LeBron James Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Notes: Tournament, Trade Rumors, Russell, LeBron

December 9th, 2023 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers blitzed most of their competition on the way to the finals of the in-season tournament, but they haven’t encountered an offense on the level of the Pacers, whom they’ll face in tonight’s title game, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Indiana has scored 122 and 128 points in its two knockout-round contests, pushing the ball repeatedly and relying heavily on three-point shooting.

“Their pace of play is second to none,” Austin Reaves said. “They score a lot of points and are very capable of going on quick runs just with the way they shoot the ball and the way they play. Being able to transition or not – honestly, they kind of make it all transition; even if you make a shot, they get it out of the net real quick. Just being able to focus on kind of building a wall and trying to stop that.”

It’s a sharp contrast with the Lakers, who are an older team with plenty of size to overpower opponents. Price notes that the Pacers tend to allow a lot of shots in the paint and are prone to foul trouble, and coach Darvin Ham said it’s important to not let Indiana dictate the style of play.

“We can’t get so caught up in trying to stop and prevent them from doing what they like to do,” Ham said. “We will, but we also can’t forget to enforce our will upon the game, too. They have to guard us, too. Coming out with an aggressive mindset will definitely be the first and foremost thing that we do.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

The front office wants to see the full team in action for a while before getting serious about trade talks, sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN. Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura all returned from injuries within the past week, and Gabe Vincent remains sidelined with a left knee issue. Any deals likely won’t happen until after January 15, Lowe adds, when the last of the team’s offseason free agent signees will become eligible to be moved. L.A. has been mentioned as a possible destination for the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, but Lowe hears that management is reluctant to downgrade the team’s defense to improve its offense.
D’Angelo Russell tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (video link) that the in-season tournament is providing a “cheat code” to prepare for the playoffs, saying it has a “second-round, third-round type of feel.”
In an interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio (Twitter link), Ham touts LeBron James as the front-runner for this season’s MVP honors (hat tip to Bleacher Report). “He’s spearheaded everything you see going on with our team,” Ham said. “The numbers he’s putting up. He’s impacting winning. The numbers when he’s on the floor as opposed to when he’s off the floor. … I think it’s a no-brainer.”

Lakers Notes: Tournament, Reaves, LeBron, Uniforms

December 6th, 2023 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

D’Angelo Russell called it “playoff intensity” as the Lakers hung on for a dramatic win against Phoenix on Tuesday night that gave them a trip to Las Vegas for the in-season tournament semifinals, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The game was noticeably competitive throughout, and any concerns that players and fans wouldn’t respond to the NBA’s new experiment seemed to be put to rest.

“You got some of the most alpha-male competitors in the world, and if you give us an opportunity to play for something meaningful with an incentive, then you’ll get what you’re getting,” LeBron James said at a post-game press conference alongside Anthony Davis. “And I know the competitive nature in myself, and the competitive nature of this guy next to me, and our DNA that we’re trying to build for this team. The in-season tournament is what it is, and we have an opportunity to play on a big stage, be on national television, be able to represent our families and represent our cities and communities, where we come from.”

L.A. also defeated the Suns in group play, but had an otherwise soft path to the quarterfinals with the lowly Grizzlies, Trail Blazers and Jazz making up the rest of West Group A. There was nothing easy about Tuesday’s matchup, which wasn’t decided until Kevin Durant missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham savored the experience.

“It makes it really exciting,” he said. “And so exciting that we can’t wait to conquer it. Pretty simply put.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Austin Reaves added to his legacy of clutch shots, sinking a huge three-pointer late in the game to stave off a Suns rally, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Reaves’ propensity to deliver in big situations is one of the reasons the Lakers signed him to a long-term deal during the offseason. “Man, Austin is a big-time player,” Ham said. “It’s the reason we wanted him here for the present and the future. Everybody saw what he did to finish last year, what he did for Team USA. He has just grown, grown and grown and he thrives in those moments, those big moments.”
At a media session today in Las Vegas, James reiterated his desire to eventually own an NBA team in the city, Price tweets. James discussed the area’s growing sports culture, adding, “Hopefully I can bring my franchise here someday.”
The NBA won’t allow the Lakers to wear their “city edition” uniforms for Thursday’s semifinal, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. went 3-0 during the tournament in the black ensemble, but the league has mandated gold “icon” uniforms for the matchup with New Orleans, which will wear its white “association” look. A source tells McMenamin that the NBA office has concerns about the contrast between the jerseys and the specialized court being used for the game.

