Paul George

Central Notes: Jackson, Thompson, George

November 28th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson‘s departure from Oklahoma City last season wasn’t a clean break-up, and his former teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were candid in expressing their displeasure with Jackson taking his desire to depart the Thunder public, Royce Young of ESPN.com recounts. After Friday night’s victory over Detroit, Durant made some interesting comments regarding Jackson’s standing on the Pistons, Young notes. When asked about the job the Thunder did guarding center Andre Drummond, Durant said, “Steven Adams did a great job on their best player, and Andre Roberson did a great job on their second-best player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Russ did his job.”

Jackson, who was booed mightily by the Oklahoma City crowd, responded by saying, “I love to be hated. It’s flattering, the greatest honor of them all. It’s love and spite all at the same time. They wouldn’t boo me if I didn’t do anything and build some memories here,” the ESPN scribe relays.

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

Cavs big man Tristan Thompson, a native Canadian, was rumored to be a target of the Raptors if he was unable to agree to a long-term deal with Cleveland over the summer, but the power forward says that he didn’t consider the possibility of joining Toronto during his contract impasse, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “I never thought about it,” Thompson said. “My whole thing was to focus on getting better and whenever my situation was handled, my business was handled, that’s when I was going to get back on the court. Whenever it was, so be it. I’m glad it’s here in Cleveland.” Lloyd also noted that Thompson doesn’t appear to be overly motivated to play for a Canadian-based team, with Thompson adding, “As a kid I always watched the Raptors growing up and was a fan of the Raptors. When we were in the playoffs our first couple years I definitely cheered them on … But I’m a Cleveland guy and that’s where my heart’s at.”
Derrick Rose, who knows a thing or two about recovering from a serious injury, is amazed at Pacers swingman Paul George‘s return to an All-Star level this season, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “It’s been great,” Rose said of watching George. “If anything, it gives kids, it gives people that are going through the same situation hope because who would have known that he would have come back this way? Seems like he’s a better player. He’s understanding the game a little bit more, he’s putting the team on his back in situations where he doesn’t let them go and be down big, so he’s taking the right shots. I think it’s helping him grow as a basketball player.“

Eastern Notes: Sefolosha, George, Pistons

October 26th, 2015 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha will file a civil lawsuit against New York City, its police department and the officers involved for injuries suffered during his arrest outside a Manhattan night club in April, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Hannah Storm of ESPN.com report. In an interview with Storm — who broke the story — Sefolosha expressed concern about long-term effects from the fractured right tibia and ankle ligament damage he suffered during the arrest. “There is a lot of unknown about how this will affect me two years from now, five years from now, 10 years from now,” Sefolosha said in the television interview. “Also because I think it’s the right approach to put lights on a situation like this and be able to fight back in a legal way and in a way that can empower, hopefully.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Paul George is getting comfortable with the idea of moving to power forward after initial resistance, according to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Pacers coach Frank Vogel told Aschburner that George won’t be a prototypical power forward; he’ll just have more space to utilize his skills. George has gained a greater understanding of his new role after talks with Vogel and team president Larry Bird. “At one point, it was hard to wrap [my head around] everything,” he told Aschburner. “Here I am coming back from a big-time injury and wanting to get back to what I used to be, playing the three. Then I come back playing a stretch four — it took a toll on me mentally. But the more we’ve had practice time and I’ve had sit-down moments with coach and with Larry, the more at ease I’ve felt about the situation.”
Reggie Bullock wowed Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy during the preseason, which secured not only his place on the roster but also his 2016/17 team option, which Detroit exercised Sunday. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press has the details. “If you really look at the whole thing and you look at consistency game in and game out he was our best player in preseason,” Van Gundy said of the small forward. “I mean, certainly our most consistent guy in the preseason. Really, I mean it would be hard to really find any fault with what he did in the preseason. He’s certainly gained our confidence and by ours, I mean coaching staff and teammates. I think he’s got everybody’s confidence heading into the season.”
Point guard Marcus Smart, rookie shooting guard R.J. Hunter and power forward Kelly Olynyk are among the players who excelled during the Celtics’ training camp, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports. Smart is emerging as a team leader, Hunter has opened eyes with his playmaking skills and Olynyk is shooting with more confidence, Washburn continues. But power forward Jared Sullinger reported to camp overweight and small forward James Young is still another season away from cracking the rotation, Washburn adds.

