,” Brown said, spurring speculation that either Nets owner Joe Tsai or one or both of Brooklyn’s then-stars (Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving) played a part in Brown’s exit.

Nuggets Notes: Malone, Murray, Brown, Injury Report

May 19th, 2023 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets are two wins away from the Finals and coach Michael Malone says his team is underappreciated by the national media, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Facing a storied franchise in the Lakers and their two superstars, the Nuggets believe they’re not getting enough credit for how good they’ve become.

“You win Game 1 of the (West Finals), and all everybody talked about was the Lakers,” Malone said. “Let’s be honest. That was the national narrative, was ‘Hey, the Lakers are fine. They’re down 1-0, but they figured something out.’

“No one talked about (how) Nikola (Jokic) just had a historic performance. He’s got 13 triple-doubles now — third all time (in the playoffs). What he’s doing is just incredible. But the narrative wasn’t about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn’t about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments. You put that in your pipe, you smoke it and you come back, and you know what? We’re going to go up 2-0.”

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Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and he also played along with the “lack of respect” theme afterward, Marc J. Spears of Andscape writes. Murray feels he’s often overlooked in the discussion of the league’s top guards. “I don’t think I get enough respect as I should be,” Murray said. “I’m better than a lot of players in the league. Every time I see rankings of guys I think, ‘Man, that is crazy.’ Maybe it’s because I have been out for so long. But if we win the (championship), it changes everything.”
Bruce Brown has turned into one of the key free agent signings in the league from last summer. Brown has been a defensive agitator in the postseason and a surprising offensive spark-plug, averaging 16.5 points over the last four games. “We were surprised that he was available on the second day of free agency,” Malone told Tony Jones of The Athletic. “We didn’t hesitate to try and bring him in. He’s been a perfect fit for us.” Brown signed a tw0-year deal with a $6.8MM player option for next season and is expected to hit the free agent market once again this summer.
The Nuggets have struggled with injuries in recent seasons but continue to have good health in this postseason. They don’t have anyone on the injury report for Game 3, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets.

Nuggets Notes: Murray, Strategy, Jokic, Porter

May 18th, 2023 at 9:56am CST by Arthur Hill

It was an ear infection that had Jamal Murray listed as questionable for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Murray contracted the infection on Saturday, but he was able to score 31 points Tuesday night as the Nuggets held off a late Lakers comeback.

Coach Michael Malone had Murray sit out practice leading up to the game so he could rest and try to recover. He watched film and reviewed the scouting reports, but he didn’t do anything physical until Tuesday’s tipoff.

“I sometimes marvel at the kid,” Malone said. “He showed up and performed like he always does.”

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The Nuggets focused on attacking D’Angelo Russell in Game 1, Singer adds in another Post story. Speaking after Wednesday’s film session, Bruce Brown described Russell as “not the best defender, but he tries.” The Lakers guard was a minus-25 for the game and played just nine minutes in the second half. “A guy that’s played really well for them was not on the floor in the fourth quarter, D’Angelo Russell,” Malone said. “And that to me is an interesting storyline. Are they going to play him? Are they not going to play him?”
The Lakers had some success by using Rui Hachimura, a smaller defender, to guard Nikola Jokic in the second half Tuesday, but the Nuggets say other teams have tried the same tactic, including the Timberwolves in the first round, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “As a team, we’ve seen everything there is to see on how teams will try to guard Nikola,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “It might have surprised us for a little bit in that late second half, but looking at the film, I don’t think that that’ll be an issue for us. Next thing we know how to counter that when they put (Anthony Davis) off ball and AD is roaming a little bit, it opens up some stuff on the backside, so we just got to execute.”
The Nuggets have benefited from Porter’s unselfish attitude during the playoffs, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. During the second-round series against Phoenix, Porter told Malone that he wouldn’t object if Brown was used in his place to close out games, adding, “I just want to win.”

Western Notes: Landale, Grizzlies, Towns, Gobert

May 12th, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Rory Maher

Backup center Jock Landale, who will be a restricted free agent if Phoenix gives him a qualifying offer, hopes to remain with the Suns long term.

“This is a city and a fanbase and an organization I’d love to be a part of for the rest of my career if I could,” Landale said (Twitter video link via PHNX Suns).

The 27-year-old Australian had relatively modest numbers in the regular season, averaging 6.6 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 69 games (14.2 MPG).

However, after making just one brief appearance in Phoenix’s five-game series against the Clippers, Landale made his mark against Denver, as Phoenix was plus-34 over his 106 minutes in the series, with a positive plus/minus in five of his six games despite the club losing four of those contests and ultimately getting eliminated.