And-Ones: Bronny James, Ndongo, Reaves, Messina

December 4th, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Bronny James‘ debut with USC could happen as early as Sunday in a home game against Long Beach State, according to Seth Davis of The Messenger Sports.

The son of Lakers star LeBron James recently received medical clearance from his doctor for a full return to basketball after suffering cardiac arrest in July. He still has to be cleared by the school’s medical staff, Davis adds, but that’s expected to happen sometime this week. If Bronny isn’t ready by Sunday, the next possibility is a December 17 contest against Auburn.

“He’ll have to get in game shape and have full-contact practices and get his timing back before we just throw him into a college basketball game,” Trojans coach Andy Enfield told Davis. “I’d like it to happen sooner rather than later, but right now I just don’t know.”

Bronny is an important name in NBA circles because he’s considered a potential first-round draft pick, and his father has indicated in the past that he would have an interest in joining the team that selects him. On a more immediate level, LeBron said last week that he would skip a Lakers game to watch his son’s first NCAA contest, but L.A. isn’t scheduled to play either this Sunday or December 17.

Enfield said it’s been an enjoyable experience to watch Bronny overcome the health scare that could have derailed his career.

“It’s a great feeling for sure,” he said. “He’s worked out quite a few times with our coaching staff and is able to go through non-contact workouts. It’s just a matter of giving him time to get into basketball shape and learn our system before he plays in it.”

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Georgia Tech freshman Baye Ndongo got the attention of NBA scouts with his performance in Saturday’s upset of Duke, observes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Ndongo had 21 points and five blocks for the Yellow Jackets and showed NBA potential in his ability to roll to the basket and pass to cutting teammates, according to Hollinger. Although Ndongo is undersized for an NBA center at 6’9″ and 214 pounds, Hollinger notes that he was able to match up effective with Blue Devils’ 7-footer Kyle Filipowski.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports takes a look inside the process of quickly scheduling two additional regular season games for the 22 teams that didn’t advance in the in-season tournament. Among the obstacles was figuring out which teams had open arena dates for Wednesday and Friday, which is when all the games will be played.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves has a new arrangement with Chinese sportswear brand Rigorer that will make him a part owner of the company, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. A new version of Reaves’ signature shoe will hit the market Friday.
Former Spurs assistant Ettore Messina has a contract extension with Milan that will run through the end of the 2025/26 season, according to Eurohoops. The club made the announcement after rumors that a coaching change was imminent.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Vanderbilt, Reddish, Hachimura

December 4th, 2023 at 9:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The in-season tournament could represent the last chance to watch LeBron James play for a meaningful prize, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. James’ Lakers will host the Suns on Tuesday with a spot in the semifinals at stake. A victory would match them against Sacramento or New Orleans for a berth in the finals, giving one of the league’s most successful franchises an opportunity to add the first-ever NBA Cup to its long list of accomplishments.

While James continues to play at a remarkable level for his age, Hollinger points out that he will turn 39 later this month and can no longer carry a team the way he used to in his prime. He notes that even though L.A. is 12-9, the team was embarrassed in games at Philadelphia and Oklahoma City last week and may not have the roster for another long playoff run.

If that’s true, Hollinger recommends that fans should savor this week’s opportunity to watch James in the spotlight. The Lakers appear to have favorable tournament matchups — they’ll host a Phoenix team that they’ve beaten twice already and then would advance to Las Vegas, where the arena would be packed with L.A. fans. Hollinger adds that the potential of James playing in the in-season tournament final would bring even more prestige to what has turned out to be a successful experiment.

