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John Wall Discusses Rockets Stint, Joining Clippers

October 25th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While he has since moved on after reaching a buyout with the Rockets over the summer, John Wall admitted during a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic that he was “pissed as hell” at the way his last season in Houston played out.

According to Wall, at the end of his first year in Houston in 2020/21, he had positive exit meetings with head coach Stephen Silas and Rafael Stone, and left those meetings believing that he’d continue to play a significant role for the Rockets the following season. The veteran point guard found out a few months later that was no longer the plan.

“In August, I went back to (Houston to) check on my condo and I was going back to Miami, where I’ll (stay) in the summer,” Wall said. “So they were like, ‘Yo, the thing is, listen, we’ll bring you out for like 10 minutes a game, and sometimes you won’t play at all, or you can just not play at all the whole year and we’ll try to find a trade.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not trying to play 10 minutes a game or not play some games.’ I didn’t want to do that.”

Wall and the Rockets ultimately agreed to have him sit out until the team could find a trade, which didn’t happen. Following his offseason buyout from the Rockets, the 32-year-old landed in Los Angeles, where he’s off to a good start so far this season with the Clippers, averaging 16.0 PPG on 51.9% shooting in 23.0 MPG in his first two games.

Wall spoke to Amick about several topics, including his decision to sign with the Clippers. The conversation is worth checking out in full if you’re an Athletic subscriber, but here are a few of the highlights:

On the silver lining of the Achilles tear that sidelined him for the 2019/20 season:

“I think during the time when I had my Achilles injury, it was perfect timing for me to have that injury, because my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer and my first son was born. So I got to spend time working through that whole process, taking her to chemo and stuff like that. I got to see my first son being raised every day. Most of the time when you have a kid, we’re midseason (with the team). We don’t get to see them grow every day. We miss the steps because we’ve got to travel. So I think all that (was a blessing).”

On getting the opportunity to join a contender like the Clippers:

“I knew I had so much left in the tank. That’s why it’s great to be with a great organization, a great group of guys, a great coaching staff, because a lot of teams said, ‘Well, we didn’t see you play and we don’t know if you’ve still got it.’ And I’m like, ‘Just give me a chance. I know what I’ve got. Just give me a chance.’ And they gave me a chance.

“Playing with a great team, you’re still trying to figure things out, build things out, and we’ve got a couple of guys on minute restrictions. But I feel like when we get all that down and pat, we’re gonna be something special.”

On how long the Clippers had been on his radar as a possible landing spot:

“Me and P (Paul George) were talking about it the whole time. We were trying to figure it out. I had two years left (on my contract with Houston), and we were trying to wait until I had one year left and try to keep fighting.”

Clippers Notes: Leonard, Wall, George, Patience

October 21st, 2022 at 9:59pm CST by Rory Maher

Kawhi Leonard made his long-awaited return in the Clippers‘ season-opening victory over the Lakers, recording 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes of action as a reserve. After the game, the star forward explained why he liked the idea of coming off the bench, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“One scenario with me starting, I would have been sitting like 35 minutes real time,” Leonard said. “That’s way too long. So I just thought this was the best situation. But we’ll see how it goes moving forward.”

“I did this before,” Leonard added. “This is how I started my career. That’s how I approached it mentally. Act like I was in foul trouble, and once I check in in the second quarter, it’s time to play basketball.”

Leonard said he plans to gradually ramp up his minutes to strengthen his surgically-repaired ACL, and will likely sit out one game of back-to-backs. According Youngmisuk, Leonard also said he’ll “probably” return to the starting lineup once he feels comfortable playing around 35 minutes per night again — he averaged 34.1 MPG in 2020/21.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Leonard and John Wall will sit out Saturday’s contest at Sacramento due to “return from injury rehabilitation (rest),” tweets Youngmisuk. The news was expected, as it’s the first of a back-to-back. The Clippers face the Suns in their home opener on Sunday.
The Clippers recognize that the 82-game regular season is a marathon, not a sprint, and don’t expect to be playing their best early on with players in and out of the lineup, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. “It’s not going to be pretty, it’s not going to be easy, we just got to endure the blows in the beginning, be ready for it and just our whole mental preparation should just be in it for the long haul,” Paul George said.
Speaking of George, he says he’s become a more vocal leader with the goal of bringing the team a championship, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “It’s a certain level and expectation that you want out of a group when you have a legitimate chance to win it,” said George, a seven-time All-Star. “I just want to make sure we are mindful of that, every practice day, every game day, like what is at stake here. That is why I have been vocal.”