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Tyus Jones, Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, Ziaire Williams, David Roddy and Jake LaRavia are among the players who could be on the move if the Grizzlies decide to go after a major upgrade at small forward, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who notes that general manager Zach Kleiman said the team plans to be aggressive in looking for roster reinforcements.
In another story for The Memphis Commercial Appeal, Cole lists five small forwards the Grizzlies could target in free agency with their mid-level exception. Those five players are Caris LeVert, Kelly Oubre, Jae Crowder, Harrison Barnes and Bruce Brown.
On the Podcast P podcast with Paul George, Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns said he was taken aback by last summer’s Rudy Gobert trade. “It was definitely something I wasn’t ready for,” Towns said, per Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. “I remember being in London and getting that call. I didn’t actually have no idea that was happening. I was told by social media like everybody else, so that was something.” Towns added that he had already been preparing as though he was going to be playing center, so moving to power forward was “definitely an adjustment.”

Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Raptors, R. Williams, Harris

May 12th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Rory Maher

There was a general perception that the Knicks may have overpaid point guard Jalen Brunson last summer when they signed him to a four-year, $104MM contract. Instead, he has been outperforming his nine-figure deal to an extent that’s rare for New York sports stars, according to Howie Kussoy of The New York Post (subscriber link).

Kussoy points to the contracts signed by various players across the four major North American sports leagues as examples, writing that most haven’t lived up to the lofty expectations of their enormous paydays.

Brunson, meanwhile, had an All-Star-caliber debut season with New York and has been the Knicks’ best player in the playoffs, averaging 26.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals on .457/.300/.915 shooting through 10 games (39.8 minutes). Kussoy states that Brunson has the “inside track” on becoming the best free agent addition in team history.

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Knicks reserve Immanuel Quickley has been ruled out of Friday’s Game 6 in Miami, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link). The third-year guard is still battling a left ankle sprain and had previously been listed as doubtful. Quickley will miss his third straight game with the injury.
The 2023 free agent class isn’t the strongest, particularly the group of players who might be available for the Raptors‘ mid-level exception or less, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who lists 25 players Toronto could target. Among the top candidates Koreen considers realistic are Bruce Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (for part of the MLE, not full) and Josh Richardson. Brown and DiVincenzo hold team-friendly player options for 2023/24, while Alexander-Walker will be restricted if Minnesota gives him a qualifying offer — only Richardson is an unrestricted free agent at the moment.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart was thrilled with head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s adjustment of inserting Robert Williams into the starting lineup for Game 6, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I was ecstatic about it,” Smart said. “To have Rob in there, he changes the game a lot … that just goes to show you, Joe is learning. Just like all of us. I know he’s been killed a lot. Rightfully so. He needs to make some adjustments, and he did that. And that’s all you can ask for, just continue to be the best he can be. It takes everybody; it’s a full team effort.” Williams recorded 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and the Celtics were plus-18 in his 28 minutes.
It was reported in April that Sixers owner Josh Harris had reached an agreement to buy the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Harris and the team released a joint statement on Friday officially announcing the sale, as Sam Robinson of Pro Football Rumors relays. The agreement still has to be approved by the other NFL owners, but that’s considered a formality.

Northwest Notes: Jokic, Nuggets, Gobert, Thunder

May 10th, 2023 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Superstar center Nikola Jokic had another huge game on Tuesday as the Nuggets took a 3-2 lead in their series with Phoenix, racking up 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the playoffs. Jokic’s 10th career postseason triple-double moved him ahead of Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles by a center in NBA playoff history, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

Discussing Jokic’s historic performance after the game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone made light of the in-season discourse surrounding his center’s triple-doubles, joking that he “must be stat-padding.” Malone also made sure to stress how much the franchise appreciates Jokic and his “incredible” performance.

“He makes everyone around him better,” Malone said. “Never gets rattled. ‘Cool Hand Luke.’ And we’re just so thankful that he’s a Denver Nugget.”

Between Games 4 and 5, Jokic was hit with a $25K fine for a brief sideline incident involving Suns owner Mat Ishbia, but Jokic and Ishbia had a friendly exchange prior to Game 5 and clearly don’t have any bad blood, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. During a TNT interview after Tuesday’s win, Jokic was asked about that pregame interaction with Ishbia and joked that he was trying to see if the Suns owner would pay his fine (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).

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As great as Jokic has been against Phoenix, the contributions of the Nuggets‘ role players – starting with a pair of veterans acquired last summer – shouldn’t be overlooked, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required). Bruce Brown‘s 25 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s strong defense on Devin Booker helped Denver secure a Game 5 victory.
While fans in Minnesota were upset about Jaden McDaniels‘ absence from this year’s All-Defensive teams, the bigger concern for the Timberwolves is that Rudy Gobert‘s play this past season didn’t earn the three-time Defensive Player of the Year a single vote, says Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. It remains to be seen whether Gobert was more affected by health issues than he let on his year or whether his decline has begun, Rand writes.
Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman believes it’s unlikely that the Thunder dip into their stash of future draft picks to make a trade for a core player this offseason. In Mussatto’s view, head of basketball operations Sam Presti is more likely to use his draft assets to make sure he gets the player(s) he wants in this year’s draft, like he did when he traded three protected first-rounders for the No. 11 pick in the 2022 draft.

