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Antetokounmpo, James Head All-Star Starters; Embiid Falls Short

January 26th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers forward LeBron James tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Thursday with his 19th NBA All-Star selection. James, who currently shares the record with Abdul-Jabbar for most All-Star Games played with 18, was chosen as a starter, according to a league press release.

All of the starters were revealed on Thursday night.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were the other starters chosen out of the Western Conference. James will serve as a team captain for the sixth straight year, since he received the most votes.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, named a team captain for the third time, heads the list of starters out of the Eastern Conference. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Nets forward Kevin Durant, Nets guard Kyrie Irving, and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell will join him, but the league’s second-leading scorer, Sixers center Joel Embiid (33.4 PPG), didn’t garner enough votes.

The starters are selected by a weighted voting process with the fan vote accounting for half of the final outcome. The player and media portions of the vote each counted for 25 percent. Three frontcourt players and two guards were selected from each conference.

Embiid finished third in the player and media voting among Eastern Conference frontcourt players but fourth in the fan voting. All voting results can be found here.

The game will be played Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. James and Antetokounmpo will choose their teams shortly before the game begins. James will set the league record for most All-Star appearances if he plays, since Abdul-Jabbar did not play in the 1973 game after being chosen.

The reserves, which are chosen by the league’s coaches, will be announced Feb. 2.

LeBron James, Jrue Holiday Named Players Of The Week

January 23rd, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers forward LeBron James and Bucks guard Jrue Holiday have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced (via Twitter).

James led the Lakers to a 3-1 week with averages of 35.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 7.0 APG and 1.3 BPG on .510/.323/.842 shooting. He continues to play at an incredibly high level at 38 years old, having won the award a couple weeks ago as well. The Lakers are currently 22-25, the West’s No. 12 seed, but are only 2.5 games back of the No. 5 seed Mavericks.

Holiday had an outstanding week himself, leading Milwaukee to a 2-1 record with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton sidelined. He averaged 33.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 9.3 APG and 1.7 SPG on a stellar .569/.478/1.000 shooting slash line. The Bucks are currently 29-17, the East’s No. 3 seed, and are expected to get both of Holiday’s aforementioned teammates back on Monday.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray, while Joel Embiid, Darius Garland, Kyrie Irving, Dejounte Murray and Fred VanVleet were nominated in the East.

Lakers Notes: Davis, Nunn, James, Trade Deadline

January 19th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers star big man Anthony Davis had an encouraging practice session on Thursday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.

“He did jump in with the group today, did some non-contact stuff, pick-and-roll drills, a little offensive scripting,” head coach Darvin Ham said. “He’s looking good. Moving well. … Got a great sweat in [during an] individual workout … He’s progressing really, really, really well.”

Davis has a general timeline of early February to suit up again. He has been out since December 16 after suffering a stress reaction in the navicular bone in his right foot.

We have more on the Lakers:

Guard Kendrick Nunn is one of the most tradable pieces on the team, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. Nunn is on an expiring contract and could be part of a package for a frontcourt player. “He could help someone,” one executive told Deveney. “But they need to show he is healthy. He’s got a very manageable contract and they’re dying for size on that team.”
The Lakers have lost three close games over the past week and LeBron James laments how injuries have impacted the team, noting they have “zero room for error,” according to McMenamin. “We are limited with bodies,” James said. “So until some of our big guys or some of our key guys get back … we’ve got to continue to play how we’ve played the last couple games. Play mistake-free basketball.”
James has averaged 34.9 points while playing 37.8 minutes per game so far in January. Ham would like to reduce his aging superstar’s minutes, McMenamin writes in the same story. “He’s playing at an amazing level, but we can’t run him in the ground,” Ham said.
If the Lakers remain committed to chasing championships with Davis and James, they may be better off adding multiple role players prior to this year’s trade deadline, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. Even if they let all their projected free agents walk at season’s end, they might be priced out of the market for a top-level free agent while still having many roster spots to fill, as Gozlan explains.

Pacific Notes: Johnson, Payne, George, LeBron

January 16th, 2023 at 10:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

A return to the floor for Suns starting power forward Cameron Johnson appears to be imminent, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Johnson has been sidelined for Phoenix since November 4 with a torn right meniscus that required surgery.

“Just sometime when I get back from the [team’s just-wrapped road trip], but I feel pretty good,” Johnson said when asked about his return timeline. “Taking it one day at a time right now, but I’m looking forward to getting back soon, very soon.”