California Notes: Jackson, Wall, Zubac, Kings, Poole

October 16th, 2022 at 10:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has claimed that a report indicating that Reggie Jackson had won the L.A. starting point guard gig over John Wall did not come from him, and that he has yet to make a final decision, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles will play its first regular season contest this Thursday.

“Both guys are in a great position, and their mindset is in the right place,” Lue said. “It is about winning. It is not about who’s the starter, who’s the best player. It’s about the right fit and trying to win, and both of those guys are on board with that.”

Here’s more out of California:

Clippers center Ivica Zubac spoke with Mark Medina of NBA.com for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on the team’s hoped-for title contention this season, its stars’ injury woes, the development of Zubac around the rim, and more. Zubac also gave head coach Tyronn Lue a rave review. “Ty has been around the team and me for a while, even before he became a head coach,” Zubac noted. “He’s been seeing the progress for a while. It’s in big part thanks to him. He’s been pushing us. Last season, he asked me to do some things on the court that he hadn’t asked me to do in a while. He involved me more offensively. I think that was a big part of my progression.”
Following a rigorous training camp, the Kings opted to retain point guard Matthew Dellavedova, forward Chima Moneke, and power forward KZ Okpala into the regular season. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee breaks down how the new Sacramento additions made the grade. All are currently signed to non-guaranteed deals with the team. “As training camp has gone on, [Moneke] is trending upwards,” head coach Mike Brown said. “I think the initial shock of being in the NBA and the speed and athleticism and all that stuff caught him off guard a little bit, but he belongs on this level and he can help us. I think KZ, too. Both of those guys were two of my first calls, even before I really got the job.” Brown also raved about Dellavedova’s effort on defense. “If Davion [Mitchell] ain’t going hard, he will get embarrassed by Delly… If [De’Aaron] Fox isn’t going hard, he will get embarrassed by Delly. To have a guy like that raises the level of intensity.”
Warriors reserve guard Jordan Poole signed a four-year contract extension with Golden State worth up to $140MM. Now, new details have emerged about the contract’s various incentives. Anthony Slater of The Athletic unpacks the deal, revealing that – beyond the guaranteed $123MM – Poole will make an extra $1.25MM per year (i.e. $5MM across all four seasons) depending on how far the team gets in the playoffs. He will net an additional $1MM for each year he wins the league MVP award (so a very, very hypothetical total of $4MM), plus $1MM annually per every Defensive Player of the Year award. Considering his skillset, earning either honor even once seems fairly far-fetched. Poole could earn $500K per season should he qualify for an All-NBA team (there are a total of 15 such slots available) and another $500K annually should he qualify for an All-Defensive Team (there are 10 available openings). Slater notes that it is possible Poole grows into being an All-NBA talent, but is skeptical he could ever be an elite defender or named the league MVP.

L.A. Notes: R. Jackson, Wall, Leonard, Westbrook, Ryan

October 15th, 2022 at 10:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Reggie Jackson will be the Clippers‘ starting point guard when the season opens, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Jackson won a training camp battle with John Wall, who signed with L.A. in July after agreeing to a buyout with the Rockets.

After sitting out all of last season, Wall isn’t expected to be used in both games of back-to-backs this year, according to Haynes’ sources. Although Wall looked good during preseason games, Jackson has the advantage of being with the team for the last two-plus seasons.

