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Pacific Notes: Leonard, Lakers, Beal, Dunn

December 7th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard was able to work out and do some shooting at the Clippers‘ practice facility on Saturday, but there’s still no word on when he might be able to start playing, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Bill Simmons of The Ringer recently stated that Leonard is expected to be available by Christmas, but coach Tyronn Lue refused to offer a specific timeframe.

“(He’s) just doing all the things he’s supposed to. … He’s got to check all the boxes and do all the right things, not skip any steps,” Lue said. “So, when he completes that, then we’ll move on. … He’s getting better. He’s on the floor, he’s doing stuff, but he’s not ready to play.” 

Leonard has been plagued by inflammation in his right knee dating back to spring. He was limited to two games in last season’s playoffs, then was sent home from the U.S. Olympic team because of concerns about his ability to play. The Clippers have managed to remain competitive without him — getting off to a 14-10 start that has them sixth in the West — but Leonard’s teammates are as eager as anyone else to see him playing again.

“I know everybody is excited for him to be back,” Amir Coffey said. “We see him getting on the court, going through drills, it’s a good sign.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Lakers could use some reinforcements after ending a road trip with three straight losses, but help may not be coming for a while, notes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Austin Reaves missed the last four games with a bruised left pelvis and is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s contest against Portland. Jaxson Hayes has only played in one of the last 13 games due to right ankle injuries, and he’s expected to be reevaluated this week. Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood are still recovering from offseason surgery — Vanderbilt is expected to return sometime in early January, while Wood’s timeline is less clear. “There’s no cavalry. No one [feels] sorry for us,” Anthony Davis said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Just gotta continue to put our head down and grind and work.”
  • Suns guard Bradley Beal believes he has overcome the left calf strain that has caused him to be in and out of the lineup recently, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal played his second straight game tonight and logged more than 34 minutes. “Feel good, really good,” he said. “Progressing the right way. Minutes have been fine. Body is reacting fine postgame. Feel great.”
  • Suns rookie Ryan Dunn missed his second straight game with soreness in his left ankle, but coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t believe it’s a long-term issue (Twitter video link from Rankin).
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Pacific Notes: Harden, Nurkic, Durant, Ighodaro, Dunn, Green, Monk

December 2nd, 2024 at 9:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers re-signed James Harden on a two-year deal over the summer. It has turned into a wise move, as Harden has dominated games in Kawhi Leonard‘s absence.

Harden had 39 points in a 126-122 win against the Nuggets on Sunday. Last week, he erupted for a season-high 43 points in a road win against the Wizards.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Harden told The Athletic’s Law Murray. “My role has changed. You know, I haven’t had this role in, four or five years. So it just took me some time to get there. But you guys can see us, game by game, I continue to get better.”

We have more from around the Pacific:

We have more from the Pacific Division:
  • Suns center Jusuf Nurkic has been ruled out for at least a week due to a right thigh contusion, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Nurkic has appeared in 16 games this season, averaging 8.9 points and 9.9 rebounds. Nurkic has a four-year, $70MM contract that runs through next season.
  • Suns forward Kevin Durant has been impressed with the contributions of rookies Oso Ighodaro and Ryan Dunn, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports tweets. Dunn only attempted two shots in 20 minutes in a win over Golden State on Saturday but contributed four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Ighodaro played 31 minutes off the bench and added six points and eight rebounds. “We expect that out of them. I think that’s what they bring to our team is that energy, that aggressiveness on defense, that physicality on defense….They’re setting a high standard for themselves every night,” Durant said.
  • Warriors forward Draymond Green didn’t practice Monday in Denver due to left calf tightness, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. He’s doubtful to play against the Nuggets on Tuesday, according to coach Steve Kerr, Slater tweets. Green hasn’t missed a game yet this season after appearing in just 55 regular season contests last season.
  • Malik Monk, one of the league’s top sixth men, made his first start since joining the Kings on Sunday. He played 37 minutes and supplied 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists but the Kings fell to San Antonio. Monk hadn’t started since he was in the Lakers’ lineup 37 times in 2021/22.
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Pacific Notes: Melton, Reddish, Bronny, Suns

November 9th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton said it felt “amazing” to be back on the court Friday night after missing five games due to a back strain, writes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. He was able to play 18 minutes, contributing 10 points, two rebounds and three assists as he moved right back into coach Steve Kerr‘s expanded rotation.