There’s more on the Lakers:

Jarred Vanderbilt didn’t score in his first game of the season Saturday, but he said it felt good to be back on the court after being sidelined for nearly two months with bursitis in his left heel, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Vanderbilt managed to play nearly 14 minutes, grabbing four rebounds and providing his usual active presence on defense. “Basically just trying to take care of the injury and then building it back up efficiently and smart,” Vanderbilt said of his recovery process. “I didn’t want to get back out there too fast. So that was part of the ramp-up, kind of slowly going through progressions: two versus two, three versus three and then some five-on-five. That’s pretty much it.”
Coach Darvin Ham considers Cam Reddish a “laid-back dude,” but he showed another side of his personality during a confrontation with Houston’s Tari Eason on Saturday that resulted in a technical foul, Turner states in the same piece. The players were separated before their verbal battle could escalate. “He has a toughness to him, a quiet toughness,” Ham said of Reddish. “I like him being aggressive and assertive. He showed that tonight. Some of the plays he made, that steal he got and kept alive and getting an and-one. I want him passionate about the game.”
Rui Hachimura was medically cleared to play Saturday, but Ham opted to give him more time to recover from last week’s nasal surgery, Turner adds. “He went through his pre-game workout and still was a little iffy,” Ham said. “… So, just coming off that nose surgery, we felt it was best just to be proactive, to be precautionary, so that’s where we landed.”

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Bronny, Divac, Kings, Wiggins, Moody

December 1st, 2023 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

A little over four months after suffering cardiac arrest, USC freshman Bronny James has been cleared to make a full return to basketball, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. According to Charania, the expectation is that James will resume practicing with the team next week and make his NCAA debut not long after that.

Discussing the good news on Thursday, star forward LeBron James – Bronny’s father – told reporters that if his son’s USC debut occurs on the same day as a Lakers game, he intends to skip his own game to watch Bronny.

“Whenever he’s cleared and ready to have his first game, I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we’re playing, I’m going to have to catch them the next game,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Family over everything … But definitely got to see Bronny’s first game whenever he’s cleared and ready to go.”

Teammate Anthony Davis said on Thursday that James has the support of the Lakers’ locker room if he missed a game to attend Bronny’s debut, but as John Hollinger of The Athletic observes (via Twitter), it likely won’t come to that. After this Saturday, the Lakers and Trojans won’t play on the same day until December 28, so as long as Bronny’s timeline doesn’t get pushed back, he’ll probably suit up for USC before then.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Vlade Divac, a former player and head of basketball operations for the Kings, has formally returned to the organization in the role of team ambassador, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick explains, Divac’s position is on the business side of the franchise and doesn’t include any basketball operations influence. The former All-Star center is focused on “community, fan, and business outreach,” per Amick.
Seerat Sohi of The Ringer considers whether the Kings still have more room for internal improvement or whether the front office might feel pressure to make a trade to raise the team’s ceiling. If they go the latter route, the Kings will have to make sure they find a systemic fit who doesn’t overlap with the club’s existing talent, Sohi writes.
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins injured his right index finger when he slammed a car door on it on Thursday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Although Wiggins missed Thursday’s game, head coach Steve Kerr believes his absence will be short-term, Slater adds.
Third-year wing Moses Moody started in Wiggins’ place on Thursday and logged a season-high 28 minutes, scoring 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Moody has earned an opportunity to play a larger role for the Warriors, argues Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link).

Pacific Notes: Kings, Lakers, Paul, Bol

November 29th, 2023 at 11:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings savored their comeback win over Golden State Tuesday night, and not just because it gave them a spot in the knockout round of the in-season tournament, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Sacramento would have won the West’s Group C by staying within 11 points, but it felt better to claim a victory over the Warriors, who knocked the Kings out of the playoffs in April.

“We want to win. Obviously, our fans want us to beat Golden State,” De’Aaron Fox said. “A game this close, coming back from down 24, you want to win regardless of if it’s a tournament game or not.”

Malik Monk finished off Sacramento’s frantic rally by hitting a tough bank shot in traffic in the final seconds. Monk also delivered a message to the coaching staff midway through the fourth quarter, Andrews adds, telling them to stop complaining to the officials and let the players take care of business.

After breaking a 15-year playoff drought last season, the Kings have a chance to make more history by reaching the tournament’s semifinals in Las Vegas.

