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L.A. Notes: Lakers’ Roster, Howard, Rondo, George, Powell

April 10th, 2022 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers‘ hopes of reaching the play-in tournament were extinguished this week, but these final games are still important for a few players, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The team’s roster figures to look much different next season, and young players such as Mason Jones, who finished third in the G League MVP race, see the late-season contests as a chance to shape their future.

“At the end of the day, I want to be a good player in the league,” he said. “From this day forward, you’ve got to continue to take steps. I was with South Bay earlier and I took that as the right mindset. And I’ll continue to take steps. From here, I want to continue to take the steps and learn from them because possibly, they could be my teammates next year.”

Beyond LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers have only a few players under contract for next season, Goon notes. Talen Horton-Tucker is signed for two more years and Kendrick Nunn for one more, and the team has 2022/23 options on Austin Reaves and Stanley Johnson. That may create an opportunity for Wenyen Gabriel, whose two-way contract was converted to a standard deal on Friday.

“Obviously we didn’t get a lot of wins this month and we obviously wish we could have won more,” Gabriel said. “But I played with a lot of energy, and I feel I showed some things – some tools that the front office thinks can help the next following season. So it’s just them believing in my potential.”

There’s more NBA news from Los Angeles:

Michigan coach Juwan Howard has been mentioned as a possibility to replace Frank Vogel as head coach of the Lakers, tweets Steve Bulpett of Heavy, who adds that if that happens Rajon Rondo could join him as an assistant. Rondo, 36, is currently playing for the Cavaliers.
There appears to be no concern about Paul George‘s elbow as the Clippers head toward the play-in tournament, according to Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. George, who missed three months with a torn ligament, has been excellent since returning last week and the team has gone 5-1 in the games he has played. “The elbow’s fine. It feels pretty good,” George said. “Overall, I’m trying to take each possession for what it is and trying to make the best play possible.”
Norman Powell is happy to back in time for the postseason after fracturing a bone in his left foot shortly after being traded to the Clippers, per Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “I’m excited for what we’re building here,” Powell said after returning Wednesday. “Playing along PG, it still doesn’t seem real to me. He was a guy that I looked up to growing up, a guy, we had some battles in Toronto in the playoffs, and early on in my career he gave me some words of encouragement – my rookie year, that stuck with me. So being able to play alongside with him, and Kawhi (Leonard) when he gets back healthy, it’s going to be fun.”

Cavaliers Notes: Windler, Mobley, Brown, Rondo

March 30th, 2022 at 6:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dylan Windler is getting the opportunity to prove himself at the most crucial time of the Cavaliers‘ season, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Windler was viewed as a floor-spacing shooter when Cleveland took him with the 26th pick in the 2019 draft, but injuries have slowed his development as his first two seasons were cut short by surgeries. He sat out five of the team’s first six games this month before coach J.B. Bickerstaff gave him another shot to contribute.

Windler’s chance has come at the expense of Cedi Osman, who was pulled from the rotation recently because of inconsistent play. The Cavs have been forced to use smaller lineups because of injuries to their front line, so Windler is a natural fit.

“Dylan’s always standing ready,” Darius Garland said. “We know he’s going to always be ready whenever his number is called. I mean, he’s a hard worker. Shots are going to start falling. Then on the defensive end, he’s going to do his job and that’s been Dylan since I’ve met him since I was in high school. He’s always going to be ready to compete and play hard. I just always tell him just stay ready. That’s for everybody down the line.”

There’s more from Cleveland:

Evan Mobley has been ruled out for at least the next three games with a sprained left ankle, but the Cavaliers are relieved that his injury wasn’t as bad as it looked, Fedor adds in a separate story. A source tells Fedor that an MRI on Mobley was “pretty clean” and “didn’t show much.” The rookie big man will work with the team’s medical staff over the next few days, but Bickerstaff said he’s not in a walking boot and there’s optimism that the injury is just short term. “The sooner we get him back on the floor the better. And for his sake too,” Bickerstaff said in a session with reporters before tonight’s game. “You don’t ever want to see a kid take injuries that are long lasting and impact him. He wants to play. He wants to be part of what we’ve got going on.”
Moses Brown, who’s nearly at the end of his second 10-day contract with Cleveland, is starting tonight in place of Mobley, Fedor tweets. Brown has played seven games since joining the Cavaliers, but is averaging just 5.4 minutes per night.
Rajon Rondo tested his injured right ankle after today’s shootaround, but has been ruled out for tonight’s game, according to Fedor (Twitter link). Rondo hasn’t played since March 12.