Central Rumors: George, Jackson, Cavs

October 5th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George has voiced some displeasure with the Pacers’ plan to move him to power forward, though he says he’s willing to stick with it, Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star reports. George felt overmatched trying to guard Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis in the team’s first preseason game but after meeting with coach Frank Vogel and president of basketball operations Larry Bird, George said on Monday afternoon that he would remain in that role, Buckner continues. “We’re going to still stick with it, see how it works,” he told Buckner. That fact that George lobbied to scrap the team’s entire offseason plan after one game is “lunacy,” Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel opines. But Vogel told Doyel that he’s not worried about George’s reluctance to play there. “Well, he’s going to buy in, so I’m not really sure how to answer that,” Vogel said. “We’re going to work together to figure out the best combination of all these things.”

In other news around the Central Division:

Reggie Jackson can produce John Wall-type numbers because he has a top-notch pick-and-roll partner in Andre Drummond and plays in a system suited to his skills, according to Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com. Wall complained when the Pistons gave Jackson a five-year, $80MM contract this summer but Jackson doesn’t have to be as talented as Wall to put up gaudy statistics because the Pistons will surround him and Drummond with shooters, Tjarks continues. In contrast, Wall often plays with Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat up front, which gives Wall less room to drive than Jackson will enjoy in Detroit, Tjarks points out. Even when the Wizards go small, they don’t have a roll man with Drummond’s talent, Tjarks adds, which means Jackson can live up to the contract just by the nature of Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy’s offensive system.
Cavaliers center Sasha Kaun has no plans to play in Europe again, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Kaun joined the Cavs this summer as a backup to Timofey Mozgov on a two-year, $2.5MM deal after his contact with CSKA Moscow expired. “When I said I was done in Europe, I was definitely done in Europe,” Kaun told Lloyd. “Seven years was long enough. My wife [a Kansas native] made an amazing sacrifice in moving over there.” Kaun wanted to join the Cavs three years ago, Lloyd adds, but they only offered him the league mininum.

Eastern Rumors: Williams, Knicks, Dragic

July 12th, 2015 at 11:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lionel Hollins denies that his sometimes stormy relationship with Deron Williams led to the Nets waiving the veteran guard in a buyout deal, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. Though sources confirmed to Bontemps that the head coach and Williams had a heated meeting in Memphis earlier this year, Hollins said the Nets didn’t part ways with Williams because of their disagreements. “Everything is not peaches and cream, but there’s not one shred of evidence that our relationship is the reason that he had to go,” Hollins told the team’s beat writers. “I would have coached Deron this upcoming year just like I coached him last year, and we would have went forward just like everybody else on the team.” The Nets saved more than $50MM this season in payroll and luxury-tax payments by agreeing to give Williams $27.5MM of the $43.5MM he was owed over the next two years, Bontemps adds. The Nets used the stretch provision on the buyout.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Carmelo Anthony‘s decision to take slightly less than the max last summer helped the Knicks to re-sign Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas to more than the league minimum this month, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Anthony’s deal opened up $1.4MM in cap space this summer and that, combined with the NBA’s cap increase to $70MM, allowed the Knicks to secure Amundson for $1.65MM and Thomas for $1.63MM instead of the roughly $1MM minimum, Berman continues. If Anthony didn’t take less, the Knicks could have re-signed only one of them above the league minimum, Berman adds.
Goran Dragic‘s deal with the Heat is only worth a total of $85MM and has a starting salary of $14.783MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). Earlier reports estimated the deal at $90MM.
Paul George is pleased with the backcourt moves the Pacers have made this offseason, he told Scott Agness of the VigilantSports.com in a Q&A session. The pending addition of Monta Ellis and re-signing of Rodney Stuckey gives the team numerous playmakers, George told Agness. “One of the biggest things we needed to get better at was pushing the tempo and playing a little faster,” George said. “I didn’t know it was going to be a drastic roster change but I knew that was the direction this team needed to go to give ourselves a better chance of winning.”