“We want to get to Vegas and be one of the first teams to advance to the final four,” Fox said.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Two days after LeBron James said “a lot” needs to be fixed following a 44-point loss in Philadelphia, the Lakers looked like a different team in beating Detroit, observes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Coach Darvin Ham didn’t address Monday’s embarrassment apart from a Wednesday morning film session in which he told his players that one bad night doesn’t define their season. “The biggest thing with (James), he’s a competitive, fierce competitor like myself, and that (loss to the Sixers) was a tough one to experience,” Ham said. “It’s okay to be frustrated because you’re passionate about the game, but we can’t get emotional and lose our focus, lose our way.”
Warriors guard Chris Paul suffered a nerve contusion in his lower left leg and will miss Thursday’s game against the Clippers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sources tell Woj that Paul is considered day-to-day.
Suns coach Frank Vogel told reporters after tonight’s game that Bol Bol will eventually get a chance to prove he can help the team (video link). A free agent addition this summer, Bol has played just seven total minutes in three games.

Injury Notes: McCollum, James, Reddish, Murray, Markkanen, Durant, Connaughton

November 28th, 2023 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against Philadelphia, the team’s PR department tweets. McCollum has been out since Nov. 4 after being diagnosed with a collapsed lung. McCollum has missed New Orleans’ last 12 games.

Trey Murphy III (knee) and Matt Ryan (calf) have been upgraded to doubtful. Murphy, a starter most of last season, has yet to make his season debut. Ryan hasn’t played since Nov. 18.

We have more injury-related updates:

Lakers star LeBron James is listed as questionable to play against Detroit on Wednesday due to a left calf contusion, according to the team’s PR department (hat tip to Orange County Register’s Khobi Price). Cam Reddish (left groin strain) and Anthony Davis (left adductor) are listed as probable, while Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt will not play.
Jamal Murray has been upgraded to questionable for the Nuggets’ game against Houston on Wednesday, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports tweets. Murray has been out since Nov. 4 due to a hamstring strain.
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen will miss at least two more games due to a left hamstring strain, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. He’ll be reevaluated after the team returns from its two-game road trip.
The Suns have listed Kevin Durant (right foot contusion) and Grayson Allen (illness) as questionable to play Wednesday against Toronto, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets.
Pat Connaughton exited the Bucks’ game on Tuesday early with a right ankle sprain, the team tweets.

LeBron James: Lakers Have “A Lot” To Fix

November 28th, 2023 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

It was a historic night on Monday for Lakers star LeBron James, who became the NBA’s all-time leader in total regular season and postseason minutes, reaching 66,319 and surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (66,297). However, James also suffered the worst loss of his 21-year NBA career, as his team was on the losing end of a 44-point blowout in Philadelphia.

Asked after the game what the Lakers need to do to avoid more defeats like Monday’s, LeBron didn’t offer any specifics, but he also didn’t exactly express that the club would be fine with some minor tweaks, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

“What needs to change in order for that not to happen again?” he said. “Um, a lot.”

Responding to a follow-up question about whether there’s anything in particular the Lakers need to focus on, James replied, “No. A lot.”

The Lakers have a 10-8 record, but their advanced stats haven’t been particularly impressive — their minus-1.9 net rating ranks 21st in the NBA, and they have the league’s 25th-best offensive rating (110.5). It has been an underwhelming few weeks for a team that made the Western Conference Finals last spring and has title aspirations this season.

Injuries are partly to blame for the Lakers’ poor start, as Jarred Vanderbilt (heel), Gabe Vincent (knee), Cam Reddish (groin), and Rui Hachimura (nasal fracture) all remain unavailable. Still, Monday’s effort was a disappointing one, with Anthony Davis suggesting after the game that a film session might be necessary before Wednesday’s contest in Detroit.

“We’ve got to look at it, embrace it, own it,” Davis said. “Guys don’t take it personal for whatever’s said in the film, and then move on from it.”

According to McMenamin, former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel conducted regular film sessions, but they sometimes became “volatile” when a player interpreted an instruction as a “pointed attack rather than a teaching moment.” Davis doesn’t think that will be an issue with this group.

“You’re sitting there and watching film … it’s also in front of the entire team, the coaching staff,” Davis said. “I don’t think we have guys who probably will take it personal. But if they do, that’s probably another conversation.”