Central Notes: LaVine, Turner, Bickerstaff, Rondo

March 4th, 2022 at 9:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine previously said that he won’t know in advance whether he’ll be able to play back-to-back games going forward. Chicago continues to monitor him daily, but coach Billy Donovan said that LaVine’s knee has been feeling much better since the All-Star break (Twitter links via Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago).

After playing against the Hawks on Thursday, LaVine didn’t appear on Chicago’s injury report on Friday and suited up for both ends of the back-to-back against the Bucks. He finished the game with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but the Bulls dropped their fourth straight in a 118-112 loss. Chicago is now the No. 4 seed in the East with a 39-25 record.

Here’s more from the Central:

Pacers center Myles Turner has been sidelined since January 14 after suffering a stress reaction in his left foot, but he’s making progress in his rehab, as James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star relays. Turner posted an Instagram video of himself running for the first time since the injury. He was doing defensive slides in another video, apparently at Detroit’s practice facility. Indiana lost at Detroit 111-106 on Friday night. There’s no official timetable for Turner’s return.
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff was fined $20K by the NBA for inappropriate language directed at officials and refusing to leave the court in a timely manner during Wednesday’s 119-98 loss to the Hornets, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Bickerstaff was ejected after receiving two technical fouls early in the third quarter. The Cavs have dropped six of their past seven games after Friday’s 125-119 loss to the Sixers.
Cavaliers point guard Rajon Rondo was upgraded from out to doubtful for Friday’s contest after participating in the team’s shootaround, but ultimately missed the game against Philadelphia. A source tells Fedor (Twitter link) that Rondo is “getting close” to a return, but isn’t quite ready yet. Rondo is eight days removed from suffering a sprained big toe which was expected to sideline him for about two weeks, so he’s apparently a little ahead of schedule in his recovery.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Augustin, Gabriel, Nunn

March 2nd, 2022 at 7:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers‘ record fell to 27-34 on Tuesday, as the team entered the fourth quarter with a lead over Dallas but couldn’t hang on and lost by a score of 109-104. Los Angeles, the No. 9 seed in the West, is now just two games ahead of No. 11 Portland for a play-in spot, but Russell Westbrook – who acknowledged that he has to play better – still believes better things are ahead for the club.

“Super confident that we’re going to be all right,” Westbrook said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’ve got confidence in this group, like I always have. And we can play the best teams. I’m not worried about nobody we have to play. We’ve beaten the best teams; we’ve lost to some of the worst teams. So, our confidence and my confidence in this group is extremely high because I know what we’re capable of when we put our mind to it and do exactly what we need to do on a night-in, night-out basis.”

As McMenamin writes, LeBron James missed some time about a month ago due to swelling in his left knee and said before the All-Star break that he’s still not 100%. However, James has no plans to shut his season down at any point and is committed to waiting until the offseason to rest his knee, sources tell ESPN.

“We still have games to play,” James said after Tuesday’s loss. “Until you stomp me out, cut my head off, bury me 12 feet under, then I got a chance. So that’s my confidence.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Head coach Frank Vogel is enthusiastic about what newly-signed point guard D.J. Augustin can bring to the team, as Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group relays. “I know his game really well,” Vogel said before Tuesday’s game. “He gets in late tonight – we’ll be able to sit down and talk more in depth about where he fits on our team. But I like what he brings to the table, not just with the off-ball ability, to shoot the basketball and stretch the floor and give our guys more space.”
Vogel also discussed new two-way player Wenyen Gabriel, who was signed on Tuesday along with Augustin. According to the Lakers’ head coach, Gabriel will join the NBA team immediately rather than being assigned to the G League. “The successful stints this year have been with Bron, Russ, (Anthony Davis), and the younger, energetic guys,” Vogel said, per Goon. “So, we’ll have to see what Wenyen brings to the table, but it is possible that he gets into the rotation and plays some.”
While replacing DeAndre Jordan and Sekou Doumbouya with Augustin and Gabriel adds more talent to the Lakers’ roster, the team had a greater need on the wing than at point guard, Jovan Buha of The Athletic opines in his analysis of Tuesday’s roster moves.
Explaining why the Lakers felt comfortable trading away Rajon Rondo earlier in the season if they still needed to sign a veteran point guard later, Vogel said that Rondo was intended to be a third-string backup behind Westbrook and wasn’t a good fit alongside him, whereas Augustin should be able to play with or without Westbrook. “Their skill sets don’t fit,” Vogel said of Rondo and Westbrook (via Goon). “They don’t match on the floor. So (Rondo) was not playing, or when he was playing, he wasn’t a good formula for us.”
There’s still no timeline for injured point guard Kendrick Nunn to make his Lakers debut, Vogel told reporters on Tuesday. “We just don’t know about Kendrick,” he said, according to Goon. “We’re still hopeful that he comes around and is able to ramp up and do it without pain and the MRI comes back where we want to see it. It hasn’t happened yet. Until we see him back on the floor, we need help at that position and that skill set.” Buha believes the signing of Augustin suggests we likely won’t see Nunn this season.