In his eight healthy games this year, Johnson has averaged 13.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.1 SPG. The Suns have gone 15-21 since Johnson’s injury, though other major absences to Phoenix players have played a role in that record, too.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Suns reserve point guard Cameron Payne is set to have his right foot sprain reassessed later in January, Rankin notes (Twitter link). “I haven’t started doing anything,” Payne said. “I think [Monday] when I get back into Phoenix, we should be doing our next checkups and check off a few things for me to get back on the court.” Payne has played just twice since December 13.
Injured Clippers star forward Paul George has been cleared for full team practices, but head coach Tyronn Lue is unsure of an exact timeline for his return to the floor, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
All-Star Lakers forward LeBron James took to social media today to register his discontent about what he sees as inconsistent game officiating. “And all year they keep telling me to my face on the court, ‘I didn’t see it’ or ‘It wasn’t a [foul],'” James tweeted. “It’s not making sense to me seriously! Frustrating as hell man! Anyways keep going Squad!” James seemed particularly upset during L.A.’s two latest losses, to the Mavericks on Thursday and the Sixers Sunday.

L.A. Notes: AD, LeBron, Conley, Zubac, Clippers

January 16th, 2023 at 1:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers big man Anthony Davis is expected to begin running on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic said in an appearance on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link). Charania adds that Davis will start contact work shortly after he starts running, and the Lakers hope the 29-year-old will return to the lineup in early February.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported a week ago that the team was hopeful that Davis, who has been out since December 16 after suffering a stress reaction in the navicular bone in his right foot, could return return in a couple weeks. Based on Charania’s report, it sounds like that rough timeline may have been pushed back a little bit, but there’s no indication that Davis had a setback.

Here’s more out of Los Angeles:

Lakers star LeBron James is not trade-eligible this season after signing an extension in August. James recently turned 38 years old and is in his 20th NBA season, but he’s still playing at an extremely high level and would have a long list of suitors if he did ask for a trade in the offseason. With that in mind, David Aldridge of The Athletic comes up with six hypothetical trades and ranks the possibility of each deal, though he acknowledges that James ending his career with the Lakers is still the most likely outcome. The highest ranking trade on Aldridge’s “Possibility Scale” (5.5 out of 10) sends James to Atlanta for a package headlined by Dejounte Murray.
Marc Stein reported this morning that the Clippers are interested in Jazz point guard Mike Conley. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the Clippers’ interest in Conley is not new, as the team considered trading for the 35-year-old this past summer prior to signing John Wall.
Ivica Zubac‘s production has slipped in the past few weeks and Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is aware that the starting center is feeling the effects of a career-high 29.1 minutes per game, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “He’s not going to admit that, but you know, I think he’s getting worn down a little bit with the overuse and playing him a lot because like you said, when he is on the floor, we are effective,” Lue said. “We’re able to run our offense and do different things. So, I have to find a balance between that. He’s been great for us all year. He’s a guy that plays every single night and we just can’t run him into the ground, which I have, I think early on. But I mean, I really don’t have a choice.” Zubac averaged 10.3 points and 11 rebounds in his first 35 games (29.8 minutes), including 17 double-doubles, but he’s only posted one double-double in the past eight contests (26.1 minutes) while averaging 9.3 points and 7.3 boards.
The Clippers‘ depth was supposed to be a strength this season, but injuries have derailed the team from having any type of consistency, according to Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. “I mean, it’s hard, but, you know you can’t do anything about that,” said Zubac. “Guys get hurt and we got to give them time to get healthy … we don’t want to rush anyone … it is what it is.” The Clippers are just 23-22 after entering the season with championship aspirations, and have gone 9-6 in the 15 games that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have played together, Plaschke notes.

L.A. Notes: Pistons, Cousins, Lakers Frontcourt, Clippers

January 13th, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers have long been linked to forward Bojan Bogdanovic — back when he was still on Utah and in the months since he was traded to Detroit. In an article about potential deadline buyers and sellers with Chris Mannix, Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated hears that the Lakers and Pistons “have discussed a deal that would include both Bogdanovic and Nerlens Noel.”

Rumors last month indicated that the Lakers offered Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn and a protected first-round pick for Bogdanovic, but this is the first time we’ve seen them linked to Noel this season. Adding his $9.24MM salary to that framework complicates a trade from a salary-matching perspective — the Lakers would have to add three players on minimum salaries.

Replacing Beverley and Nunn with Russell Westbrook‘s $47.1MM expiring deal would mean the Pistons would have to add more salary, so more players would have to be involved in either scenario.

