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Booker, Paul Head List Of Western Conference All-Star Reserves

February 3rd, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul were among seven players named to the Western Conference All-Star reserve pool, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

The Jazz duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert also made the list, along with the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, the Warriors’ Draymond Green and the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.

Green announced he will not play in the All-Star game due to back and calf injuries, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. NBA commissioner Adam Silver will select his replacement.

The Western Conference starter pool was announced last week.

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was chosen along with Lakers forward LeBron James and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic among Western Conference frontcourt candidates. The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant joined the Warriors’ Stephen Curry as the backcourt duo in the starter pool.

Suns Notes: Jones, Ayton, Sarver Investigation, Booker

January 27th, 2022 at 5:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns GM James Jones received a multiyear extension this week and the team’s head coach and players voiced their approval, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports.

“I’m so happy for him, he deserves it,” said Chris Paul, who served on the NBPA’s executive committee with Jones when the GM was a player. “I’ve got a different relationship than everybody else because I know him personally. Been through labor negotiations with him. James is like part of my family. I think he deserves it, I’m happy for him and he should be in this league a long time for whatever executive position he wants.”

“I’m happy for him,” coach Monty Williams said. “Anytime you can hang around as long as he has, that’s a huge accomplishment. He’s earned it for sure.”

We have more on the Suns:

Deandre Ayton is expected to return to action against San Antonio on Sunday barring any setbacks, 98.7 FM radio talk show host John Gambadoro tweets. Ayton hasn’t played since Jan. 16 due to an ankle injury suffered against Detroit. He’ll be a restricted free agent after the season.
With the league investigation into owner Robert Sarver’s behavior still ongoing, the team is seeking to create a confidential internal hotline for employees to file complaints, Baxter Holmes of ESPN writes. The internal hotline is being created because employees haven’t been using the NBA hotline for fear of being revealed as a source.
Devin Booker ranked fifth in the latest All-Star fan voting results among Western Conference guards and Williams calls it “laughable,” Rankin relays in a separate story. “I kind of laugh at the voting numbers when I see it at the bottom of the ticker and so many guys are getting so many more votes than him,” Williams said. “It’s laughable. When you look at what he’s done, not just of late, but all season long and the wins we have, he should be a starter on the All-Star team.”

Devin Booker, Darius Garland Named Players Of The Week

January 17th, 2022 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Devin Booker and Cavaliers guard Darius Garland have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter link).

It’s the second time this season that Booker has earned the award — he also won it on November 29. From January 10-16, Booker led the Suns to three straight road victories, averaging 27.0 PPG on .464/.360/.769 shooting to go along with 4.3 RPG and 3.3 APG in 33.7 minutes per contest.

Garland is a first-time winner of the Player of the Week award and is the second Cavalier to earn it this season, joining teammate Jarrett Allen. Like Booker, Garland led his team to an undefeated week on the road, as the Cavs won in Sacramento, Utah, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Garland put up 20.5 PPG, 12.8 APG, and 6.0 RPG in those four games (35.6 MPG).

Booker beat out fellow nominees Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, and Anfernee Simons in the West, while RJ Barrett, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyler Herro, and Pascal Siakam were the other nominees in the East (Twitter link).

Suns Notes: Bass, Booker, Saric, Payne, Shamet

January 15th, 2022 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The second 10-day contract that Paris Bass signed with the Suns this week will give him an opportunity to play in front of his hometown fans Sunday in Detroit, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Bass, who played his college ball at Detroit Mercy, is concerned with finding enough tickets to make sure his family gets to see him live out his NBA dream.

“Man,” Bass said. “To come from where I was last year to be to this point right here. I was in Puerto Rico last year, Dominican Republic. Now to be here, the biggest stage in the world. Playing at home in front of my family, man, like, I don’t know what I’m going to do in that moment until I get there, honestly.”

The 26-year-old Bass has played in a long list of overseas locales since going undrafted in 2017, along with a couple of stints in the G League. He started this season with the South Bay Lakers and may never have gotten an NBA opportunity if not for the hardship exemption that was instituted in response to COVID-19 outbreaks.

“I do think it’s pretty cool to see these guys get a chance to play in the league,” coach Monty Williams said. “In a normal economy, they probably wouldn’t. So I’m excited and pleased to see people get an opportunity.”

There’s more on the Suns:

Devin Booker enjoys social media, but he’s uncomfortable when fans put him on the same level as Kobe Bryant, Rankin states in a separate piece. “The only problem I have is people still comparing me to Kobe Bryant when I told them in the playoffs stop bringing up Mamba mentality,” Booker said. “I’m inspired by Kobe Bryant and Mamba mentality, but I am not Kobe Bryant.”
Phoenix is looking for someone willing to trade for Dario Saric, who may miss the entire season because of a torn ACL, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said on the latest edition of the Solar Panel podcast. The power forward is making $8.51MM this season and has another $9.24MM guaranteed for 2022/23.
The Suns could be in the market for backcourt help before the trade deadline, as Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports 98.7 notes that Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet are having disappointing seasons. Olson adds that both players haven’t been able to adjust to regular roles because of shifting lineups created by COVID-19.

