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Central Notes: Doumbouya, WCJ, Turner, Love

January 8th, 2020 at 11:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Rookie Sekou Doumbouya is working to prove he can be a reliable player for the Pistons and the team is giving him that opportunity.

“What do they say in the Baptist church when you get baptized? ‘Hallelujah.’” Casey said (via Rod Beard of The Detroit News). “OK, so go ahead, put him in the water. He’s in the water and he’s getting baptized with three of the top players in our league, Draymond [Green] and Kawhi [Leonard], and [LeBron] James, so he’s seeing the best he’s going to see right now.”

The No. 15 overall pick has taken on the responsibility of guarding the opposition’s best player on many occasions this season. With Blake Griffin sidelined for the foreseeable future, Doumbouya will have more opportunities to grow.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • Wendell Carter Jr. is dealing with an ankle injury and while the big man believes it’s just a sprain, he’ll undergo an MRI on Thursday, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports relays on Twitter. Carter was originally scheduled to have the MRI on Tuesday but it’ll wait until the Bulls return home from their road trip.
  • J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star details how Pacers big man Myles Turner has turned his season around. Turning off social media has been a major plus for Turner. “For someone in my position, it can be toxic at times. You start hearing stuff, hearing your name pop up in certain places. You can’t pay it any mind. You got to be comfortable in your own skin,” he said.
  • ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) doesn’t believe Kevin Love‘s relationship with GM Koby Altman is all that great. The two recently had a heated exchange and Love has acknowledged that his behavior was childlike, though he insists he and Altman are on good terms and says their supposed altercation was overblown.
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Kevin Love Vows To “Be Better” After Recent Outbursts

January 8th, 2020 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

After a series of incidents in which he displayed his frustrations with the Cavaliers on and off the court, Kevin Love expressed remorse when he talked to reporters on Tuesday, as Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes.

“I wasn’t acting like a 31-year-old, I was acting like a 13-year-old,” Love said of his recent behavior. “That was not me.”

The Cavaliers fined Love $1K for an incident during the team’s New Year’s Eve game vs. Toronto, when Love reportedly said the club was playing selfishly and was seen smacking chairs on the sidelines in anger. The standout power forward later had an alleged altercation with general manager Koby Altman, then expressed frustration on the court during Saturday’s game vs. the Thunder when he didn’t get the ball while he had Chris Paul guarding him.

Love is on the trade block in Cleveland and prefers to be dealt, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. However, due to his expensive, long-term contract, Love’s value is already limited to some extent, and one league executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com noted that the big man wasn’t helping his case with his recent outbursts. While Love’s mea culpa on Tuesday could help alleviate concerns about his behavior, it remains to be seen whether Cleveland will find a deal before the February 6 deadline.

We’ll have to wait to see what’s next for Love and the Cavs, but the 31-year-old spoke to Fedor candidly about the incidents that have made the news over the last week or two. Fedor’s piece is worth checking out in full, but here are some of the highlights from Love:

On The Athletic’s report detailing Love’s “emotional verbal outburst” toward Altman:

“There was no altercation, there was no screaming match. I was actually shocked when guys were telling me about the article and what had come out. I’d heard about everything about 10 minutes before the game. I didn’t know who it came from, it didn’t come from me. Like I said, there wasn’t anything that happened at shootaround that warranted something like that.

“It was a conversation we had, but there was no blowup, there was no me talking about how much money I have. I’m an a–hole. But I’m not that big of an a–hole. … That was like a two out of 10. It was really nothing.”

On his on-court show of frustration during Saturday’s game against the Thunder:

“I knew it immediately. Looking back and seeing it, I was a s—head. It looks really bad. Everybody thought it was directed at Collin (Sexton). It was directed at Coach (John Beilein). Coach was saying, ‘Swing four, swing four’ and I’m like, ‘We’re in the bonus, it’s the last shot and Chris Paul is going to foul me or I’m going to get to the free throw line or I’m going to score.’ So I ran out there, launched the ball to Cedi (Osman) and I was really, really frustrated.”