Rajon Rondo To Miss Approximately Two Weeks

February 25th, 2022 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers point guard Rajon Rondo will be sidelined for approximately the next two weeks, according to a press release from the team.

Rondo has been diagnosed with a sprained right big toe after getting an MRI and will now undergo a period of treatment and rehab, the team said in its announcement. The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss to Detroit.

After being traded from the Lakers to the Cavaliers earlier this season, Rondo has averaged 7.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.4 RPG in 14 games (21.7 MPG) with Cleveland. He has been Cleveland’s primary backup point guard in recent weeks and started on Thursday in place of injured guard Darius Garland, who has been battling back soreness that complicates his availability from game to game.

Cleveland’s backcourt has been hit hard in 2021/22 by health problems, with Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio suffering season-ending knee injuries earlier in the season. Caris LeVert is also currently unavailable due to a sprained foot.

Having waived Kevin Pangos last weekend, the Cavs will have to lean heavily on two-way player Brandon Goodwin at the point guard spot if Garland remains on the shelf. Once Garland is able to play, Goodwin figures to remain in the rotation as his backup.

Cavaliers Notes: LeVert, Rondo, Bickerstaff, Markkanen

February 12th, 2022 at 5:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

It didn’t take long for Caris LeVert to show the Cavaliers that he can help close out games, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Indianapolis Star. Acquired in a trade with the Pacers on Monday, LeVert hit four baskets late in Friday’s game to snuff out a rally by his former team. With Darius Garland sidelined by injury, the Cavs turned to LeVert for crunch-time scoring in his second game with the team.

“(Coach J.B. Bickerstaff) was trusting me all game to be honest with you,” LeVert said. “I was missing some easy bunnies around the rim, and he kept the faith. … I knew I would find my rhythm late in the game. It’s everything when your teammates have that much confidence in you.”

Levert, who suddenly finds himself in a playoff race, has been a welcome addition to Cleveland’s offense because of his ability to create his own shot. This is the second straight year that LeVert has been traded, and he acknowledged that the constant rumors were getting to him.

“It’s hard to play in games and think about where you’re gonna be in the next couple of days, so that situation was extremely tough,” he admitted. “Honestly, I was just ready for it to be over. Whether I was staying in Indiana or getting moved wherever, I was just like, ‘I can’t wait for this damn deadline.’ Because you hear rumors every single day, and we’re human beings. At the end of the day, it’s not just (NBA) 2K.”

There’s more from Cleveland:

LeVert didn’t ask to leave Indiana, but there were indications that he was an uncomfortable fit in coach Rick Carlisle’s offense, Lorenzi adds. LeVert suggested to Jarrett Allen during Friday’s game that he’s much happier in his new situation. “He was telling me on the bench ‘You know man it just feels so good to be able to play just free, play free with this type of team, not have to worry about some guy glaring you down,’” Allen said.
Another Cavalier who welcomed a change of scenery this year is Rajon Rondo, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Acquired from the Lakers in early January, Rondo has been playing 21.7 minutes per game since the deal. He calls Bickerstaff his “dream coach,” and it appears the feeling is mutual. “I have the ultimate amount of confidence in him,” Bickerstaff said. “Regardless of the time he’s been with us, you watch his career as a whole and you see all the things that he’s done in this league and the respect you have for those things that he’s done, those things that impact winning. It’s not a game that’s just about numbers, it’s a game of ‘How do I orchestrate this to help this team win?’ He’s done that for a really long time.”
Lauri Markkanen, who hasn’t played since January 22 because of a sprained ankle, worked out on the court before Friday’s game and is being considered day to day, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.