Western Notes: Murray, Brown, Gordon, Jokic, Suns

May 1st, 2023 at 5:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jamal Murray‘s offensive skill was on full display in Game 1 of the Nuggets’ second-round series with the Suns, as he poured in 34 points. After missing last season due to a knee injury, Murray is all the way back, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. He’s a three-level scorer, which makes him extremely difficult to contain.

“My mindset wasn’t coming back to be the same player,” Murray said. “My mindset was coming back and being a better player than I was. The biggest thing I had to do was build my body back up, not necessarily the skill. It was a lot of work, almost every day. But, I just wanted to get back to playing the way I thought I could. I didn’t want to get too high or low.”

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While Murray erupted offensively, Bruce Brown and Aaron Gordon were the stars on defense in Game 1, Mike Singer of The Denver Post notes. Gordon was the primary defender on Kevin Durant, while Brown made three steals and generally disrupted the Suns’ offensive flow.
Nikola Jokic averaged a career-high 9.8 assists during the regular season. His teammates learn quickly they need to be prepared for Jokic’s distribution skills, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. “He sees the game a couple steps before it even happens,” Gordon said. “They are things that nobody else sees. So we know to be ready, and keep our hands ready, and he’s going to hit us in the oven.”
Suns coach Monty Williams doesn’t expect his team to commit 16 turnovers again in Game 2 on Monday night, which led to 18 Denver points. “We’ve always been really good at making the right read right away,” Williams told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I thought we were delayed and hesitant in that. I think we’ll do a lot better (Monday).”

Nets Notes: B. Brown, J. Green, Simmons, M. Brown, Bridges

March 20th, 2023 at 8:49am CST by Arthur Hill

Two former Nets who returned to Brooklyn Sunday as members of the Nuggets weren’t surprised to see the end of the Kevin Durant–Kyrie Irving era, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Bruce Brown, who spent two seasons with the Nets before signing with Denver last summer, said there were issues behind the scenes that went beyond the turmoil the public saw.

“Once the summer (trade request from Durant occurred), it could happen. They started off playing really well, and then when the Ky situation came about you knew they were going to move him,” Brown said. “So, end of an era.”

Lewis points out that the “Ky situation” could refer to his contentious contract talks last June, his online promotion of an antisemitic film or his trade demand in February after being dissatisfied with the team’s extension offer. Jeff Green, who played for Brooklyn in 2020/21, also indicated that there were forces pulling the team apart.

“I don’t know if I’m surprised,” Green said. “But at the end of the day, we realize that it as a business. It was stuff that both sides couldn’t really control, and it ran its course.”

There’s more on the Nets:

Continued soreness in his left knee and back caused Ben Simmons to miss his 13th straight game Sunday, and coach Jacque Vaughn isn’t sure if he’ll be able to return before the season ends, Lewis states in the same story. “Not really a timeline or update,” Vaughn said of Simmons, who has only been available for 42 games. “Again, what I can give you is no setback which is good and he continues to progress on court.”
Moses Brown wasn’t used in his first game since joining the Nets, but Vaughn promised he’ll get a chance to play before his 10-day contract expires, Lewis adds. “(We) still have Day’Ron (Sharpe) and his ability to play for us,” Vaughn said. “But the way I coach, at some point you will see Moses and we’ll see him during the stretch of the next 10 days for sure.”
Mikal Bridges, who has emerged as a star since being acquired in the Durant trade, blamed himself for Sunday’s loss, saying his defensive effort wasn’t up to par, Lewis notes in another New York Post story. “Personally I take a lot of blame, because I was just poor on the defensive end,” Bridges said. “Obviously I was missing shots early, but that comes with the game. Just missing, that’s just part of it; but I can control playing defense. So that’s what messed me up right now, and that’s on me. I’ve just got to be more locked in on that side of the ball.”

Western Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jones, Cancar, Nuggets’ Bench

March 12th, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pumped in 35 points against New Orleans on Saturday but the Thunder are still playing it cautious with his recent injury. He sat out the second game of a back-to-back against San Antonio on Sunday due to what the team described as abdominal strain injury management, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman tweets. The Thunder star guard has exceeded the 30-point mark in his last four outings.

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Tre Jones missed the Spurs‘ game against Oklahoma City on Sunday with a non-COVID illness, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. Jones averaged 13 points and six assists in his last two appearances.
Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar was available to play against Brooklyn on Sunday, coach Michael Malone told Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Cancar missed three games with a wrist sprain and also didn’t play against San Antonio on Friday.
The Nuggets’ second unit has been unsettled after changes were made during and after the trade deadline, Singer writes. Reggie Jackson has struggled with his shooting (29%) since becoming the backup point guard and Thomas Bryant has been relatively quiet since he was brought in to back up Nikola Jokic. “We’re still trying to figure stuff out,” swingman Bruce Brown said.