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Booker, Morris, Thompson

December 18th, 2021 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Thomas‘ 19-point debut Friday night in Minnesota was one of the bright spots of the Lakers‘ season, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Thomas signed a 10-day contract under the hardship provision because L.A. is shorthanded due to a mix of injuries and players in health and safety protocols. Thomas understands that he may not be with the Lakers very long, but he’s enjoying the opportunity to play without the pain in his hip that bothered him for so long.

“That was very frustrating, when your mind is telling you to do something but your body won’t allow you to do it,” said Thomas, whose career was derailed by a hip injury in the 2017 playoffs. “And that was my first major injury so that was like, ‘Basketball is everything to me.’ so it really stopped me from being who I am. It really stopped me from being happy.”

The Lakers brought in Thomas for a workout during the summer, but decided against giving him one of the open roster spots that eventually went to Austin Reaves and Avery Bradley. LeBron James said he’s happy to have Thomas as a teammate again, even though their previous partnership with the Cavaliers didn’t work out.

“He wasn’t healthy in Cleveland and he was playing out of just pure grit and his hip was just not allowing him to be who he was before the injury,” James said. “Obviously he has his pop back, has his shot back, and it’s good to have him.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Devin Booker was a full participant in today’s practice and is optimistic about returning Sunday after missing the Suns‘ last seven games with a strained left hamstring, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “We’ve still got to be careful and see how he responds to the day before and the next day, how do you feel,” coach Monty Williams said. “When you’re dealing with a hamstring, it’s a weird deal because some people have the low, some people have the mid, some people have the high. I’ve only done like the high one so I only know how that felt like. It’s just a tricky, tricky injury.”
Marcus Morris entered health and safety protocols this morning, but none of his Clippers teammates have been affected by the virus, per Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Morris, who was with the team in Oklahoma City, returned to Los Angeles on a private flight and wasn’t experiencing any symptoms, coach Tyronn Lue said.
The Warriors issued a statement Friday that Klay Thompson completed his latest G League assignment and his recovery timeline is still on schedule. Thompson is expected to debut at a home game some time in January.

Devin Booker Does On-Court Work, Close To Return

December 16th, 2021 at 8:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns star Devin Booker is getting close to returning to action, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reports.

Booker did individual on-court work with Suns assistant Jarrett Jack after the morning shootaround at the team’s practice facility on Thursday. Booker didn’t play in Phoenix’s night game against the Wizards, the seventh consecutive game he’s missed due to a left hamstring strain.

Booker was running, dribbling and shooting as he showed progress from the injury he suffered on November 30 against Golden State.

Prior to the workout, Booker had been limited to weight lifting and shooting. He said earlier in the week he’d like to undergo some contact in practices before he suits up again.

“Get some up-and-down, check all the boxes,” Booker said.

The Suns have two days off before Sunday’s game against Charlotte and Booker could come back in that game. Heading into the game against Washington, Phoenix was 4-2 since Booker was injured.

Devin Booker Expected To Miss Time With Hamstring Injury

December 1st, 2021 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Devin Booker is expected to miss multiple games due to the left hamstring injury he sustained during Tuesday’s win over the Warriors, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported during a TV appearance this afternoon (video link).

Wojnarowski said Booker’s hamstring ailment is “not believed to be a serious injury,” but the Suns will err on the side of caution with their leading scorer. The expectation is that Booker will miss “at least a few games,” according to Wojnarowski. That means he’ll likely be unavailable for Phoenix’s rematch vs. the Warriors in Golden State this Friday.

Booker, who left Tuesday’s game in the second quarter and didn’t return, has averaged 23.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 4.5 APG on .458/.403/.857 shooting in 21 games (32.2 MPG) this season for a Suns team that now leads the NBA with an 18-3 record.

Cameron Johnson will likely be in line for a bigger role with Booker out. He played a season-high 29 minutes on Tuesday, replacing Booker to start the second half and in the Suns’ closing lineup. Landry Shamet is another candidate for more playing time.

Devin Booker, Trae Young Named Players Of The Week

November 29th, 2021 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Devin Booker and Hawks guard Trae Young have been named the NBA’s Players of The Week for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).

Booker’s Suns went 4-0 during the week of November 22-28 to extend their winning streak to 16 games, while Young’s Hawks were 3-1.

