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Southwest Notes: Brooks, Bane, Murray, Zion

March 29th, 2022 at 10:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks aimed some critical comments toward former teammate Andre Iguodala, following Memphis’s blowout 123-95 victory over Iguodala’s Warriors on Monday, as Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area relays.

“We all had the vision,” Brooks said in press conference remarks following the contest. “He didn’t, which is perfect. Send him back to the Warriors and let him do his thing over there.”

Iguodala famously opted against joining the Grizzlies upon being traded from Golden State to Memphis in 2019. Instead, the veteran practiced away from the club in anticipation of a trade or buy-out. The Heat would eventually trade for a package top-lined by Iguodala and Jae Crowder ahead of a 2020 NBA Finals run. Iguodala would remain with Miami until the summer of 2021, during which the three-time champion signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal to return to the Warriors.

“From the beginning, we were growing a base, we had a base and we kept building and building and building and more guys got on the train and we were able to create something like this and keep building this dynasty and this program up to new heights,” Brooks said of the Grizzlies, currently the West’s No. 2 seed thanks to a 53-23 record. “Just an amazing feeling to see guys grow every single year. I’ve been here the longest so I’m just happy to see each player grow in their role and to try to exceed their role, which is amazing to see.”

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

  • Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, who has enjoyed a breakout year in Memphis, is relishing his tenure as a reserve point guard in the absence of injured All-Star Ja Morant, writes Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Morant’s backup, Tyus Jones, has moved into a starting role. “It’s growing on me a little bit,” Bane said of running point. “At first I liked playing off the ball, but I’m starting to get more comfortable kind of figuring out my spots and where I can attack with the ball in my hands.” For the first time ever at the NBA level, the second-year guard recently notched four straight games with five assists or more.
  • At 2.1 steals per game, Spurs All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray is the first San Antonio player to lead the league in steals since former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard did so during the 2014/15 NBA season, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “He’s got a natural ability in that area,” raved head coach Gregg Popovich said. “He reads things and sees the spatial relationships. That’s all him.” Murray himself cites his speed for this defensive skill. “I think that’s just me having quick hands, the vision of it, knowing how to time it,” Murray said. “I’m not in it to be the league leader. That’s just Dejounte trying to be active on both ends of the floor. If that helps us get wins, I’m going to continue to try and get better at it.” Thanks in large part to the play of Murray, the 31-44 Spurs have climbed their way into the Western Conference’s play-in tournament bracket as the present No. 10 seed, though they are tied by record with the Lakers.
  • 2021 All-Star Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who has missed the entire 2021/22 NBA season thus far due to a foot fracture, traveled with his teammates on a multi-game road trip for the first time this year, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, though Williamson is still indefinitely sidelined, he appears to be approving in his rehab. The 32-43 Pelicans are the West’s ninth seed even sans Williamson, and appear poised to make a play-in tournament appearance.
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Grizzlies Notes: Jackson Jr., Bane, Contender, Morant

March 23rd, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Rory Maher

In an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Countdown prior to Wednesday’s game against Brooklyn (video link), Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. said he believes he should win the Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Jackson leads the league in blocked shots per game with 2.2; he also averages 1.0 SPG and 5.9 RPG in 27.3 MPG.

“Of course I think I’m Defensive Player of the Year,” Jackson said. “I just think what I’m able to do, I mean the blocks are cool, but you get blocks from contesting shots. I’m able to do a lot more than most people who get a lot of blocks. I’m able to switch out on guards, I’m able to talk.

“You’ve gotta be a quarterback on defense and I think that’s what people miss. It’s a mind game. You’re really playing chess. I think Draymond [Green] might have said that one time, you’re playing chess with the offensive team coming down. So, I’m just able to read and I’m able to use my length to my advantage when I can.”

After appearing in just 11 games last season as he recovered from a torn meniscus, Jackson has played a career-high 72 contests to this point, only missing one game for the 50-23 Grizzlies.