Haynes adds that Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn’t commit to either Wall on Jackson on Friday, telling reporters, “Whoever’s best with the starters, whoever’s best with the guys off the bench. It could always change. Right now, it’s just whatever’s best for the team.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

The Clippers plan to be cautious with Wall and Kawhi Leonard as they enter a season marked by high expectations, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Leonard, who missed last season while recovering from knee surgery, played 33 combined minutes in two preseason contests. “He feels good, that’s most important,” Lue said. “It’s going to take some time though. We know he’s a great player and he expects excellence right away just like John, but it takes time and so we’re going to be patient with the process and not going to overthink it, not going to overdo it and so our biggest thing is just make sure those guys are healthy.”
The Lakers tried using Russell Westbrook off the bench Friday night, but the experiment was interrupted by a hamstring injury, per Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic. New head coach Darvin Ham wants to stagger Westbrook’s and LeBron James‘ time on the court, and he says Westbrook hasn’t objected to the move.
Matt Ryan‘s three-point shooting helped him earn a roster spot with the Lakers, according to Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Ryan connected at 37.5% from long distance during the preseason and hit 6-of-9 in a 20-point game against the Warriors. “Speechless,” Ryan wrote on Twitter after learning that he had made the team. “All I can say is, LETS GO LAKESHOW!! Whether it’s a day, a month, or a year, you’ll get my absolute best every single day. The real work starts now! Thank you @Lakers for this special opportunity.”

Los Angeles Notes: Westbrook, Schröder, Wall, Clippers

October 15th, 2022 at 8:48am CST by Dana Gauruder

Russell Westbrook‘s availability for the Lakers season opener appears to be in jeopardy. Westbrook left the team’s preseason game against Sacramento with a left hamstring injury, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after the game that Westbrook told him he’d be OK, according to ESPN. Westbrook came off the bench for the preseason finale, a move that Ham described as a “realignment.”

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

The Lakers “essentially” paused Westbrook trade discussions at the start of training camp, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (Twitter link). They’re expected to start engaging potential suitors again during the season, once teams start to get a clearer sense of what their rosters and rotations look like and how they stack up against the rest of the league.
Dennis Schröder is being evaluated for a right finger injury and didn’t travel with the team to Sacramento, according to Shams Charania on The Rally (Twitter link). The Lakers have some concerns that it could be a long-term injury, Charania adds. Schröder returned to the Lakers for a second stint on a one-year, $2,641,682 free agent contract.
John Wall has not only boosted the Clippers’ backcourt but also the locker room, according to Marcus Morris. The veteran forward believes the Clippers’ camaraderie has improved due to Wall’s presence and his aggressive, talkative nature, a contrast to many of his new teammates, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker says that most fans are “violently opposed” to the idea of changing the team’s name, Law Murray of The Athletic writes. “It means something to them,” Zucker said. “That this is a team that has direction, that has endured, that has been through a lot and has found its way forward and has a very, very clear North Star at this point. And there are people who have attached themselves to that idea and that notion, and it’s important to them, and they don’t want to see that disappear.”

L.A. Notes: Walker, Lakers, Davis, Clippers, Batum

October 13th, 2022 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers swingman Lonnie Walker, who earned a second consecutive start on Wednesday, sustained a “mild” left ankle sprain in the third quarter, per head coach Darvin Ham. Walker will be reevaluated on Thursday, but he’s not experiencing any swelling or overt pain, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

The Lakers, having started Walker and Patrick Beverley on Wednesday alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, continue to search for the right starting lineup fit as the preseason winds down, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.

“We get an opportunity to throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks,” Ham said prior to the game. “We already know our three main guys — Russ, Bron, AD. Those guys as well are getting used to playing with one another. That was very limited last year. So we look at it as an opportunity to just shake the rug and just shake things up and see what makes sense once it all starts to come together.”

The Lakers will play one more preseason game on Friday before next Tuesday’s regular season opener.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:

Anthony Davis still prefers to play power forward, but is willing to start and finish games at center if that’s what the Lakers and Ham ask of him. “I trust Coach’s decision,” Davis said on Wednesday (Twitter link via McMenamin). “I mean, I’m pretty sure he heard AD wants to play the four, so he knows where I stand, but at the end of the day, I want to win, so if that’s me playing the five, that’s what it’s got to be.“
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said he thought going into Wednesday’s game that he knew who would start at point guard, but he’s less certain about that spot after being displeased with how the team opened the game (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). Starting point guard Reggie Jackson had just one point in 12 minutes, while John Wall had eight points and four assists in 10 minutes off the bench.
In an interview on the French television channel Canal+ (video link), Clippers forward Nicolas Batum spoke about the mental health challenges he has faced during his NBA career, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Batum, whose father died of an aneurysm at age 31, was diagnosed with a heart issue before he entered the NBA and worried about his own health and family. “I was convinced the same would happen to me and that I was going to leave my family,” he said. “I asked my wife to not come to the games because I did want to see them in the stands.”