Central Notes: Meeks, Pistons, George

April 11th, 2015 at 6:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pistons president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy has not soured on Jodie Meeks despite Meeks’ inconsistent season and expects the shooting guard to be much improved next season, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. Meeks suffered a stress fracture in his back during training camp and it affected his conditioning even after he returned on December 12th, Langlois continues. Meeks, who was signed to a three-year, $18.81MM contact as a free agent last summer, has shot 34.5% on 3-point attempts after making 40.1% of his long-range attempts with the Lakers last season. “With a good summer, there’s no reason he can’t get back to the level that we thought he could play at,” Van Gundy said to Langlois.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons have some tough decisions to make on a number of players whose contracts are non-guaranteed next season, Brendan Savage of Mlive.com writes. “We know some that fit into the long-term plan,” Van Gundy said. “Others, we have to figure out where they fit into the long-term plan. We know we’re going to draft two people, at least, in June. And then free agency starts and that also brings trade responsibilities. So we will not come back with the same roster.” The contracts of Caron Butler, Anthony Tolliver, Shawne Williams and Quincy Miller contain non-guaranteed salary for the 2015/16 season.
Van Gundy is impacting the team more as an executive than as a coach, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press opines. Sharp cites the Reggie Jackson trade as one that will shape the team for years to come, provided he re-signs with Detroit.
Paul George played a significant behind-the-scenes role for the Pacers while he recovered from his broken leg, according to Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders. George, who has played three games since returning to action, gave his teammates insights on how to defend certain opponents and the optimal ways to score against them. “He’s always giving input on how to guard people,” center Roy Hibbert told Camerato. “His IQ is pretty high just because he’s been able to excel at a high level on both ends.” George also gave advice to his teammates through in game observations, Camerato adds. “He’s out there teaching us, in huddles, and it’s important,” guard Rodney Stuckey said in the story.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post

Central Notes: George, Mohammed, Pistons

April 10th, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Paul George is looking at the remaining games on the Pacers‘ schedule as a “test drive” to see how well he has recovered from the devastating leg injury he suffered last summer while scrimmaging for Team USA, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. “That’s exactly what it is [a test drive], it’s just seeing where I’m at and then getting ready for more rehab this summer and getting ready to build off these last couple of games of the season,” George said. “It’s been tough. There were days when I told myself I wanted to shut it down and get ready for the summer. But it’s great having the staff that we have here to push me here and keep my going. I’ve had days when I’m sure they hated me. And I hated them. But we got through it and they did a great job with being in my corner.”

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

Veteran big man Nazr Mohammed has been making his presence felt on the Bulls with his vocal leadership, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. Mohammed’s spark and guidance was integral in snapping Chicago out of its stupor after a terrible second quarter against the Heat last night when the Bulls were outscored 33-12, Friedell adds. “I think you got to be accountable and you got to play for each other,” guard Aaron Brooks said. “I think one thing that Naz brought up was you’re letting your teammate down when you’re not getting back or you’re not helping. You’re not letting the coach, you’re not letting the fans. You’re letting your teammate down, and you got to have your brother’s back.” The center is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Pistons are likely to target a forward in the first round of this year’s NBA draft, David Mayo of MLive.com opines in his weekly mailbag. Detroit currently is in line for the No. 8 pick, according to Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings. Potential targets at that spot for the team could include Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson, and Frank Kaminsky, Mayo notes.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy hopes to go to Spain after the NBA season ends to get a first-hand look at guard Mario Hezonja and power forward Kristaps Prozingis, both of whom are projected top 10 picks this year, Mayo adds.