Here’s more from Memphis:

  • With his fifth three-pointer in Wednesday’s 132-120 win over the Nets, Desmond Bane broke Mike Miller‘s single-season franchise record for threes made, the team announced (via Twitter). Bane finished the game 8-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-10 from deep, for a total of 23 points. He also chipped in four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and was plus-20 in 32 minutes of action. Bane has now converted 204 three-pointers this season.
  • The Grizzlies are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild, according to Tim MacMahon and Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Many expected the Grizzlies to be in the mix for the play-in tournament again after making their way to the No. 8 seed last season, but they’ve made a major leap and currently hold the second-best record in the NBA, only trailing the 59-14 Suns.
  • Nets star Kevin Durant thinks Ja Morant is bound for Springfield (Massachusetts) when his career is finished, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “When you got a future Hall of Famer at the head of the snake, it just makes everybody better,” Durant said on Monday. “He’s a combination of players, I feel. I think the greatest players in our game can transform into anybody at any given point. And I think Ja’s on the way to that. When he’s playing, I see like two or three, four different Hall of Famers in his game. From [Allen] Iverson, to he might make a [Michael] Jordan-like layup, or he might run down the court like a [Russell] Westbrook or a [Derrick Rose].”
  • In case you missed it, Morant underwent an MRI and X-ray on his sore right knee on Wednesday.
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Poll: Who Will Win The 2022 Three-Point Contest?

February 18th, 2022 at 10:18pm CST by Rory Maher

The 2022 NBA Three-Point Contest takes place Saturday night and features eight participants (betting odds via Chad Smith of Basketball Insiders):

There are two rounds in the competition; the three highest scores from the first round advance to the championship round, and the highest scoring competitor in the championship round will become the victor. A first-time winner will be crowned this year, as only Young and LaVine have made prior appearances in the event, this being Young’s second attempt and LaVine’s third.

Each participant gets 70 seconds to attempt a total of 27 shots — five from each of the traditional racks located at the corners, wings, and top-of-the-key, and two “Dew Zone” locations six feet behind the arc. The deep racks feature just one ball each, but they’re worth three points apiece.

Young, VanVleet, Lavine and Towns are all pulling double-duty, as the four players were all selected to the All-Star game. Bane is as well, as he’s a member of Team Isiah for the Rising Stars event.

Going purely by three-point percentage this season, Kennard leads the group at 44.8%, followed by Mills and Bane (41.9%), Towns (40.9%), VanVleet (40.1%), LaVine (39.9%), McCollum (38.9%), and finally Young (38.3%).

However, VanVleet leads all competitors in makes (4.0) and attempts (10.0) per game by a considerable margin — McCollum is second with 3.1 makes and 8.0 attempts.

What do you think? Who will win this year’s Three-Point Contest? Will Towns defy the betting odds and take home the crown? Will LaVine triumph in his third attempt?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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NBA Announces Slam Dunk, Three-Point, Skills Challenge Contestants

February 8th, 2022 at 6:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA has announced a full list of the participants for its three-point, slam dunk and skills challenge competitions ahead of the upcoming 2022 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.

Per the NBA (Twitter link), the following players will partake in the Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest, which appears to have outpaced the dunk contest as the premiere event for established stars at All-Star Weekend. Four 2022 All-Stars will compete:

According to the league (via Twitter), these are the contestants in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest:

Below are the NBA’s announced players for the newly revamped Taco Bell Skills Challenge (Twitter link). This year, the Skills Challenge will be divvied up into three teams: Antetokounmpo brothers (“Antetokounmpos”), Cavaliers players (“Cavs”), and rookies (“Rooks”).

These three events will take place on All-Star Saturday on February 19.

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2021/22 Rising Stars Team Rosters

February 4th, 2022 at 6:27pm CST by Rory Maher

As we previously relayed, the NBA announced a new format for its Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, which will take place on Friday, February 18. The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament (two semifinals and a final).

The player pool is comprised of 12 NBA rookies, 12 sophomores, and four players from the G League Ignite, while the games will be played to a target score: 50 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the final, in honor of the league’s 75th anniversary season.

The rosters were announced on February 1, but now the four honorary coaches (75th anniversary team members Rick Barry, Isiah Thomas, Gary Payton and James Worthy) have selected their seven-man teams, per our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Here are the rosters:

Team Barry:

Team Isiah:

Team Payton:

Team Worthy:

James Ham of ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat provides (via Twitter) the full draft results.

The top 10, in order, were: Edwards, Mobley, Ball, Anthony, Giddey, Barnes, Cunningham, Bey, Bane, and Wagner. It’s worth noting that Worthy and Anthony both went to the University of North Carolina, so Anthony’s selection at No. 4 is less surprising given that context.