Pacific Notes: C. Johnson, Payne, Kings, Schröder, Wall

October 7th, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns will be without a pair of rotation players for the rest of the preseason, the team announced today (Twitter link via Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM). Cameron Johnson is out with a right thumb sprain, while Cameron Payne is dealing with a right finger sprain. Both Johnson and Payne will be reevaluated in a week, per the Suns, so it’s unclear at this point whether they’ll be ready to for the start of the regular season.

Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:

Kevin Huerter is expected to be the Kings‘ starting shooting guard when the regular season tips off, but the starting power forward job remains up for grabs, head coach Mike Brown told reporters today (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of FOX40 Sacramento). KZ Okpala and No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray appear to be the top contenders for that spot.
According to Cunningham, the Kings aren’t expected to make any cuts until after their second preseason game on Sunday. The team has just 12 players on guaranteed contracts, with five veterans and rookie Chima Moneke in camp on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deals, vying for back-end roster spots.
Dennis Schröder‘s arrival stateside has been delayed due to a visa issue, but he’s scheduled to fly from Germany to Los Angeles this weekend to report to the Lakers, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Head coach Darvin Ham previously stated that he doesn’t expect it to take long for Schröder to find his rhythm once he joins the team.
John Wall is embracing the opportunity to play a secondary role alongside Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George this season after years of being a go-to option in Washington, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. “Like I told (George) and Kawhi when I came here, my job is to make the game easier for them so when the fourth quarter comes around they’re not having to waste all that energy to make all the plays,” Wall said.

NBA GMs High On Cavs’ Offseason Moves, Bucks’ Title Chances

October 4th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ acquisition of Donovan Mitchell made their offseason the most successful of any NBA team, according to the league’s general managers. In his annual survey of the NBA’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 41% of the GM respondents picked Cleveland as having made the best offseason moves, while 59% chose the addition of Mitchell as the move that will have the biggest impact.

The Timberwolves and Jazz were on opposite ends of one of the summer’s other blockbuster trades, but the two clubs tied for second (along with the Sixers) in the GM vote for which teams made the best overall offseason moves. Minnesota’s trade for Rudy Gobert was the second-leading vote-getter for the offseason’s most impactful single acquisition, earning 31% of the vote.

The team viewed by the majority of GMs as the title favorite for 2023 didn’t earn any votes for having the best offseason. According to Schuhmann, 43% of the poll respondents picked the Bucks to win next year’s Finals, with GMs apparently betting on continuity in Milwaukee. The Warriors (25%), Clippers (21%), and Celtics (11%) also received votes.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

NBA general managers expect the Clippers – who will have Kawhi Leonard back – to be the most improved team in 2022/23. L.A. received 41% of the vote, with the Cavaliers and Pelicans at 17% apiece.
The Celtics‘ trade for Malcolm Brogdon earned the most votes (28%) for the summer’s most underrated acquisition. The Sixers‘ signing of P.J. Tucker and the Clippers‘ addition of John Wall were the runners-up, with 14% each.
Asked which team has the most promising young core, NBA GMs overwhelmingly chose the Cavaliers (41%) and Grizzlies (38%). The Pistons (10%) were the only other club to get multiple votes.
NBA GMs view Magic forward Paolo Banchero as the best bet to win Rookie of the Year (79%) and also chose him as the 2022 draftee most likely to be the best player in five years (31%), narrowly edging Thunder big man Chet Holmgren (28%). As for the steal of the draft, GMs were split between Pistons big man Jalen Duren and Rockets forward Tari Eason (14% apiece), among many others.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic was picked as the favorite to win MVP, earning 48% of the vote from NBA GMs. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks came in second with 34%.