Central Notes: Middleton, George, Jackson

March 23rd, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Khris Middleton refuses to bring up the subject of his impending restricted free agency even with his agent, as he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe. “It’s a little awkward” to share an agent with Bucks coach Jason Kidd, Middleton also admits. The forward’s agent is Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management, while Kidd’s relationship with Excel founder Jeff Schwartz has been a flashpoint for controversy. Union executive director Michele Roberts indicated in November that she would take a tougher stance on a rarely enforced rule that bars agents from representing both coaches and players. Kidd also has a significant measure of player personnel control for the Bucks. There’s more on Middleton amid the latest from the Central Division:

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird tells Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com that he expects George will play for the Pacers at some point this season, adding that he believes George has received medical clearance to do so (Twitlonger link).

Earlier updates:

Middleton told Lowe for the same piece that he loves living in Milwaukee but expressed reservations about the Bucks‘ deadline-day trade that sent out Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall and netted Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis. “Yeah. It was tough, man,” Middleton said about learning of the trade. “We had things rolling before the All-Star break. We thought we’d just get back on track rolling after the break, too. But it’s a business. They thought it was a good trade for the team, so, I mean, we’ll see.”
The Bucks prevailed upon the Pistons to include Middleton in the 2013 Knight/Brandon Jennings trade, and the experience of getting traded left Middleton with some painful feelings at first, as Lowe also details.
Paul George insisted today that there is no timetable for his return as he continues to recover from his broken leg, and he denied a report that the Pacers were targeting this week for his comeback, tweets Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.
Reggie Jackson says Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is “making it easy” as he’s turned him loose for Detroit, observes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Jackson hinted that he would have been OK with staying on the Thunder, who have a better shot at the playoffs, but he’s glad that his duties are more well-defined on the Pistons, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “It’s good,” Jackson said of knowing his role. “That’s one less monkey on my back. Wherever I got my shot was where I was going to get my shot. I was just vocal about what I wanted my shot to be, and some people were mad about that. Some people understood where I was coming from. But it’s always been about getting out there and competing.”

Central Notes: George, Bucks, MCW

March 20th, 2015 at 8:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Paul George could return to the court within the next week and possibly as early as Saturday against the Nets, multiple sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “A lot of guys know I’m pushing to come back,” George said. “It’s a matter of how I’m feeling and [how] the medical staff thinks I look. I definitely want to play still. … But I want to be fully healthy.” The Pacers are currently tied with Boston for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-37.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The plan for the arena in Milwaukee is slow moving, yet progressing. A source familiar with the Bucks‘ plan said the team is expected to come up with better cost estimates in the next week or two, which will allow the city of Milwaukee an opportunity to make adjustments to its plan, according to Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. Walker notes that the franchise is signalling that its owners will not go beyond their $250MM commitment for the project.
On the court, the Bucks have struggled since acquiring Michael Carter-Williams, but coach Jason Kidd stresses that success will not be measured by wins this year, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. “We’re here to build something, not to do something in six months. There’s a bigger picture. We feel we have a core here that will be around for a long time and have success,” Kidd said. Milwaukee is 3-9 since the Syracuse product made his debut, but the team still owns the sixth seed in the conference with a record of 34-34.
Reggie Jackson will be a restricted free agent this offseason and about 45% of our readers believe the point guard will land a starting salary of less than $11MM in his next contract, according to latest poll by Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors.