Central Notes: Rubio, Rondo, Turner, Bulls, Olynyk

January 14th, 2022 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Spanish outlet La Vanguardia, Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio discussed his left ACL tear, which he confirmed will keep him out of the EuroBasket tournament this September. As EuroHoops relays, Rubio also made some interesting comments that hinted at his future NBA plans.

“When my son starts school, the NBA will not be worth it. I will have to go back (to Europe),” Rubio said. “I don’t want to make him dizzy moving around when he’s six years old, at the age of starting to make friends. It was discussed with my wife and we have it very clear. There will come a time when basketball will not be the priority.”

Rubio’s son just turned two years old, so he’s still a few years away from starting school. But Rubio’s comments suggest the veteran point guard, who is 31, isn’t currently planning to remain in the NBA into his late-30s.

Here are a few more notes from around the Central:

Rajon Rondo has averaged 21.7 minutes in his three games with the Cavaliers so far, a step up from the 16.1 MPG he averaged with the Lakers. He also has the ball in his hands more, bumping his usage rate from 15.6% (the lowest of his career) in Los Angeles to 22.7% (the highest) in Cleveland. It’s a small sample size, but Rondo tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated he’s welcoming the larger role. “I was fine in L.A. But at the same time, for my mental sake, I do think I will be a lot happier because I do like to compete and be involved. And here I will get an opportunity,” Rondo said. “… I wasn’t going crazy on the bench over there, but I was itching to play and have more of an impact.”
Asked to explain a cryptic message that he posted on Twitter and Instagram, Pacers center Myles Turner clarified that he wasn’t asking for a trade and that his post reflected his frustrations with the team’s performance as of late. “All I personally meant by that was I’m just not enjoying the losing aspect of this thing right now,” Turner said, per James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “We lost a very close game in Boston, a very winnable game. It was frustrating for me and frustrating for my camp… so that’s pretty much all that was. I hope we can just lay that to rest because I feel like people are trying (to say), ‘Oh, he wants out! Oh, he’s trying to get traded!’ and it’s none of that.”
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago explores how Derrick Jones‘ knee injury could affect the Bulls‘ plans at the trade deadline, noting that the team is getting thin at power forward with Jones and Patrick Williams both on the shelf.
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said this week that Kelly Olynyk has been working out in the G League with the Motor City Cruise recently and that Olynyk is closer to returning to action than Jerami Grant (Twitter link via Keith Langlois of Pistons.com). Olynyk is recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain he sustained in early November.

Central Notes: Matthews, DiVincenzo, Olynyk, Rondo

January 5th, 2022 at 9:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran Bucks reserve shooting guard Wesley Matthews is making the most of his second stint in Milwaukee, writes Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Madison, Wisconsin native, a Marquette alum, made it clear that he wanted to return to the reigning champs. In 11 contests with the Bucks, the 35-year-old wing is averaging 5.6 PPG on a .511/.419/600 shooting line across 16.6 MPG.

“This is what I wanted, this is where I wanted to be,” Matthews said of his Bucks reunion. “I knew in my heart this is where I wanted to be and I felt that from the team, from the organization top-down and now we’re here and I can’t be more excited and happy for it.”

Matthews joined the Bucks on a non-guaranteed contract last month. The team will have to make a decision on whether to keep him around for the rest of the year by the league’s Friday deadline.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Just three games into his return from ankle surgery during the 2021 postseason, Bucks shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo suffered a mild ankle injury. He has already resumed on-court workouts, and Milwaukee will have a better sense of a timeline for his return to action next week, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Playing 16.7 MPG in his three games this season, the 6’4″ wing out of Villanova is averaging 7.3 PPG and 5.7 RPG for the Bucks.
Pistons big man Kelly Olynyk, who has been out for Detroit since suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain two months ago, has begun working out at the team’s practice facility, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News (via Twitter). Beard adds that the Pistons do not yet have a timeline for Olynyk’s return to game action.
New Cavaliers point guard Rajon Rondo is hoping to have a bigger role in Cleveland than he did with his most recent club, the Lakers, writes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “I’ve always been the underdog my entire career,” Rondo said. “I love the expectations of being ‘done’ or not expected to do things. That’s what I kind of pride myself on, doing the impossible and doing the unthinkable. This group has the talent to do it. I’m looking forward to making some noise.” In 16.1 MPG across 18 games for the Lakers this season, the 35-year-old veteran point guard averaged just 3.1 PPG, 3.7 APG and 2.7 RPG.

