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Lakers Notes: Davis, James, Injuries, DeRozan

April 4th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers aren’t technically out of playoff contention yet, but after falling two games (and a tiebreaker) behind San Antonio in the Western Conference standings on Sunday, their odds of claiming a spot in the play-in tournament are increasingly slim — in fact, the Lakers could be officially eliminated as soon as Tuesday if they lose in Phoenix and the Spurs win in Denver.

Following Sunday’s loss, Anthony Davis sounded like someone who recognized that L.A.’s season is all but over, as he reflected on “what could have been” if the team had been healthier.

“I think the biggest thing that I think about personally is what we could have been, had we stayed healthy all year,” Davis said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “What could we have been. … Guys feel like, ‘OK, what could we have been if I was healthy all year, [LeBron James] was healthy, [Kendrick] Nunn was healthy.’ You think about those things. We put this team together and it looked good on paper, but we haven’t had a chance to reach that potential with guys in and out of the lineup.”

Davis, who has only played in half of the Lakers’ 78 games so far this season, has been bothered throughout his career by injuries, but he bristled at the perception that he’s fragile, telling Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times that he hasn’t been sidelined due to “little ticky-tack injuries.”

“This is what I’ve learned about injuries,” Davis said. “Last year when I wasn’t playing, people were saying, ‘AD’s giving up on his team. It’s the playoffs. AD has to play. He’s got to play.’ And when I went out there to play, got hurt again, they said, ‘Who was his trainer? Who let him play?’

“So, what the [expletive] do you want me to do? When I play, it’s a problem. It’s a problem when I don’t play. At the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and how my body feels. And we go from there. I’m not worried about who’s saying what or who thinks this about me because none of them have stepped on the floor and played. And the ones that did play, they should understand.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

A source familiar with James’ status told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that the star forward is “unlikely” to play on Tuesday vs. Phoenix. However, according to McMenamin, the source said there’s still a chance that could change if LeBron’s ankle improves more than expected by tomorrow night.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic and his colleague John Hollinger both pushed back against the idea that injuries have been the primary cause of the Lakers’ disappointing season. Buha observed that even in games when Davis and James played, the team was just 11-11, while Hollinger said the team’s offseason plan needs to be better than simply running it back and hoping its two superstars stay healthy in 2022/23.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up and First Take on Monday, former Lakers president Magic Johnson criticized the club for not acquiring DeMar DeRozan last offseason instead of Russell Westbrook (link via Jenna Lemoncelli of The New York Post). While that’s not an unreasonable take, given that DeRozan had interest in playing for his hometown team, Johnson’s assertion that the Lakers could’ve had DeRozan, Buddy Hield, Alex Caruso, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope instead of Westbrook is a fantasy that doesn’t pass muster. Unless DeRozan had been willing to sign for the taxpayer mid-level exception (which wasn’t viewed as a viable option at the time), L.A. would’ve become hard-capped by acquiring him and would have had no way of carrying all those contracts in addition to James’ and Davis’ maximum salaries. Acquiring both DeRozan and Hield without giving up Caldwell-Pope also likely wouldn’t have been possible due to salary-matching rules.

Pacific Notes: Gentry, LeBron, Suns, Westbrook

April 2nd, 2022 at 3:49pm CST by JD Shaw

Kings interim coach Alvin Gentry knows his days in Sacramento may be numbered, but he declined to speak about his future this week, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. Gentry became the team’s interim head coach when Luke Walton was fired back in November.

“There would be no reason whatsoever to discuss it right now,” Gentry said. “The season is going to be over in the next two weeks and then from there, we’ll sit down and talk and figure out the direction that everything should be taken.”

Sacramento owns the 12th-best record in the West at 29-49 and is on the verge of being eliminated from play-in contention. Gentry joined the franchise in 2020 after a five-year stint as the Pelicans’ head coach. His coaching career began as an assistant at Baylor during the 1980/81 season.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division today:

The Lakers lost a marquee game against the Pelicans at home on Friday, recording its fifth consecutive loss. The team now trails San Antonio by one game (and a tiebreaker) for the No. 10 spot in the West. “The big picture is it was pretty much a must-win for us, and we didn’t get the job done,” LeBron James said, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group (Twitter link).
The Suns plan to rest three starters against the Thunder on Sunday, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic tweets. Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder all won’t play. Phoenix is coming off a 122-114 loss to the Grizzlies on Friday. Memphis was missing Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams in the contest.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports hosted a wide-ranging interview with Lakers star Russell Westbrook, who’s in the midst of a tumultuous season with the team. When Westbrook was asked why he hasn’t taken time off despite being scrutinized by fans, he replied, “Because it’s bigger than me, man. I’m super blessed to have a platform to be able to help show and help other people. So I’m very prideful in showing people on the outside that regardless of the situation, the circumstances that I may be going through, there are ways to be able to get through it. I strongly believe that if I’m healthy, then I’ll be able to play and go out and compete.”

