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Northwest Notes: Harris, Towns, Lillard, Green, Hill

January 10th, 2021 at 8:44pm CST by JD Shaw

Despite the Nuggets opening the season with a 4-5 record, the team is widely recognized as having one of the best offenses in the league — one that significantly improves when Gary Harris finds his rhythm, head coach Mike Malone acknowledged.

“Gary allows us to be a different team when the offense is flowing like it was tonight,” Malone said after Denver’s 115-103 win over Philadelphia on Saturday, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “…Gary deserves it. He’s been working so hard, and for him to see the ball go through the net, I’m just happy for him because I know it’s been on his mind.”

Harris finished with 21 points against the Sixers, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range in 28 minutes. He’s been a key cog in Denver’s offense for several years, averaging double-digit points per game in each of his last six seasons. The team could use his offensive production as it looks to contend in an already-crowded Western Conference this season.

There’s more from the Northwest Division tonight:

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic examines the return of Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in an overtime loss against the Spurs on Saturday. “People don’t know the toughness that he has, not just physically but mentally, too,” head coach Ryan Saunders said postgame. “I’ll always ride with KAT. Tonight was evident of that. He was clearly limited. I thought he was unbelievably effective.”
Damian Lillard and his camp have advocated for the Blazers to acquire Warriors forward Draymond Green over the past couple of years, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic (hat tip Dan Feldman of NBC Sports). However, there has been no indication that Golden State has any interest in trading Green, who has spent all nine seasons of his career with the Warriors.
Marc Spears of The Undefeated examined the Jacob Blake decision and more with Thunder guard George Hill, who offered insight about topics on and off the court. “I can’t speak for everybody. I can only speak for myself. I just think with the way the world is going, I just think we all need to come together,” Hill said as part of a larger quote addressing where players should go with the social justice movement this season. “We’re 450 [players] and when 450 stand strong, we’re more powerful than everyone thinks. We’re way more powerful than they think we are. I learned a lot from LeBron [James] and how he migrated and moved on and off the floor. He is a huge inspiration with how he uses his leverage to open doors and how powerful he is. That is just one guy. Four hundred and fifty can be really strong if we just come together.

Western Notes: Clarkson, Green, Kings, McLaughlin

January 2nd, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson has been fined $25K by the league for making contact with a game official, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The incident occurred during the second quarter of Utah’s loss to the Suns on Thursday. Clarkson, one of the top reserves in the league, re-signed with the Jazz on a four-year deal in November.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Draymond Green‘s season debut with the Warriors didn’t go smoothly, Nick Friedell of ESPN notes. Green didn’t make a basket in 18 minutes and failed to have a significant impact on the defensive end. He missed most of training camp, all three preseason games and the first four regular-season games due to COVID-19 protocols and a foot injury. “Draymond just looks like he’s getting his wind,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He looked like a guy who missed training camp and has been working his way to get onto the floor. It looked like an exhibition-style game for him; and that’s not a criticism, it’s just where he is physically.”
Until rookie Tyrese Haliburton suffered a wrist injury, the Kings had seemingly settled on a closing group of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Haliburton, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic. “With that group, you know the shot can come from anywhere,” Fox said. “You have multiple guys on the court who can make shots, get in the paint, get to the free throw line and things like that.”
Guard Jordan McLaughlin waited until the deadline to sign his qualifying offer from the Timberwolves and he doesn’t regret that decision, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. McLaughlin signed his two-way contract on December 17, which delayed his season debut as he cleared COVID-19 protocols. “It was definitely tough,” McLaughlin said. “I’m a team guy, and I want to be with the team and do everything I can, but me and my agency, we had to figure out what was best for my case and scenario.”

Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Kaminsky, Lakers, Green

December 29th, 2020 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rookie Warriors center James Wiseman has quickly emerged as a big contributor for Golden State and an early top Rookie of the Year contender, as Tim Kawakami of The Athletic details.