Central Notes: Pacers, Pistons, Middleton, LeBron

November 27th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers lead the league in scoring and points allowed. That may make them a favorite among fantasy basketball players, but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle wants to see more intensity on the defensive end. He’s threatening to reduce playing time for his offensively gifted group if they don’t take the opposite end of the court more seriously, he told Dustik Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.

“I can just start pulling guys out of the game, and it could get ugly and maybe that’s what has to happen,” Carlisle said. “We got guys on the bench that would be more than willing to do that kind of stuff. … We’re trying to develop a culture where people want to do the hard things.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Pistons coach Monty Williams confirmed a team meeting was held after the team’s 13th straight loss, which occurred against the Pacers on Friday night, Mike Curtis of the Detroit News tweets. He suggested that individuals took their share of the blame during that discussion. “There’s certain levels to those meetings. (It) was important because it was a level of team accountability,” Williams said. “There wasn’t any finger-pointing. When I got word of it, it wasn’t like anybody was saying ‘You, you, you.’ It’s like, ‘I have to do better.’”
Bucks forward Khris Middleton is questionable to play against Miami on Tuesday due to left Achilles tendinitis, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. Middleton has already missed four games this season and coach Adrian Griffin has kept his minutes down — Middleton is averaging 11.6 points in 19.8 minutes per night.
LeBron James counts the championship he brought to the Cavaliers in 2016 as one of his most cherished memories, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Spent 11 years here and being able to come back after my Miami stint and win a championship here for this franchise, for this city, I think it was a 52-year [title] drought or something like that in the city of Cleveland for any sports team, I think that was just something that I will never forget no matter how old I get,” James said. “I’ll always remember that moment.”

L.A. Notes: Westbrook, George, LeBron, Hood-Schifino

November 21st, 2023 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers are 2-0 since moving Russell Westbrook from the starting lineup to the bench. The veteran point guard hasn’t been at his best in those two victories, shooting just 6-of-20 (30.0%) from the floor. Still, head coach Tyronn Lue – who wants Westbrook to play out of the post and to bring more pace to the second unit – likes what he has seen from the new-look rotation so far, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.

“It’s an adjustment period for him. Being a starter with (Paul George) and Kawhi (Leonard), it’s a little different, but he’s come along great, and it’s good,” Lue said, adding that Westbrook is “the guy who needs the ball in his hands to create and make plays and in that second unit it’s been good for us.”

As Greif writes, Lue has been staggering George’s minutes in order to play him with the second unit, and that group has benefited from the chemistry that the two former Thunder stars have established during their time together in both Oklahoma City and Los Angeles. For his part, Westbrook is attempting to take his role change in stride, telling reporters that his goals when he’s on the court haven’t changed.

“Just going out and doing whatever’s best for our team to be able to win games, and that’s it,” Westbrook said.

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

Even though the win came against the last-place Spurs, Monday’s 25-point blowout helped cement the Clippers‘ belief that they’re starting to getting comfortable following a stretch in which, in James Harden‘s words, it “felt like nothing could go right,” Greif writes for The L.A. Times. “We expect to win coming into games now,” George said. “I think we have gone through the rough patch of how to play, what it looks like and we found success in who we are.”
The NBA’s oldest player is showing no signs of slowing down — Lakers star LeBron James is shooting a career-best 58.6% from the field so far this season and is coming off a 37-point masterpiece in a one-point win over Houston on Sunday. “Just trying to push the limit,” James said following Sunday’s victory, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “See how far I can take this thing. I don’t know. I mean, it’s me vs. Father Time.”
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times throws some cold water on the Lakers‘ win against Houston, suggesting that it’s not a great sign – and not particularly sustainable – that the team needs to lean so heavily on James to eke out victories. As Hernandez notes, the Lakers indicated at the start of the season that they wanted to limit LeBron to about 28-30 minutes per night when possible. He has averaged 34.4 MPG through 13 games and logged fewer than 30 minutes in just three of those contests. The team still hopes to reduce James’ workload once the roster is healthier, sources tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
While he didn’t end up playing on Sunday, Lakers rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino was active for the first time after missing the team’s first 13 games of the season due to a right patella contusion, notes Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group. Hood-Schifino appears unlikely to be part of the regular rotation as a rookie unless players ahead of him on the depth chart go down with injuries.