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Davis, Westbrook, Malone

March 30th, 2022 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are in danger of missing the play-in tournament and their stars may not return in time to save them, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Tuesday’s loss at Dallas knocked L.A. into a 10th-place tie with San Antonio with seven games remaining, and the Spurs hold the tiebreaker because of a better conference record.

LeBron James missed the game against the Mavericks because of a sprained left ankle that he suffered Sunday. He has already been ruled out for Thursday’s contest at Utah and has been granted permission to return to Los Angeles for treatment and evaluation of the injury, Turner tweets.

Anthony Davis is listed as doubtful against the Jazz, but hopes to be ready for Friday’s game with the ninth-place Pelicans, sources told Turner. Davis, who hasn’t played since spraining his right foot and MCL on February 16, was “a little sore” after practicing Monday and the Lakers haven’t decided if it’s safe for him to play Friday.

There’s more Lakers news to pass along:

Coach Frank Vogel was disappointed with how his team responded to the challenge against the Mavericks, Turner states in the same piece. With a chance to solidify their play-in position, the Lakers fell way behind early in the game. “We executed very poorly to start the game and really that whole first half, with what our game plan was,” Vogel said. “And then as we tried to adjust to look at some Plan Bs and Plan Cs, we just didn’t execute well enough and play with enough toughness, IQ, intelligence, focus and fight in that half. So, not acceptable and just a poor performance across the board. Coaches, players, everybody.”
Russell Westbrook had a testy exchange with reporters after Tuesday’s loss, Turner adds. Westbrook became irritated when he was asked what the team has to do for the rest of the season and challenged media members to come up with a solution. “I’m only one person. It’s a team game,” he said. “So, I don’t have an answer. You may have it.”
Vogel is likely to be replaced after the season ends, and a source told Harrison Wind of DNVR that Nuggets coach Michael Malone could have been a prime target if he hadn’t signed an extension with Denver (Twitter link).
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report reviews the mistakes the Lakers have made that caused them go from a championship team to a floundering also-ran in two seasons. The Westbrook trade was an obvious error, but Pincus also points to a lack of roster continuity after the 2020 title and a troubling pattern of letting young talent leave without sufficient compensation.

Knicks Notes: Sims, Robinson, Gibson, Westbrook

March 27th, 2022 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks may lose free agent center Mitchell Robinson this summer, so they’re seeing if they have a capable replacement already on the roster, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Rookie Jericho Sims, the 58th pick in last year’s draft, started the past two games and made all eight of his shots as New York picked up a pair of road wins.

Robinson is headed toward unrestricted free agency unless the Knicks sign him to an extension (which could be worth up to $55.6MM over four years) by June 30. He missed Wednesday’s game at Charlotte because of back pain and was used as a reserve Friday at Miami.

When healthy, Robinson has been New York’s starting center over the past two seasons, but the organization may not want to make a huge financial commitment to someone with his injury history and limited game away from the basket. If Sims can become a dependable center, that would ease the pain of losing Robinson.

“He’s been terrific since the summer,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said of Sims. “Just the way he approaches things. I think he’s growing, he’s learning, he puts a lot into it every day. And I think playing has been helpful for him, but it’s his preparation I think that’s helping him the most. He’s a lot more confident.’’