Though Golden State has had an up-and-down 2-2 start, Kawakami argues that the 19-year-old No. 2 draft pick out of Memphis clearly has established himself as the most intriguing prospect among the Warriors’ young guys. “I told y’all after Day 1 that I think he’s going to be really special,” power forward Draymond Green said of Wiseman. “I had never seen James play much and so to see his skill set is, ‘Wow, it’s nice.’”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

New Suns center Frank Kaminsky was excited to play well against the Kings, the team that had just cut him, Suns writer Gina Mizell tweets. “I gotta be honest, that felt good,” Kaminsky said. He scored 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench for Phoenix on Sunday.
After the Lakers had their first All-Star player absence, their deep roster showed its mettle in a 127-91 Anthony Davis-free route of the Timberwolves Sunday, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. “The expectation and the norm for us, for most of the league, is that there will be guys out,” head coach Frank Vogel noted. “We just have to make sure we understand that’s the norm and don’t let it slow us down at all.” Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder and Talen Horton-Tucker all scored in double digits, along with Los Angeles’s remaining healthy All-Star, LeBron James.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has said that he is optimistic that power forward Draymond Green will appear in his first 2020/21 season game in the club’s first home game on Friday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Draymond Green To Miss Season Opener

December 19th, 2020 at 6:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors will begin the season Tuesday night without Draymond Green, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. Green injured his foot during a scrimmage this week and is dealing with a mild muscle strain. Coach Steve Kerr has decided to be careful with the veteran forward, who missed most of training camp after an apparent bout with COVID-19.

“Draymond did not practice, so he’s doubtful for Tuesday,” Kerr said today. “He tweaked his foot in the scrimmage two days ago. Didn’t really know (how severe) until the next morning when he woke up; it was a little sore … he got an MRI. It’s clear. But we’re trying to be very, very careful … It’s not a long-term thing. We feel very confident that if he doesn’t play Tuesday or Christmas Day, he’ll be on the trip and we think he’ll be available pretty quickly.”

Kerr had better news about rookie center James Wiseman, who also sat out most of training camp. Wiseman was a full participant in today’s practice and is expected to be ready for the first game at Brooklyn, possibly as part of the starting lineup.

“James is going to be our starting center before too long,” Kerr said. “It might happen Tuesday, but clearly he is our long-term starting center. And when we feel he’s ready for that, then we’ll put him out there and then it’s a matter of minutes and how long he can play. And for me as a coach, for my staff, it’s let’s give him the experience of seeing the different pictures that are going to be in front of him.”

Pacific Notes: Green, Wiseman, Mulder, AD, LeBron, Clippers

December 11th, 2020 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors shared some positive news on Draymond Green and James Wiseman on Thursday, as Green was able to lift weights and sit in on the team’s film session, while Wiseman completed his first individual workout. Both players had been unable to participate in training camp so far, possibly due to positive coronavirus tests.

However, as Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that both players will miss Saturday’s preseason opener and added that it’s “very unlikely” that either Green or Wiseman will play at all during the preseason. The Warriors’ final two preseason games – both against Sacramento – will take place next Tuesday and Thursday.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Kerr said this week that guard Mychal Mulder, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, has a “good chance” to make the Warriors‘ regular season roster, as Tommy Call III of Warriors Wire writes. “He’s a shooter. He’s a smart player at both ends,” Kerr said of Mulder. “We were really pleased with his play a year ago. We’re a team that’s not heavy on shooting as we know, especially with Klay (Thompson) going out. Mike just has to be himself and play hard and compete.”
Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James won’t play in the team’s preseason opener on Friday, head coach Frank Vogel confirmed (Twitter link via Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group).
Paul George‘s $176MM contract extension with the Clippers is a precursor to the real referendum on the franchise, according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times, who says that Kawhi Leonard‘s willingness to re-up with the team in 2021 will determine whether or not these are still the same “Clippers of old.”

Pacific Notes: Green, Wiseman, Whiteside, Clippers, More

December 8th, 2020 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors haven’t publicly announced which two players on their roster tested positive for the coronavirus, but head coach Steve Kerr “spelled it out pretty plainly” on Monday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Seventeen of the team’s 20 players participated in the first practice of the season. Besides Klay Thompson, the only players missing were Draymond Green and James Wiseman.