What do you think of the teams? Who do you think will come out on top? Head to the comments section and let us know your thoughts!

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NBA Announces 2021/22 Rising Stars Rosters

February 1st, 2022 at 6:34pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA has revealed the 28 players (12 rookies, 12 sophomores, and four G League Ignite players) who will suit up for the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars Game in Cleveland this year, per its official PR account (Twitter links). There are a few intriguing surprises among the first-year NBA players.

Here are the players who made the cut:

Rookies:

Sophomores:

Additionally, four players from the G League Ignite will participate in the Rising Stars Game based on voting from NBA G League head coaches. The NBAGL has announced (Twitter link) that MarJon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels, Jaden Hardy and Scoot Henderson will partake in the action. Players will be separated into four teams, and each G League player will be drafted to join one of the teams later this week.

Among the rookie NBA players, the additions who would be most surprising ahead of the 2021/22 season would be Dosunmu and Jones, both of whom were second-round draft selections. 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga, Ziaire Williams, James Bouknight, Joshua Primo and Moses Moody were all omitted from inclusion this year.

Among the second-year players, Ball could be appearing on multiple nights during All-Star Weekend this season, as he appears to be a very possible first-time All-Star this year thanks to his outstanding work with the upstart Hornets.

The lottery-bound Magic, Pistons, and Rockets can boast having the most inclusions here, with three players apiece.

As we detailed last week, this year’s Rising Stars event will look a little different, with the four teams taking part in a mini-tournament and playing to a target score in each game: 50 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the final, in honor of the league’s 75th anniversary season.

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Southwest Notes: Carlisle, Porzingis, Bane, Eubanks

January 29th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was touched by the video tribute the Mavericks offered tonight as he returned to Dallas to face the team he ran for the past 13 seasons, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Carlisle wiped away tears and acknowledged the fans as he watched the highlights, which included the NBA title he helped bring to the city in 2011.

Carlisle resigned last spring after the Mavs were knocked out of the playoffs and signed with Indiana shortly afterward. He recalled “a lot of blessings” during his time with the organization and said the team is in good hands with new coach Jason Kidd.

“This is now Jason’s time,” Carlisle said. “It’s their time as a staff. They’ve got an amazing opportunity with a young nucleus that could go on long run, for a long time. And so that’s exciting. That’s exciting for them. But being, being a small part of that foundation is meaningful to me and all the other coaches that have worked with me.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis left tonight’s game with soreness in his right knee, Townsend adds. Kidd didn’t have any information about his condition, saying, “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” but a source tells Townsend that Porzingis wasn’t on the team’s flight to Orlando.
  • Grizzlies swingman Desmond Bane, one of this season’s breakout stars, talked about using the lessons from his rookie season in an interview with Spencer Davies of Basketball News. “I learned just how to be a pro first and foremost,” Bane said. “The schedule last year was grueling due to all the games being canceled and so forth, so I had to learn how to just continue my habits more than anything. Stack good habits on top of each other and let the good days stack up, and learn how to be a pro essentially.”
  • Backup Spurs center Drew Eubanks has been forced to adjust to fluctuating playing time, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. Over a recent seven-game stretch, he played 11-to-19 minutes three times and seven or fewer minutes four times. “It can get frustrating, but I know where I’m at within the organization and with the coaches and front office,” he said. “It’s easy for me to come in every day and have a good attitude and be supportive of my teammates. I know they may be going through some turbulence too, but they’re still going to be supportive of me and whoever else.”
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Injury/COVID Notes: Gobert, Mitchell, FVV, Barnes, Banes, More

January 25th, 2022 at 7:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Jazz stars Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) and Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol) continue to be sidelined and will miss Wednesday’s game against the Suns, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). It will be Gobert’s second consecutive absence, while Mitchell has missed five straight. Both players are having strong seasons for the reeling Jazz, who are 4-9 in their last 13 games (30-18 overall, fourth in the West).