Pacific Notes: A. Davis, McNair, Clippers, Warriors

September 30th, 2022 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

After being limited to just 76 in the last two seasons, Anthony Davis is determined to have a healthier year in 2022/23. Speaking to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, The Lakers star said he’s so excited for the coming season that he has “goosebumps,” adding that he’s “looking forward to a healthy year.”

“I went into this summer focusing on strengthening my body,” Davis told Haynes. “I have to be on the court and at my best to put us in position to be our best. I’m ready to do that.”

Davis has played more than 70 regular season games just twice in his 10-year career, so the Lakers would likely be thrilled to see him surpass that benchmark. However, the eight-time All-Star told reporters this week that he has loftier expectations for himself.

“I want to be able to play all 82 (games),” Davis said, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “And if I’m not, I don’t want it to be injury-based where I can’t play. That’s my goal. The more I’m on the floor, the more I can help my team and its chance of winning when I’m playing.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

With Monte McNair entering the final year of his contract, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said on Wednesday that he’s happy with the job the general manager has done, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. However, the two sides have been “too focused on the season” to discuss a possible contract extension, according to Ranadive. “Monte, (assistant GM) Wes (Wilcox), the whole front office, the coaches they hired, the coaching staff, the process they went through, the trades they made, the rookie they picked, I’m very pleased with everything that’s happened,” Ranadive said. “I think right now the focus is: Let’s win.”
The Clippers are taking a cautious approach this preseason with a handful of veteran players, with head coach Tyronn Lue announcing on Thursday that Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, John Wall, and Reggie Jackson won’t play in the team’s preseason opener in Seattle on Friday (Twitter link via Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times). The Warriors are going the same route with Klay Thompson, holding him out of the club’s two preseason contests in Japan, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
The Warriors‘ preseason opener on Friday showed the new simplified offensive role the team envisions for center James Wiseman, who was primarily used as a slasher and roller en route to a 20-point, eight-rebound game, Slater writes for The Athletic.
Logan Murdock of The Ringer takes a look at the Warriors‘ efforts to balance their title defense in the short term with their vision of the franchise in the long term.

Pacific Notes: Crowder, Ayton, McNair, Murray, Wall

September 27th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Suns forward Jae Crowder was informed over the summer that he might lose his starting job in 2022/23, which prompted him to ask for a trade, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Crowder has been a key member of a Suns team that made the NBA Finals in 2021 and won 64 regular season games last season, but Phoenix appears prepared to grant his trade request, having agreed to have him remain away from the team for training camp.

“Jae brought a number of intangibles to the team, I think all of our guys would speak in that way about him,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said on Monday, per Windhorst. “At the same time, these things happen and you have to transition and move forward. I totally am behind (GM) James (Jones) and how we are handling this.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

According to Windhorst, there seems to be some scarring following the Suns‘ offseason standoff with Deandre Ayton, which ended when the team matched the four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet he signed with Indiana. Windhorst writes that there was a “complete lack of enthusiasm emanating” from the “usually jovial” Ayton during Monday’s Media Day when he discussed his experience in free agency.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kings general manager Monte McNair expressed confidence in the team’s new-look roster and brushed off questions about his contract situation as he enters the final season of a three-year deal. “Is my deal, like, on the internet or something?” McNair joked, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “Look, for me and my group, we’re excited about what we’ve done. We’re excited that coach (Mike) Brown is in here. I’m the GM right now and I’ve got a bunch of work to do, so I’m going to do that until they kick me out, and I hope I’m here for a long time.”
Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee takes a look at how No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray is dealing with high expectations as he joins a Kings team attempting to snap a 16-year playoff drought.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is looking forward to taking advantage of the element of speed that newly added point guard John Wall will bring to the team this season, writes Helene Elliott of The Los Angeles Times. “I think with John, adding John, his pace is tremendous. That’s going to allow us to get easy baskets,” Lue said. “Guys get open threes, easy shots, him getting downhill, getting to the basket changes our team dramatically. His pace, the way he plays, brings a different dimension to our team.”