“I will not comment on that any further,” Kerr said, per Slater. “I’m not allowed to comment on that. You can make your own deductions … I’m just trying to figure out which one of you has put all the pieces together and has figured out what is happening here.”

Assuming Green and Wiseman are indeed the two players who tested positive for COVID-19, the Warriors are expected to be without them until at least next week, Slater notes. That will give some of Golden State’s other frontcourt players a chance to play more significant roles during the preseason as they potentially audition for regular season minutes.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

New Kings center Hassan Whiteside is dealing with a mild calf strain and likely won’t be available for the team’s preseason opener, head coach Luke Walton said on Monday (Twitter link via Jason Jones of The Athletic).
Analytical data provided by new Kings general manager Monte McNair is expected to influence Walton’s new uptempo offensive system, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. “It’s been great working with Monte,” Walton said. “We’ve talked and he’s going to bring ideas analytically to what he sees, and then at the end of the day I can take what ideas I want and leave the ones I don’t.”
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said that assistant coach Larry Drew is focusing on the team’s offense, while Dan Craig is leading the defense with the help of Roy Rogers. Chauncey Billups is focusing on both sides of the ball, while Kenny Atkinson is leading player development, Lue added, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Abdel Nader isn’t concerned about being considered “the other guy” sent to Phoenix in the Chris Paul trade and is looking forward to playing for the Suns, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I haven’t really spent time in Phoenix but I knew (the Suns) had a nice, young unit with a lot of talent,” Nader said. “Ability to grow. Also the city sounds like a nice place to me. I wasn’t complaining too much.”

Knicks’ Robinson Among Players Not Participating In Bubble Mini-Camps

September 24th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s bottom eight teams are finally participating in group workouts this week as part of the second phase of the league’s in-market bubble plan to get those clubs some organized offseason activities to tide them over to the 2020/21 season. However, those activities are voluntary and not every player on the bottom eight rosters is in attendance.

One of the more notable absences is in New York, where Knicks center Mitchell Robinson isn’t taking part in the team’s mini-camp, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. As Begley details, Robinson participated in individual workouts last week but will be absent from the group portion of the camp for personal reasons. The big man doesn’t have COVID-19, sources tell Begley.

Robinson’s absence from the mini-camp is unfortunate for the Knicks because he’s under contract for multiple seasons and these sessions are mostly aimed at getting teams’ young, core players some extra reps in practices and scrimmages. Participation from established veteran players is less crucial, so it’s no surprise that Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have been excused from Golden State’s in-market bubble camp for family reasons, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes.

“A lot of guys are going to get a lot better and really thrive in this environment,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m not worried about Steph and Draymond; I know how hard they work and I know they’ll be prepared for next season.”

Impending free agency is another logical reason why certain players would opt to forgo these offseason team activities. In Atlanta, for example, Jeff Teague, DeAndre’ Bembry, Treveon Graham, and Damian Jones – all of whom are on expired contracts – aren’t with the Hawks in their bubble, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Dewayne Dedmon also isn’t participating in the team’s group activities, Spencer adds.

We’ve previously passed along details on players from the other five teams who aren’t taking part in these in-market camps. That list includes Kris Dunn for the Bulls; Juan Hernangomez, Evan Turner, and Omari Spellman for the Timberwolves; Bismack Biyombo and Nicolas Batum for the Hornets; Andre Drummond, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova, and Cedi Osman for the Cavaliers; and Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Christian Wood, and Langston Galloway for the Pistons.