Here are some more injury and COVID-related notes from around the NBA:

  • The Raptors are playing without Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) and Scottie Barnes (swollen right wrist) on Tuesday night against Charlotte. Coach Nick Nurse called VanVleet “day-to-day,” while Barnes was a late scratch, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports relays (all Twitter links). VanVleet could be an All-Star this season, averaging 21.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals on .421/.393/.870 shooting through 41 games. He leads the league in minutes per game at 38.2. Barnes is one of the leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award.
  • Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has rejoined the team after clearing the league’s health and safety protocols, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets.
  • De’Aaron Fox (ankle) and Chimezie Metu (knee) were both late scratches for the Kings on Tuesday at Boston, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. Thankfully, coach Alvin Gentry said neither injury is serious. “It’s no big deal,” Gentry said. “If this was a playoff series or something, they would be playing, but it’s precautionary measures and stuff.”
  • Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop has entered the health and safety protocols, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • Matisse Thybulle returned to action for the Sixers against New Orleans on Tuesday after a five-game absence. Thybulle suffered a sprained shoulder after being pushed in the back on a dunk by Dennis Schroder, resulting in a flagrant foul, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Western Notes: Porter Jr., Bane, Jazz, Rockets

January 20th, 2022 at 9:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Despite undergoing back surgery at the beginning of last month, Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. reportedly could return this season.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski expanded on that possibility (video link), saying that in conversations with team president Tim Connelly and Porter’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, they “love the way he’s coming along.”

“There’s optimism we’re going to see him again this season,” Wojnarowski said.

That would be a huge boost to the Nuggets’ chances during the postseason. Porter signed a five-year max extension in September.

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Desmond Bane says he deserves serious consideration for the Most Improved Player award, as he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “A lot of times, they don’t want to give it to guys like myself or Jerami Grant,” the Grizzlies guard said on Haynes’ podcast. “But your role changes as you get better. As you improve and as you get better, you get more leeway, you get more opportunities. That’s just how the game goes. They’re not going to give an opportunity to a guy that isn’t ready for it. … So I think that I should definitely be in the conversation.” Bane also believes he could take down the 3-point shooting contest on All-Star weekend if he gets the chance. “If I get invited, I plan to do it and I plan to win it,” he said.
  • Amid reports that the Jazz are looking for a wing upgrade, head coach Quin Snyder hinted that the team needs to do something about its defensive slippage. Utah was defeated by Houston 116-111 on Wednesday and Snyder lamented the team’s performance on that end of the court, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. “We just had multiple breakdowns over the course of the game, in different capacities, defensively,” he said. “We were helping when we shouldn’t have been helping, not recognizing personnel situations, not focused on the details of what we’re trying to do on the defensive end.”
  • Speaking of the Rockets, they could be very active before the trade deadline as they continue their rebuild. The Athletic’s John Hollinger and Kelly Iko explore which players are most likely to be moved and their trade value. Hollinger sees a potential avenue for moving Eric Gordon to the Lakers and outlines what they could get in return.
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COVID-19 Updates: Grizzlies, Doumbouya, Oubre, Pistons, More

January 19th, 2022 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies now have a league-high four players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. When they updated their injury report on Tuesday for Wednesday’s game vs. Milwaukee, the Grizzlies removed Yves Pons from the protocols, but added key contributors Kyle Anderson and Desmond Bane (Twitter link). Big man Killian Tillie also remains in the protocols for Memphis, and point guard Tyus Jones was added today (Twitter link).

While the Grizzlies shouldn’t have to wait too long to get some of their players back from the protocols, they’ll likely be shorthanded on the wing for their next few games, with Anderson and Bane both unavailable and Dillon Brooks (ankle) still on the shelf too.

Here are a few more protocol-related updates:

  • Lakers two-way forward Sekou Doumbouya entered the COVID-19 protocols on Tuesday, according to the team (Twitter link via Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group). Doumbouya had been in the G League with South Bay, so his absence won’t have a major impact on the NBA club.
  • Hornets forward Kelly Oubre and Pistons guard Frank Jackson are among the players to have exited the protocols this week, according to their respective teams (Twitter links). Jackson missed Tuesday’s game vs. Golden State due to reconditioning, while Oubre is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s contest in Boston.
  • Pistons rookie Luka Garza, who was on a G League assignment, had his status changed to “health and safety protocols” on Tuesday night’s injury report. Meanwhile, this morning’s injury reports no longer list Jazz guard Jared Butler or Kings wing Robert Woodard, an indication that both players have cleared the protocols.
  • Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley and top assistant Nate Tibbetts both entered the protocols on Monday, resulting in assistant Jesse Mermuys taking over on a temporary basis as Orlando’s acting head coach, per the team (Twitter link).
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