Central Notes: George, Miller, Jackson

March 13th, 2015 at 6:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers fans may have to wait a bit longer than anticipated for Paul George to make his return to the court, Matthew Glenesk of USA Today writes. The swingman has been increasingly hesitant to discuss when or if he’ll be playing this season, Glenesk notes. The 24-year-old has been experiencing increased soreness in his injured leg as he attempts to work his way into game shape. George also worries about disrupting Indiana’s team chemistry, the USA Today scribe adds. “I’m on the fence,” George said. “Part of me is, they’re playing so well, they’ve come together, to shake up the chemistry and add another body, another player in there. I don’t want to be that guy that destroys what these guys have going.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons wouldn’t have made the Reggie Jackson trade if Brandon Jennings hadn’t torn his Achilles tendon, and the team would likely match an offer of $13-14MM a year to Jackson when he’s a restricted free agent this summer, as MLive’s David Mayo writes in his mailbag column. Mayo also figures the team will target Paul Millsap this summer.
Quincy Miller showed the Pistons enough potential in practice that the team inked him to a deal that includes the remainder of this season, the summer league, and training camp next season, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “We’ve seen a couple of practices and we know what we had before,” Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said of Miller. “He’s a guy with size and length and athletic ability and can shoot the ball. He’s somebody that we want to see.“
Van Gundy noted that inking Miller wasn’t a high-risk move on the team’s part, Langlois adds. “It’s not a huge investment for us,” Van Gundy said. “We’re getting it set up so we have him through the summer and through training camp next year, so we get a good, long look at him. He’s a guy that’s got great potential to develop. He’s a really, really hard worker, so we’ll see where it goes.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Paul George Targets Mid-March Return

February 13th, 2015 at 11:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

11:12pm: The Pacers have released an official statement regarding the possibility of George returning to action in March. The team said that the decision for George to return to practice and game action remains with the Pacers’ medical staff, and the team won’t clear him to resume playing until the appropriate time.

FEBRUARY 13TH, 4:21pm: George says that he is eyeing a mid-March return to game action, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The swingman hinted that he could return as early as the March 14th contest against the Celtics, Spears adds. George had previously stated that he would like to be back by March, but also acknowledged that timeframe was unlikely. If the 24-year-old is to make the March 14th target date, this would mean that George would need to start practicing with the team at the conclusion of the All-Star break, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star tweets. This would give George approximately 12 practices to work his way into game shape, Buckner adds (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 3RD, 12:33pm: Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said he’s taking a win-now approach and left the door open to Paul George returning to play this season after breaking his leg over the summer, as Bird spoke with reporters today (Twitter links via the team’s official account). There have been hints about the vague notion that George would return near the end of the season from his gruesome injury, but Bird’s comments marked the first occasion that a team official went on the record about the possibility that he’ll return, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter). Still, coach Frank Vogel reiterated that he doesn’t believe George will play this season, Buckner tweets.

“If he gets healthy and they say he can play and he wants to play, we’ll let him play,” Bird said, according to the Pacers team account, pointing out that doctors told him George’s led would be healed within seven months from the injury (Twitter links). “That will be in March and we’ll go from there.”

Bird cautioned that he has “no clue” whether George will return this season, as Buckner points out in a full story, and the Hall-of-Famer is disappointed with the way his team has played even amid injuries to George and others this year, Buckner notes (Twitter link). The Pacers, who sit four and a half games out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, are seeking upgrades via trade as they attempt to make the playoffs this year, and Bird identified a shooting guard as the team’s greatest need, Buckner relays (Twitter link). Bird also indicated that he’d like add a big man, the Star scribe notes.

“We’re always looking to improve the team; there’s a lot of improvement that needs to be done,” Bird said, according to Buckner’s story. “Hopefully we can do something that makes us better. If not, we’ll stand pat and this summer do the rest of the work.”

The Pacers are gauging the value of the players on their roster as they place frequent calls to teams around the league, Bird said, according to Buckner (Twitter link). Indiana reportedly engaged in preliminary talks about Lance Stephenson, their former shooting guard, with the Hornets in December, but Pacers officials as well as current Pacers players apparently weren’t enamored with the idea of bringing him back.

A pair of key Pacers can opt for free agency this summer, and Bird said David West and Roy Hibbert hadn’t given him an indication of whether they’d exercise their player options worth $12.6MM and more than $15.5MM, respectively, Buckner tweets. Still, Bird anticipates that they’ll return, and is focused on adding youth around the team’s core this summer, as Buckner relays. (All Twitter links). The Pacers have only $36MM committed for 2015/16 against a projected $66.5MM cap, but if Hibbert and West opt in, Indiana will be on the hook for more than $64.1MM, so Bird acknowledged the direction for the offseason ahead isn’t entirely clear, Buckner points out (Twitter link).

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