On the idea that he hates playing with Sexton:

“No. I don’t hate Collin. You know Collin and I’s relationship. That’s so dumb. Are there times where he has poor decision-making and bad shots? Of course! By the way, it’s the same thing with me and same thing with Tristan (Thompson) not kicking the f—ing ball out when he’s in the post and there’s five guys on him. You just have to keep correcting it.

Collin’s 21 years old. So many guys are losing sight of that. DG (Darius Garland), he’s 19. KP (Kevin Porter Jr.) is 19. These guys are learning. This is where I can’t relate because I didn’t have the ball in my hands at that age. I was more like, get it off the glass and hit transition threes, get to the free throw line, rebound, but he has the ball in his hands and has to make decisions.”

On his outlook going forward:

“(The behavior is) not going to happen moving forward. There will be some frustration, there will be some human moments where it’s out there on the floor. I’ve told you guys all along I read like a damn cheap novel and I wear my emotions on my sleeve, but I need to be better.

“Obviously, this has been extremely tough, especially with what our record indicates. I’m not perfect. Still working on myself on and off the court and this is about that. It’s about me getting better and helping these guys because I promised I would. I would like to (help them) — at least, from here on out. I don’t care if I’m here for five more months or five more weeks I’m going to try to do my best by these guys and by the coaching staff. That’s on me.”

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Cavs Notes: Porter, Nance, Love, Exum

January 6th, 2020 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers rookie Kevin Porter Jr. has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, the team announced today (via Twitter). Porter’s injury occurred during the third quarter of Sunday’s home loss to Minnesota.

While Porter will be sidelined for multiple weeks, the news wasn’t as bad as it could have been for the Cavs. A source told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com before Porter underwent an MRI that the club was “bracing for some real time off.”

As Fedor notes in a separate article at Cleveland.com, the second half of the season figures to be mostly about player development for the lottery-bound Cavaliers, and Porter had emerged this season as one of the organization’s most promising young prospects. If his knee injury had been more severe, it might have cost him most or all of the rest of his rookie season. While it appears that won’t be the case, teammates like John Henson were worried when they saw Porter go down.

“It kind of hurt my heart a little bit,” Henson said. “Young guys, this is the year for them. Especially them just learning the game and he was progressing. At this stage of the season he was looking like the steal of the draft.”

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

  • The Cavaliers are also without big man Larry Nance Jr., having announced on Friday in a press release that he’d be on the shelf for about one or two weeks with left knee soreness.
  • Kevin Love won’t be disciplined by the Cavaliers for his outburst during Saturday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. We described that on-court incident in a Sunday story.
  • As a result of last month’s trade with Utah, John Beilein has the opportunity to coach Dante Exum six years after he tried to recruit the Australian guard to come to Michigan, notes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “It was only a couple of phone calls,” Beilein said of his recruitment efforts. “I never could get the time right, you know, calling Australia. So we kept playing voicemail tag… I don’t think he was ever thinking, ‘NBA or Michigan?’ But we were one of the people that called him. I’m sure North Carolina was recruiting him, as well.” Exum ultimately opted not to play college ball, entering the 2014 NBA draft and going fifth overall.
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Kevin Love: “I Love My Teammates”

January 5th, 2020 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

After a day that started with a tirade against general manager Koby Altman and culminated with in-game show of disgust that quickly went viral (video link), Kevin Love offered his side of the story last night on Instagram, relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“A lot of non truths being shared,” he wrote. “But I’ve learned that we live in a world where people remember accusations and not rebuttals. Let them paint whatever picture they want. Fact is — I love my teammates.”

Those feelings weren’t on display shortly before the end of the first half of the Cavaliers‘ loss to the Thunder Saturday night. Guarded by Chris Paul in the post, Love raised both arms and called for the ball. However, coach John Beilein had instructed Collin Sexton to dribble some time off the clock before running a play. Love stomped toward Sexton and put his hands out until he got the ball, then fired a bullet pass at Cedi Osman.

It was an obvious show of frustration that might have been directed at Sexton, Beilein, Altman or the team’s losing ways in general.