There’s more from New York:

The Knicks no longer have a realistic shot at reaching the play-in tournament, but coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t want to waste the rest of the season, per Steve Popper of Newsday. The team’s young players sparked a rally Friday against the Heat as New York overcame a 17-point fourth quarter deficit and improved to 7-4 in its last 11 games. “Honestly, really since the All-Star break, every game we’ve been feeling good about ourselves for real,” RJ Barrett said. “We’ve been playing great basketball. Even some of those losses, we’ve been playing amazing basketball since the All-Star break. You’re seeing it more and more, just trying to get better every day.”
Taj Gibson has improved as a three-point shooter this season, which could give the Knicks a reason to bring him back on his non-guaranteed $5.2MM salary for 2022/23, Popper adds. If Gibson isn’t retained as a player, he would definitely consider coaching. “For sure, because I love being around the game,” he said. “It comes easy to me. First thing, I love it. You’ve got to love watching film. I love just being around the guys. I love having the communication as far as just being on the court. And even in the workouts, I love being in the gym on off days with young guys and handling my business.”
Cross off New York as a potential trade destination for Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said on a podcast with Marc Stein of Substack (hat tip to Brad Sullivan of Lakers Daily). Fischer talked to several people in the Knicks organization who told him they’re focused on building around the current core, rather than gambling on a veteran like Westbrook.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Lakers, E. Payton, Preston

March 25th, 2022 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Since starting the season with a 41-13 record, the Warriors lost 12 of their next 18 games, prompting Draymond Green to call out the team after Tuesday’s loss in Orlando for “playing stupid” and “getting punked,” as Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes.

The Warriors immediately responded to that criticism in impressive fashion on Wednesday night in Miami, beating the Heat by 14 points without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Green active. According to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, Wednesday’s victory made it clear that Golden State has enough pieces on its roster to make a legitimate run at this year’s title.

How far the Warriors go will ultimately be determined by how much they get from their stars, but if Curry, Thompson, Green, and Andrew Wiggins are healthy and playing well, a supporting cast made up of players like Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Otto Porter, Jonathan Kuminga, and Gary Payton II is good enough to make the team “incredibly tough to beat,” writes Thompson.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

The Lakers, who are currently tied with the Pelicans in the Western Conference standings, view Sunday’s game in New Orleans as a “must-win,” according to Russell Westbrook. Dave McMenamin of ESPN has the story and the quotes.
Elfrid Payton‘s 10.9 minutes per game this season are easily a career low, falling far short of the 28.5 MPG he had averaged in his previous seven seasons. However, he has been willing to embrace a reduced role for the NBA-best Suns, per Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. “I’m just trying to do my job and stay ready, try to keep this thing going in the right direction,” said Payton, who likely won’t see much action going forward with Chris Paul back in the lineup.
Clippers rookie guard Jason Preston has yet to make his NBA debut after undergoing foot surgery in October, but he has impressed veteran teammate Reggie Jackson with his understanding of the game. “Selfishly for me, it’s like having another coach,” Jackson said of Preston’s presence on road trips (Twitter link via Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group). “Smart kid.”

Pacific Notes: Fox, Paul, Warriors, Lue, Westbrook

March 23rd, 2022 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox admits that it was “definitely hard” to see second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton depart at last month’s trade deadline, according to Logan Murdock of The Ringer, who says Fox had been planning to mentor his young backcourt partner for years to come.

However, Fox – who is now the Kings’ longest-tenured player – has gotten accustomed to a certain level of turnover since arriving in Sacramento. While his coaches and teammates continue to change around him, Fox himself at least appears to be part of the franchise’s long-term plans.

“The Kings always told us, ‘He’s our guy. He’s our franchise guy. He’s our max player, and we’ll build it around him, man,'” agent Chris Gaston tells Murdock. “That’s what they told everybody else around the NBA is that, ‘Hey, look, you can inquire about De’Aaron all you want, but we’re building around De’Aaron. This is our guy. He’s our main centerpiece.’ And they are true to their word.”

Fox, currently sidelined due to a right hand injury, has shown improvement in his recovery from that injury but hasn’t yet resumed basketball activities, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320. While Fox is with the Kings on their current road trip, his return isn’t considered imminent, prompting Ham to speculate (via Twitter) that we may have seen the last of Fox and Domantas Sabonis (knee) this season.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Suns point guard Chris Paul has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game, but is doing “more and more” in recent days and is getting closer to returning from his thumb injury, says Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area makes the case that the Warriors should consider replacing Kevon Looney with Otto Porter Jr. in their starting lineup to help jump-start their offense.
Since joining the Clippers, head coach Tyronn Lue has emerged from LeBron James‘ shadow and is developing into a star in his own right, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes, examining how Lue has kept his team competitive while missing stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. “When you build a system around your best two players, a lot of stuff we can’t run anymore,” Lue said. “I had to look at the mirror myself and just figure out what’s best for this team. I had to go back to the drawing board.”
Criticized for his inability to score efficiently for much of the season, Russell Westbrook has made nearly 50% of his field goal attempts and 40% of his three-point tries in his last six games. Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group wonders if the Lakers are finally getting the version of Westbrook they envisioned when they traded for him last summer.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Biyombo, Westbrook, Poole

March 20th, 2022 at 6:53pm CST by JD Shaw

The Suns are surging despite missing star point guard Chris Paul (thumb fracture), going 9-4 in the games they’ve played without him, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Phoenix owns the league’s best record at 57-14, leading the second-place Grizzlies by 8.5 games.