Pacific Notes: Hield, Kings, Green, Suns, Mann

August 10th, 2020 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

When Buddy Hield signed his four-year contract extension with the Kings last fall, it was said to be worth $86MM, with another $20MM available in incentives. When that deal goes into effect for the 2020/21 season, only $500K of the $5MM in annual incentives will be considered likely, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

As Marks explains (via Twitter), finishing in the top 10 in the NBA in three-pointers made – as Hield did this season – will be worth $500K per year on his new contract. As a result, the Kings sharpshooter will have a first-year cap hit of $24.9MM in ’20/21 rather than $24.4MM, the base value. Hield can still earn his other $4.5MM in annual bonus money — those incentives will just be considered “unlikely” rather than “likely,” meaning they won’t count against the team’s cap for the time being.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

After a disappointing finish to the 2019/20 season extended the Kings‘ postseason drought to 14 consecutive seasons, the team faces difficult questions and an uncertain future, writes James Ham of NBC Sports California.
Tim Kawakami of The Athletic argues that Draymond Green‘s comments about Devin Booker – which earned him a $50K fine – weren’t meant to tamper with Booker, but rather to taunt the Suns, a franchise the Warriors forward has criticized in the past.
Clippers coaches “love” rookie guard Terance Mann, according to Sean Deveney of Forbes.com, who tweets that the club was more willing to give up a first-round pick than Mann at the trade deadline in February. Mann’s name did reportedly come up in the Marcus Morris trade talks with New York — at the time, a report suggested the Knicks preferred draft picks to young players.

Draymond Green Fined For Violating Anti-Tampering Rule

August 9th, 2020 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined $50K for comments he made about the Suns‘ Devin Booker on TNT, the NBA announced on Twitter.

The league considers Green’s suggestion that Booker should force his way out of Phoenix so he can play for a better organization to be a violation of its anti-tampering rule. In announcing the fine, the league notes that before the current season, it “adopted a stricter enforcement approach for conduct relating to tampering, salary cap circumvention, and free agency timing rules, including with respect to the rule prohibiting player-to-player tampering.”

Green, who is serving as a studio host during the NBA’s restart, raised eyebrows Friday with pointed comments toward the Suns and his opinion on Booker’s future.

“It’s great to see Book playing well and Phoenix playing well, but get my man out of Phoenix,” he said. “It’s not good for him, it’s not good for his career. Sorry Chuck (Charles Barkley), but they’ve gotta get Book out of Phoenix. I need my man to go somewhere that he can play great basketball all of the time and win, because he’s that kind of player.”

Draymond Green: Devin Booker Needs To Get Out Of Phoenix

August 8th, 2020 at 3:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors forward Draymond Green admits he may have crossed the line into tampering with comments he made Friday on “Inside the NBA” calling for Suns star Devin Booker to force his way out of Phoenix, writes Sam Quinn of CBS Sports. Booker has been one of the top performers in Orlando, leading the Suns to four straight wins and keeping them in the playoff race, but Green doesn’t believe he has a bright future if he remains with the franchise.

“It’s great to see Book playing well and Phoenix playing well, but get my man out of Phoenix,” Green said. “It’s not good for him, it’s not good for his career. Sorry Chuck (Charles Barkley), but they’ve gotta get Book out of Phoenix. I need my man to go somewhere that he can play great basketball all of the time and win, because he’s that kind of player.”

Asked by co-host Ernie Johnson if his comments constituted tampering, Green laughed and replied, “Maybe.”

Green has been openly critical of the Suns before, Quinn notes. In the preseason, he blasted them for giving up too early on lottery pick Marquese Chriss, who turned in a career-best season for the Warriors.

“Let’s be frank about it,” Green said. “When (Chriss) was there, the organization was terrible. Everything was going wrong. But he get blamed, like he’s the problem. When he left, ain’t nothing go right. That’s my take on it.”

Green has a reputation for reaching out to stars from other teams, most notably Kevin Durant after Golden State dropped the seventh game of the NBA Finals in 2016. Durant agreed to join the Warriors and captured two championships with them.

It would be difficult for Golden State or any other team to pry Booker out of Phoenix. He’s the centerpiece of the rebuilding effort in Phoenix and still has four seasons remaining on the maximum extension he signed in the summer of 2018.

While Green’s statement will attract scrutiny from the NBA office, the league has tended to overlook player comments and assess tampering fines only to team executives, observes Chris Cwik of Yahoo Sports. He cites the example of LeBron James saying last year that he would like to have Anthony Davis as a teammate. The league responded by sending an anti-tampering memo to all 30 teams, but didn’t impose a fine on James.