Here’s more out of Los Angeles:

DeMarcus Cousins‘ audition for the Lakers is scheduled for today, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. In case you missed it, the Lakers are also working out Meyers Leonard today. Both big men are unrestricted free agents.
LeBron James said earlier this week that he believes a frontcourt with himself, Anthony Davis and Thomas Bryant “could be extremely beneficial for our ballclub.” Head coach Darvin Ham agreed that it was worth looking into, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (Twitter link). “They’re all highly skilled players. … They can all score at all three levels. They can defend. They all can have good activity, good instincts. So, yeah, that’s something we’ll definitely take a look at,” Ham said.
In an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today, Richard Jefferson said there might be some interference from the Clippers‘ front office when it comes to coaching decisions. “This is pure speculation… I’m hearing grumblings that people up top are having opinions about who should be playing… There’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen and that is never a good recipe,” he said (Twitter video link via Talkin’ NBA). Ordinarily, I wouldn’t put much stock into something that Jefferson says is “pure speculation,” but he does have connections to the Clippers — he played under head coach Tyronn Lue with the Cavaliers and under president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank when Frank coached the Nets.
Lue told reporters, including Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter video link), that Paul George (hamstring) and Luke Kennard (calf) would not practice with the Clippers on Thursday, but both players were working out and shooting prior to practice. George has been ruled out for Friday’s contest against Denver and Kennard seems unlikely to suit up.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Future Draft Picks, Christie

January 11th, 2023 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Although there has been some recent speculation about the possibility of Lakers star LeBron James eventually asking out of Los Angeles, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Dave McMenamin said on the latest episode of The Lowe Post that they haven’t heard anything to suggest that will happen.

“I keep hearing he wants to stay with the Lakers. He wants to finish his career with the Lakers,” Lowe said, per RealGM. “His comments (about wanting to win) should be interpreted as his patience is not infinite and if this is just a continued morass of losing, maybe that changes. But if you force me to bet, I’d still bet on him finishing his career with the Lakers. And I’d feel pretty confident in that.”

As we’ve written multiple times, James can’t be traded this season. While it’s not out of the question that he could request a trade in the summer, the expectation is that even if the Lakers don’t use their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks as trade ammunition during the current season, they’ll still be willing to do so during the offseason, when they’ll have more cap flexibility and more options. If that’s the case, it’s not hard to imagine LeBron being comfortable with his situation in Los Angeles heading into 2023/24.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

In an opinion column for USA Today, Jeff Zillgitt questions why the Lakers aren’t more willing to use their resources (including those two future first-round picks) to upgrade in the short term. As Zillgitt observes, James is still playing at an All-NBA level at age 38 and no obvious frontrunner has emerged in the Western Conference — there’s no guarantee that both of those things will be true again next season.
Besides the fact that he’s unlikely to still be with the Lakers by the time they make both picks, James probably doesn’t care much about the team’s 2027 and 2029 first-rounders for another reason, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). As Windhorst lays out, James’ teams have only drafted a first-rounder and teamed him with LeBron in five of his 20 seasons, and none of those one-time prospects (including J.J. Hickson, Norris Cole, and Shannon Brown) came close to becoming an All-Star.
He wasn’t a first-round pick, but Lakers rookie Max Christie is looking like another diamond in the rough for the franchise, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. As Buha details, Christie – who says he’s exceeding his own expectations so far in his rookie year – is relishing the opportunity to learn from former MVPs like James and Russell Westbrook. “He’s figuring it out, man,” Westbrook said. “He’s young. He’s going to be in this league for a long time. I’m happy to be here to help him start his career and make things easier for him. Hopefully, he’ll continue learning, continue listening, and he’s going to do so many great things in the league.”

Health Updates: Luka, LeBron, Bam, Smart, Vassell, Bol

January 9th, 2023 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Luka Doncic is listed as questionable for Tuesday’s contest at the Clippers, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter). The star guard is dealing with left ankle soreness.

Doncic is one of the NBA’s best players and a leading MVP candidate, so obviously his potential absence would be detrimental to the team’s chances — Dallas has gone 0-4 this season without him, including Sunday’s loss at Oklahoma City.

The 23-year-old is having a remarkable season. Through 37 games (36.9 MPG), he’s averaging a league-leading 34.0 PPG, plus 8.8 RPG, 8.7 APG and 1.6 SPG on .499/.355/.742 shooting. The points, steals, FG% and 3PT% are all career highs, as is his 61.3 true shooting percentage.

The Mavs are currently 23-18, the No. 4 seed in the West.