“I think you’re talking about the play with Chris Paul on me,” Love told reporters after the game. “Yeah, I felt we were making a play call and at the end of the second half we were in the bonus and I had Chris Paul on me. Felt swing it to me and try to throw it in the post, see if they double-team me and get a shot out of that, but that’s not what we did. Yeah, I was frustrated.”

After Saturday morning’s shootaround, Love directed his anger at Altman in an animated discussion that began on the court and ended in the GM’s office. Love has had heated exchanges with Altman and the coaching staff before and was fined $1K for a display of emotion during a December 31 loss at Toronto.

Beilein tried to calm tensions last night, accepting responsibility for the play that ended the first half.

“That was my mistake,” he said. “I was trying to get us to slow down and try to get, not the last shot, but close to the last shot. He had Chris Paul posted up and I didn’t see it. It was on me. I called something else.”

Beilein values Love’s passion for the game and his desire to see his young teammates learn to play the right way. Sexton can be frustrating to play with because of his tendency to seek his own shot, Fedor adds, recalling that several veteran Cavaliers spoke out about him early last season.

Love’s future in Cleveland remains uncertain. His championship experience makes him valuable as a mentor, but at age 31 he doesn’t fit in with the rebuilding process. After Saturday’s incidents, everything he does will be closely watched until at least next month’s trade deadline.

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Kevin Love Clashes With Cavaliers’ GM

January 4th, 2020 at 6:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love lashed out at Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman after today’s shootaround, according to Joe Vardon and Shams Charania of The Athletic. Love expressed “displeasure and disgust with the organization” in a tirade in front of players, coaches and front office members, sources tell the authors.

Today’s incident builds on a $1K fine that Love received for his actions on the bench during a lopsided loss in Toronto on New Year’s Eve. Love said he was angry about how selfishly the first team was playing, according to sources, and asked a coach to take him out of the game so he could calm down. He walked away from the huddle during a third quarter timeout and was seen smacking chairs in anger.

Vardon and Charania note that this isn’t the first time Love has been angry with the organization. He reportedly raised his voice at Altman late last season, and when threatened with a fine he responded, “Go ahead. I have plenty of money.”

Love is in the first season of a four-year, $120MM extension that he signed during the summer of 2018. However, he has been the subject of persistent trade rumors as Cleveland launched a rebuilding project following the departure of LeBron James.

Sources tell Vardon and Charania that Love would like to be traded to a contender, although he hasn’t expressed that desire publicly. After winning 19 games last season, the Cavs appear hopelessly out of the playoff race with a 10-24 record.

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Trade Rumors: Iguodala, Clippers, Suns, Pacers

January 2nd, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As we’ve heard all season long, the Grizzlies remain confident that they can trade Andre Iguodala and won’t need to buy him out of his contract, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

“We will trade him, period,” A Grizzlies executive told Pincus. “We’ve gone far enough into the structure of deals with more than one team to say that [confidently].”

Marc Stein of The New York Times reported last month that Dallas isn’t expected to pursue Iguodala, but multiple executives still view the Mavericks as the best potential trade partner for Memphis, according to Pincus. One Western Conference executive speculated that the leak to Stein was “posturing,” suggesting that the Mavs and Grizzlies may be haggling over the Warriors’ 2020 second-rounder that Dallas holds.

Pincus shared a few more trade rumors and tidbits from around the NBA, so let’s round up the highlights…

  • Aron Baynes is believed to be on the Clippers‘ radar, and Pincus notes that Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently suggested a Baynes/Ivica Zubac swap between the Suns and Clips. It’s unclear if the two sides have actually discussed such a deal or if it would interest either club, but Pincus suggests that Baynes would be a better complement to Montrezl Harrell.
  • Speaking of Harrell, the Clippers have had internal discussions about his future, but have yet to make any decisions on that front, per Pincus. Harrell will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
  • If the Suns remain in the playoff hunt, they’re unlikely to trade Baynes. In fact, they may be more inclined to pursue upgrades, perhaps targeting power forwards like Kevin Love (Cavaliers) or Danilo Gallinari (Thunder). Gallinari is believed to be higher on Phoenix’s wish list, says Pinucs. “Not many teams will have cap space next summer. The Suns probably would be able to re-sign Gallinari at a much better price (than Love’s contract),” one Western Conference exec said. “There’s uncertainty, especially if they give up a first-rounder, but the difference in price would make Gallinari the better target.”
  • While multiple executives believe the Pacers will eventually trade one of either Domantas Sabonis or Myles Turner, the team itself remains content with its “old-school” frontcourt duo, according to Pincus.
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Southeast Notes: Graham, Love, Mathews, Richardson