Lakers Notes: Johnson, Collison, Rondo, Bradley, Monk

January 3rd, 2022 at 9:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s mutual interest between the Lakers and Stanley Johnson to reach a contract agreement, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets.

Johnson has been playing on a 10-day contract under the hardship exception but that expired on Monday. The Lakers currently have no players in the protocols but traditional 10-day contracts can be signed as early as Wednesday. Johnson could sign up to two traditional 10-day contracts, since the hardship contract didn’t count against those deals. The team could also bring back Johnson on a standard contract.

Johnson has averaged 6.8 PPG on 45.8% shooting, 2.8 RPG and 1.2 SPG in five games, including three starts. He has also made a strong impact with his defense.

Darren Collison‘s 10-day hardship deal also expired on Monday.

We have more on the Lakers:

The club has an open roster spot due to the three-team deal that sent Rajon Rondo to Cleveland. That deal was made official on Monday. Los Angeles wasn’t eager to move on from Rondo but needed the roster flexibility, McMenamin writes. “It wasn’t like we wanted to depart from Rondo,” coach Frank Vogel said. “But it’s just one of those front office decisions that you have to make difficult decisions and to lose a guy like Rondo is obviously very difficult.”
The Lakers could also open up another roster spot if they waive Avery Bradley before Friday, when his veteran’s minimum contract becomes fully guaranteed, McMenamin notes in the same story.
Malik Monk, who is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, has been making the most of his recent opportunities, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes. Monk, who has averaged 20 PPG over the last five contests, was motivated by other teams’ lack of interest in the free agent market. “It kind of hit me hard when nobody really wanted me besides the Lakers, man,” he said. “So I just put fuel in my tank and just held it in until the time until I get time to play, man, and prove I can play for a long period of time. That’s what I’m doing right now.”

Cavs, Lakers, Knicks Officially Complete Rajon Rondo Trade

January 3rd, 2022 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers, Lakers, and Knicks have officially completed the trade sending Rajon Rondo to Cleveland, the teams announced today in a series of press releases. The deal, which was first reported las Thursday and was expanded today to include New York, breaks down as follows:

Cavaliers acquire Rondo (from Lakers).
Knicks acquire Denzel Valentine (from Cavaliers), the draft rights to Wang Zhelin (from Lakers), the draft rights to Brad Newley (from Lakers), and $1.1MM in cash (from Lakers).
Lakers acquire the draft rights to Louis Labeyrie (from Knicks).

It’s a straightforward swap from Cleveland’s perspective — the Cavaliers simply acquired Rondo in exchange for Valentine. Both players are on minimum-salary contracts, but Rondo’s deal is guaranteed (Valentine’s isn’t) and he fills a greater need for a Cavs team that just lost veteran point guard Ricky Rubio for the season due to a torn ACL.

The Knicks waived Wayne Selden in order to make room on the 15-man room roster for Valentine. Both players are on non-guaranteed contracts, so if New York also cuts Valentine, the amount of money the team ended up paying to Selden and Valentine would work out to just over $800K, which is less than the $1.1MM in cash acquired from L.A.

The Knicks could also hang onto Valentine if they so choose, but that’s reportedly considered unlikely. Waiving him would open up the club’s 15th roster spot.

The Lakers, meanwhile, essentially decided to move on from Rondo and pay the Knicks a little money in order to reduce their end-of-season luxury tax bill and open up a roster spot. The exact amount of money Los Angeles saves will depend on how quickly that roster opening is filled, but the savings will exceed the $1.1MM the club sent to the Knicks. Stanley Johnson, who has played well on a 10-day contract, is a good candidate to become the team’s new 15th man.

The Lakers and Cavaliers will both create small traded player exceptions in the deal. L.A.’s will be worth about $1.67MM, while Cleveland’s will be worth approximately $858K.

This is the NBA’s first trade since October 6.