Here are some more health updates from around the NBA:

After previously being downgraded to questionable with left ankle soreness, Lakers star LeBron James has now been ruled out for tonight’s matchup at Denver, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. In his 20th season, the reigning Western Conference player of the week is averaging 29.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.7 APG and 1.0 SPG on .510/.295/.756 shooting through 31 games (35.9 MPG).
Heat center Bam Adebayo has a right hand injury, which is why he sat out the final 5:11 of Sunday’s loss to Brooklyn, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscriber link). Adebayo said he’s actually been dealing with it for a few days, but the injury was aggravated in the first half. “I don’t know how he’ll feel tomorrow,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There was a really hard hand contusion in the first half and he tried to gut it out in the second half, and you could see he was basically playing with one hand. It was just extremely sore. So I had to make that tough call and take the decision out of his hands in the fourth quarter and we’ll just evaluate him tomorrow.” Adebayo said X-rays were negative, and an MRI on Monday revealed a wrist contusion, but nothing more serious. He’s officially listed as questionable for Tuesday’s contest vs. the Thunder, according to Chiang (Twitter link).
Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been ruled out of Monday’s game against Chicago, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Smart is dealing with a left knee contusion. Fellow guards Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon should see an uptick in minutes with Smart sidelined.
The Spurs didn’t announce a timeline for Devin Vassell‘s return following knee surgery, but head coach Gregg Popovich said on Friday that the third-year guard is expected to be back later this season. “I’m thinking maybe a little after the All-Star break,” he said, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Forward Bol Bol has cleared the league’s health and safety protocols and will rejoin the Magic for Tuesday’s contest at Portland, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). Bol will ultimately miss four games after entering the protocols last Tuesday — he’s out for tonight’s matchup at Sacramento. The 23-year-old is having a breakout fourth season for Orlando, averaging 12.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 1.6 BPG on .588/.388/.739 shooting through 37 games (32 starts, 26.1 MPG).

LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell Named Players Of The Week

January 9th, 2023 at 2:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers forward LeBron James and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell have been named the NBA’s players of the week, the league announced today (Twitter link).

Interestingly, both players only appeared in three of their teams’ four games, though they were both undefeated when they played. James won for the Western Conference, while Mitchell was the East’s winner.

The Lakers had a 4-0 week, with James averaging 35.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 54.8% from the field and 76.7% from the free throw line. The 38-year-old has been playing incredibly well lately, but he continues to be cold from deep, shooting just 12.5% from three last week.

The Cavs went 3-1 last week, with Mitchell averaging 37.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.0 steal on .530/.353/.861 shooting in his three appearances. The highlight of Mitchell’s week, of course, was his 71-point outburst against the Bulls, as he became just the seventh player in NBA history to score 70-plus points in a game. He also contributed 11 assists, eight rebounds and a block during that performance.

According to the NBA (Twitter links), the other nominees in the West were Thomas Bryant, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaren Jackson Jr., while Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Kevin Durant, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Zach LaVine were nominated in the East.

Anthony Davis Could Return In A Couple Weeks

January 9th, 2023 at 1:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers are optimistic that Anthony Davis could return to the lineup in a couple weeks, sources tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Davis will begin ramping up his rehab when the team returns to Los Angeles later this week, McMenamin reports. The Lakers play in Denver tonight, but then have a five-game home stand starting Thursday against Dallas.

The 29-year-old is dealing with a bone spur fractured off the navicular bone in his right foot, as well as a stress reaction in that same bone. However, it’s the stress reaction that has been Davis’ primary focus, with the bone spur considered an old injury that he’s been unknowingly playing through for several years.

Davis sustained the stress reaction on December 16 against Denver. He was dominating on both ends of the court leading up to the injury, averaging an eye-popping 35.0 points, 14.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals on 64.1% shooting in his last 12 full games.

Both Davis and head coach Darvin Ham told reporters at the end of last month that the pain from the stress reaction had subsided, with Davis hopeful that he might be able to return in around four weeks, though he wasn’t committed to that number. Still, McMenamin’s report lines up with what Davis said, so it appears things have been going well since the last update.

Center Thomas Bryant, who is on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, has excelled in Davis’ absence, McMenamin notes. In the 12 games since Davis got injured, Bryant is averaging 16.9 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting 66.9% from the floor and 74.2% from the line.

The Lakers have gone 7-5 during that span. During the team’s five-game winning streak, Bryant is averaging 21.2 points and 13.6 rebounds while shooting 71.9% from the floor and 86.7% from the line.

Superstar forward LeBron James believes the three players can be successful together, though Bryant and Davis have yet to share the court this season, according to McMenamin.

“I’ve already kind of had visions of what that could possibly look like with the frontcourt of myself, AD and Thomas on the floor together,” James said of Bryant’s contributions. “I think it could be extremely beneficial for our ballclub.”

Speaking of James, he has been downgraded to questionable for Monday’s contest due to left ankle soreness, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

The Lakers are currently 19-21, the No. 11 seed in the West, but only trail the No. 5 seed Kings by two games.