January 1st, 2020 at 4:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Breakout Hornets point guard Devonte’ Graham is shooting just 27 percent from the field over the last nine games and that’s a sign that opponents are respecting him, former teammate Kemba Walker told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

“You learn, you grow and you adapt,” Walker said. “He’s showing the whole NBA how good a player he is, so that kind of attention is going to come. You just have to accept it as kind of a respect thing.” Earning a $1.4MM salary this season, Graham is one of the league’s biggest bargains. He is averaging 18.9 PPG, 7.7 APG, and 3.9 RPG for the 13-23 Hornets.

Graham’s recent shooting woes have decreased his field goal percentage this season to just 37.6% overall. That said, he still boasts two solid shooting percentages. Graham is connecting on 39.1% of his triples and 80.3% of his free throws with the Hornets.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Trading for Cavaliers big man Kevin Love wouldn’t make sense for the Hornets, Bonnell writes in a mailbag post. While the team needs star power, Love is owed more than $90MM beyond this season and will be 34 when that contract expires in 2023, Bonnell continues. Even if the Hornets sneak into the playoffs, they wouldn’t be set up to advance with Love, limited on defense, as the No. 1 option, Bonnell adds.
  • Garrison Mathews said he was capable of torching an opponent with his shooting ability prior to his 28-point outburst against Miami on Monday, according to Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington. The Wizards signed the undrafted rookie to a two-way contract in early July. Mathews, who made four 3-pointers and 12 free throws against the Heat, spoke of his offensive prowess during a pregame TV interview. “I’m not just a basketball player, I’m a professional shooter,” he said. A 6’5″ shooting guard out of Lipscomb, Mathews averaged 20.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG in his final season at Lipscomb, knocking down 3.2 threes per game at a 40.3% rate.
  • Josh Richardson could have been a perfect complementary piece to Jimmy Butler if the two were together with the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. Miami needed to include Richardson in their sign-and-trade deal for Butler to make the salary requirements work. Richardson wound up in a better situation with Philadelphia, who have legitimate title aspirations than if he had been dealt to Minnesota last season when the Heat tried to put together a package for Butler, Winderman adds.

Additional contributions by Alex Kirschenbaum.

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Eastern Notes: Love, McConnell, Celtics, Raptors

January 1st, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s “fresh optimism” that the Cavaliers will be able to deal power forward Kevin Love before next month’s trade deadline, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Love recently expressed frustration regarding his long-term status with the franchise. Love is in the first year of a four-year, $120.4MM extension. He’s averaging 16.5 PPG and 10.6 RPG in 30.6 MPG this season.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Sixers let point guard T.J. McConnell walk in free agency but the Pacers reserve doesn’t harbor ill will toward his previous team, Mark Monteith of the Indianapolis Star relays. McConnell signed a two-year, $7MM with Indiana, though his salary for next season isn’t guaranteed. McConnell recorded his first double-double of the season against his former club with 11 points and 10 assists on Tuesday. “Nothing but respect,” he said of Philadelphia’s organization. “I would never hold any grudges.”
  • Celtics fans should not expect a trade to upgrade the frontcourt, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. It’s unlikely they’ll find a deal for a quality big man that doesn’t involve moving one of the team’s top five players, Forsberg continues. They could add a proven role player before the trade deadline but they might be better off waiting to see which players wind up in the buyout market, Forsberg adds.
  • The Raptors’ quick start puts them in a tricky position regarding the trade market, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated notes. It was generally assumed that Toronto would be a seller with the ability to dangle the expiring contracts of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. The one-year extension handed to Kyle Lowry was done in part to make the veteran point guard more tradeable. But now there’s a window for the club to make a run at another championship, Mannix adds.
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Central Notes: Love, Griffin, Wood, Oladipo, Bulls

December 20th, 2019 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

In a Q&A with Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love acknowledged that it will probably take a while for the club to become a legit title contender again. However, he was evasive when asked if he could envision himself asking management for a trade.