“We know how talented this team is and we always pride ourselves on that,” Devin Booker said. “I always say nobody can replace what Chris does out there. We know how much we’re going to need him when it comes into this playoff run, but in the meantime, we’re just trying to hold it down.”

Phoenix is coming off its first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. The team lost to Milwaukee in six games, but it kept most of its core for this season. It has the chemistry, motivation and talent to make a title run — though it’ll be important to have a fully healthy team.

Here are some other notes from the Pacific:

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype hosted a Q&A with Suns center Bismack Biyombo, who discussed how and why he’s donating his salary, why he fits in well with the team, and several other topics. Biyombo signed a 10-day hardship deal with Phoenix in January, impressing the club enough to earn a rest-of-season commitment. The 11-year veteran has averaged 6.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game.
The Lakers embraced Russell Westbrook‘s feel-good moment in Toronto, rallying behind him after he helped the team earn an overtime win on Friday with a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register writes. “One of the highlights of our season – and it’s been a tough season for us, and specifically for him,” head coach Frank Vogel said. Contrary to public perception, Westbrook’s shooting percentages have only dipped slightly from last season, but his 15.7 shot attempts per game represent his lowest mark since 2009/10.
Warriors guard Jordan Poole is proving he’s ready for the NBA spotlight, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Poole is averaging a career-best 17.1 points on 46% shooting this season, establishing himself as a valuable scoring threat in his third season.

Wolves Notes: Trash Talk, Beverley, Edwards, Towns

March 17th, 2022 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves cruised to a 124-104 win on Wednesday night in Minnesota, handing the reeling Lakers their third consecutive loss and the 12th loss in their last 15 games. En route to the victory, several Wolves players seemed to relish the opportunity to talk trash to Los Angeles players, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.

In a pair of sequences that went viral, Karl-Anthony Towns and Patrick Beverley mocked Russell Westbrook after he put up an airball (video link), and Beverley mockingly plugged his nose and appeared to call Westbrook “trash” after forcing a turnover (video link). After the game, James brushed off the trash talk as “part of the game,” while Westbrook said he wasn’t bothered by it, taking a shot at the Wolves in the process.

“Nobody over there has done anything in this league that would make me pick my eyes up, like, ‘Oh, they’re talking mess. Let me respond.’ No. It’s fine,” Westbrook said, per Youngmisuk. “They’re good. They won the game. Happy for them. Move onto the next one.”

Beverley, who has gone back and forth with Westbrook in the past, replied to the Lakers guard’s comments via Twitter later in the night: “Playoffs every year. 2 western conference finals with 2 different Teams 👀👀👀 individual stats or team stats? I thought it was a team sport??”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Both Beverley and Anthony Edwards spoke on Wednesday about the Timberwolves’ increasing confidence, explaining that this season’s team has a level of “swag” that has been missing in the past. “Being on the other side, coming into Minnesota, a swagless team over the years. Not really understanding an identity, but this year is very different,” Beverley said, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “We know exactly who we are. We’re not backing down from anybody. Humbly though, very humbly. Not arrogant in that sense. Very comfortable in our skin.”
Towns has faced criticism over the years, especially following Jimmy Butler‘s departure, based on a perception that he lacks toughness and doesn’t have a killer instinct. But Beverley, who had heard those stories before joining the Wolves, has been pleasantly surprised by what he has seen from the big man this season. “I thought my biggest task when I came here was going to be KAT and it’s not. It’s been great,” Beverley said (Twitter link via Hine). “Man, of course you hear all those stories about different players before you meet them. … It’s totally the opposite of everything I’ve heard.”
After sustaining an ear injury last Friday, Beverley has returned to the starting lineup for Minnesota’s last two games and played well, but he said on Wednesday night that he’s been having some trouble hearing and will see a specialist about the issue, tweets Hine.