Booker averaged 30.0 PPG and 3.5 APG on .530/.560/.900 shooting in victories over San Antonio, Cleveland, New York, and Brooklyn. Young put up 31.3 PPG and 8.5 APG with a .563/.517/.833 shooting line, scoring at least 30 points in all four of his games.

The other nominees for the awards this week were Stephen Curry, D’Angelo Russell, and Karl-Anthony Towns in the West, along with Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Kevin Durant, and Terry Rozier in the East (Twitter link).

Suns Notes: Williams, Booker, Paul, Sarver

November 5th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Thursday night about the allegations of racism and misogyny leveled against Suns owner Robert Sarver, several of the team’s on-court leaders acknowledged the severity of those allegations while also stating that they’ll wait for more details to come out before jumping to any conclusions. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays, head coach Monty Williams and star guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul were among those who addressed the subject.

“As someone who is the caretaker of a program, I find all these things that are being said serious in nature,” Williams said, noting that the incidents described in the ESPN report occurred before he arrived in Phoenix. “It takes courage to come out and express yourself. But at the same time, I’m aware there are two sides to this equation. … We still have to wait to see how clear the facts can appear.

“… If any of that stuff happened while I was here, I wouldn’t be in this seat. The league is doing an investigation, and we’ll know more obviously once that is settled.”

Booker said that he hasn’t noticed any racist or misogynistic behavior from Sarver since joining the team in 2014, but he also disagreed with the team owner’s portrayal of former Suns head coach Earl Watson as an unreliable source. Watson was one of the individuals who went on the record with allegations against Sarver. Asked if he considered his former coach credible, Booker replied, “Earl? Yeah. That’s my guy.”

Watson, who is currently an assistant for the Raptors, issued a statement of his own on Thursday stating that he’s “not interested in engaging in an ongoing battle of fact” and that he doesn’t want to spend every day reliving what was a “traumatic experience” for him.

Here’s more on the Suns and the investigation into the Sarver allegations:

Paul and Booker said the team is trying to keep its focus on the court and to “control what we can control,” per Bontemps. Booker suggested that Williams is the “perfect person” to help the club navigate the situation. “He’s the best at that, at managing situations, controlling the room and keeping people focused forward,” Booker said of his coach, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “That’s what he’s done with our team, we’ve talked about it as a team. You can feel everything he says. We’re sticking behind him and we’re going to keep playing hard for him and winning basketball games.”
The Suns continue to publish statements in support of Sarver on their official website. Today, they issued one signed by 12 members of the team’s ownership group, including longtime NFL star Larry Fitzgerald. “To a person, we dispute the characterization of Mr. Sarver and the organization as racist and sexist,” the statement reads. “We support Mr. Sarver’s leadership and stand with him.” It’s unclear exactly how many of the team’s minority shareholders didn’t sign the statement — Baxter Holmes’ ESPN report suggested the ownership group consists of approximately 20 members.
One of the team’s minority stakeholders, vice chairman Andy Kohlberg, issued a separate statement of his own in addition to signing the aforementioned letter. Kohlberg said he has been business partners with Sarver for more than 17 years and has “never seen nor heard Robert make any statements that I experienced as racist, sexist or misogynistic.”

Pacific Notes: Preston, Westbrook, Booker, Mann

October 10th, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by JD Shaw

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue expressed confidence that rookie guard Jason Preston will succeed once he gets past his rehab, Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register writes.

Preston, 22, was drafted by Los Angeles with the No. 33 pick in July. He recently underwent surgery to repair ligaments in his right foot, a procedure that’s expected to cost him a significant portion of the season.

“He’s always asking questions about the offensive sets, about the defensive coverages, and then moving forward,” Lue explained, praising the Ohio University product. “So everything I’ve told him, he’s retained and repeated right back to you every single time.

“From the start of summer league to where he’s at now, he’s made a huge jump, and that’s because he’s asking questions, he’s watching film, he wants to get better and he wants to be better. So I don’t think it’ll be a problem for him at all, he’s very attentive and very smart and picks things up very well.”

Here are some other notes from the Pacific Division:

Jovan Buha of The Athletic gave his first impressions of Russell Westbrook‘s preseason debut with the Lakers on Friday. Westbrook mostly struggled in his 17 minutes, recording two points, seven rebounds, four assists and six turnovers on 1-for-7 shooting.
Despite missing the game against the Lakers on Wednesday, Suns star Devin Booker is starting to ramp his conditioning back up, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Booker tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of September. He’ll miss the team’s second game against Los Angeles on Sunday.
Clippers guard Terance Mann is poised to have a breakout season with the team, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times opines. Mann is coming off a season where he averaged seven points and 18.9 minutes per game, shooting 51% from the floor and 42% from behind-the-arc.