“What’s going to happen with us this summer? Or at the trade deadline? I just don’t know,” Love said. “It’s just tough because, and I’m not a religious guy by any means, but the old saying ‘You want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans.’ Listen, obviously it’s a tough go right now. We’ve got (seven) wins. But in some ways, the grass isn’t always greener. You just don’t know how the s–t is going to shake out. Ever. In anything.

“So could I see it? Yes and no. It’s tough for me to answer. If we got a year or two down the line — I don’t know what their plans are for me even in the short term. But if it got there and we weren’t getting any better, it might make sense for them to completely go young. Maybe it’s that way now.”

Reports this month have indicated that Love may want to be dealt, with Portland said to be among his preferred landing spots. However, moving him won’t be easy, given his pricey long-term contract.

Here’s more from around the Central:

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Woj, Lowe On D-Lo, Mavs, MPJ, Love, VanVleet, More

December 16th, 2019 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Approximately 120 players around the NBA became trade-eligible on Sunday, signaling the unofficial start of the NBA’s 2019/20 trade season. To celebrate the occasion, Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe hosted an ESPN special to survey the trade market, discussing which teams are most likely to make moves and which players are most likely to be dealt.

Here are several of the highlights from that discussion between Woj and Lowe:

Western Conference:

  • The Warriors may field trade inquiries on D’Angelo Russell leading up to February’s trade deadline, but they’re unlikely to actively shop him and probably won’t move him before the 2020 offseason, according to Wojnarowski (video link).
  • Wojnarowski believes the Mavericks would like to acquire a standout center to complement Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis (video link). He cites Montrezl Harrell as one player who might fit that bill, though Dallas would have to wait for the Clippers‘ big man to reach free agency.
  • The Nuggets essentially view Michael Porter Jr. as “untouchable,” says Wojnarowski (video link).
  • Wojnarowski and Lowe expect contenders to keep a close eye on Pelicans guards Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick as the deadline nears (video link). According to Woj, Holiday loves New Orleans, but it’s not clear how patient he’ll be with the team’s rebuilding process.
  • Woj and Lowe note that the Clippers pursued Marcus Morris in free agency and could have interest in him again on the trade market. Lowe wouldn’t be surprised if the club tries to see what it can get using a package of Maurice Harkless, Patrick Patterson, and its first-round pick (video link).
  • Wojnarowski views 2019/20 as a pivotal year for the Rockets, adding that GM Daryl Morey seems to have given up trying to find a way to trade for Grizzlies wing Andre Iguodala after exploring multi-team scenarios earlier in the year (video link).

Eastern Conference:

  • Wojnarowski thinks the best the Cavaliers can realistically expect in a Kevin Love trade is a protected first-round pick, an expiring salary, and another throw-in player (video link). Woj adds that it seems as if Love is “ready to go,” having lost patience with the rebuild in Cleveland.
  • Count the Raptors and Heat among teams that will be reluctant to make any moves that compromise their 2021 cap flexibility (video links). According to Wojnarowski, Toronto wants to re-sign Fred VanVleet this summer, but continues to eye Giannis Antetokounmpo for ’21. As for the Heat, they seem less likely to trade young players for veterans than they have been in the past.
  • Pistons owner Tom Gores “loves” Andre Drummond, but the club will soon have to have a serious conversation about whether to go all-in on the veteran center or whether to try to shop him, per Woj (video link).
  • Lowe thinks players like Timberwolves forward Robert Covington and J.J. Redick will be on the Bucks‘ radar if they’re available, adding that Milwaukee appears willing to go over the tax line for the right deal (video link).
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