Wizards Notes: Porzingis, 5-Team Trade, Westbrook, Schakel

March 12th, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis has only played three games since being acquired from Dallas last month, but the Wizards are encouraged by what they’ve seen, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. Porzingis was sidelined by knee soreness at the time of the trade and didn’t start playing until Sunday. He has averaged 19.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per night and has contributed as a rim protector and play-maker as well.

“It’s tough, it’s been a handful of games, so he’s still trying to work his way through it. He’s going to have some big nights and he’s going to struggle at times, just like everybody else,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “But he’ll find that level of consistency, it’ll even out. He’s too good of a player.”

Porzingis has barely practiced since coming to Washington, Wallace notes, so he’s still trying to develop chemistry with his new teammates. He will miss tonight’s game at Portland for precautionary reasons because it’s the second night of a back-to-back, but Unseld doesn’t expect him to have any more restrictions for the rest of the season.

“Of course, I want to play and have longer stretches of playing,” Porzingis said. “Sometimes it kind of creeps in your mind and you want to force some things out there because, ‘Ah, I might be coming out in a couple minutes,’ so I just [need] to have that calmness and knowing that I’m going to get there. I just need to stay focused and play the right way.”

There’s more on the Wizards:

The five-team trade that Washington was part of last summer continues to evolve, observes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Although there’s a perception that the Wizards got the better of the deal because Russell Westbrook has struggled with the Lakers, the pieces they got in return have already changed significantly. Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell and Aaron Holiday were all shipped out at the trade deadline.
Westbrook’s desire to go home and play for the Lakers sparked that five-team deal, but he had a much better situation in Washington, contends Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Westbrook became a team leader after sparking the Wizards to a late-season surge that got them into the play-in tournament last season, Buckner points out. He also had an All-Star backcourt partner in Bradley Beal who was willing to adjust to his style of play.
Jordan Schakel‘s new two-way contract will cover two seasons, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors.

Los Angeles Notes: Beverley, James, Jackson, Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, Pelinka

March 12th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Patrick Beverley felt the contract extension offer he received from the Clippers before they traded him last offseason was “borderline disrespectful,” he said on J.J. Redick’s “The Old Man and the Three” podcast (hat tip to Darryn Albert of Larry Brown Sports).

“Me being there from the beginning, I’m thinking that this contract extension, I’m thinking it’s going to be easy. I walk in and they throw me a number that I felt was borderline disrespectful,” Beverley said.

Clippers executive Lawrence Frank worked out an amicable solution by trading him to Memphis, who then shipped him to one of his top destinations, Minnesota. Beverley signed a one-year extension with the Timberwolves last month.

We have more on the Los Angeles teams:

LeBron James carried the Lakers to victory over Washington on Friday with another 50-point performance, and coach Frank Vogel wonders if James best suited to be a center at this stage of his career, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. “Maybe after all these years, him playing center was really the best way to utilize him,” Vogel said. “Because that’s where he’s been doing it, by playing the center position with (Anthony Davis) out. Doing whatever the team needs to win games. And just an incredible, unbelievable, epic performance by LJ.”
Reggie Jackson lavished praise on Clippers fans, calling them the heart of the city, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. “I understand what it is in this city, it definitely is overwhelmed by Lakers fans. But I feel like Clippers Nation is like the heart,” he said. “It truly is L.A. It’s more so. No shot to them over there, but they’re the lights. They’re bright lights. They’re Hollywood. That’s the Lakers. … But I feel like we’re definitely the heart of the city – or that’s something we want to embody.”
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope felt that getting traded by the Lakers was almost inevitable, as he told Mark Medina of NBA.com. “Every single year with the Lakers, I was in trade talks,” Caldwell-Pope said. Kyle Kuzma, who was also a part of the Russell Westbrook deal, said he’ll always have a place in Lakers history. “I’m cemented as a winner, and I’m cemented as a Lakers champion,” he said. “For me, it’s not about ‘what if.’ It’s time to move on. It’s time to improve my game.” The Lakers honored the duo with a video tribute on Friday, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers are suffering from “organizational fatigue” due to the demands of putting a championship-caliber team around James, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (video link). Windhorst doubts GM Rob Pelinka can do anything significant to fix the team’s issues this offseason, since the Lakers have already dealt most of their assets. “They have nothing they can really trade of huge value,” Windhorst said.