“Aggravation and they wanted to be cautious about it,” Melton said of the injury. “They just want to make sure I’m staying strong right now. Staying solid in terms of everything. Not worrying about necessarily being out there all the time, but the long haul.”

Melton experienced back pain while playing for Philadelphia last season and was unavailable for 40 of the final 45 regular season games. Golden State was aware of his physical issues when it signed him in free agency this summer, and the team’s medical staff is being careful in how it’s handling him.

“I’ve got a lot of trust in what they do,” Melton said, “and they’ve gotten me this far, so I’m in it.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Lakers coach J.J. Redick considers his starting lineup to be “fluid,” per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register, so any changes like Friday’s move to replace D’Angelo Russell with Cam Reddish may not be permanent. Reddish put up modest stats with three points and five rebounds, but he impacted the game on defense, particularly in his matchups with Paul George. “Every team is different, every coach is different,” Reddish said. “I just go out there and do what (Redick) tells me to do. In my past life, I was going out there doing what I wanted to do. That doesn’t necessarily work all the time.”
  • Several members of the Lakers showed up Saturday night to support Bronny James in his first G League game, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The group included Redick, general manager Rob Pelinka, Russell, Anthony Davis and of course Bronny’s father, LeBron James. He posted six points, three rebounds and four assists for South Bay.
  • Rookie Ryan Dunn could be coach Mike Budenholzer‘s choice to replace Kevin Durant in the Suns‘ starting lineup while he’s recovering from a calf strain, suggests Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Royce O’Neale is a more experienced option, Rankin adds, but Budenholzer seems to prefer using him off the bench. Rankin states that the injury could also result in more playing time for Josh Okogie, who made his season debut on Friday, and Bol Bol, who has yet to play this season.
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Suns Notes: Nurkic, Durant, Dunn, Allen

October 28th, 2024 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Jusuf Nurkic could be the most important variable for the Suns this season, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. With so many reliable pieces in place, the veteran center’s performance on a night-to-night basis might determine how successful Phoenix can be.

Bourguet notes that Nurkic had trouble staying on the court in the first two games, scoring 15 combined points with six assists and eight turnovers. But the big man was much better Saturday against Dallas, posting 18 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 7-of-12 from the field.

“He was great,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “His physicality in the paint, his rebounding, defense, everything. So it was good, I think. He’s a great teammate, he’s a competitor. I think he wanted to come back tonight and have that kind of positive impact for us, and he did it in a big way.”

Saturday’s game included a stretch where Nurkic scored 12 straight points in the second quarter. He was more determined to carve out space for post-ups and took advantage of opportunities around the basket.

“I felt like they was disrespecting me in a way because I was last game just not as aggressive,” Nurkic said. “I know I can score the ball, especially in the post, and they wanna just let me play. I think that [Devin Booker] and Tyus [Jones] and coach just let me play, so I was taking advantage of my size and try to be just aggressive as I could.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

  • Also Saturday, Kevin Durant became the eighth player in league history to reach 29,000 career points, notes David Brandt of The Associated Press. At age 36, Durant is off to another hot start, averaging 28.7 PPG through three games. “I’ve got to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid,” he said. “Teammates who passed me the ball, set screens for me, coaches who drew up plays for me.”
  • Through the first week of the season, Ryan Dunn has been the biggest surprise in this year’s rookie class, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Dunn fell to the 28th pick because of concerns about his outside shot, but he leads all rookies in made threes and is connecting at 46.2% from beyond the arc. That’s a bonus for the Suns, who drafted Dunn because of his elite defensive skills.
  • After missing two straight games, Grayson Allen isn’t listed on the injury report for tonight’s contest with the Lakers, Bourguet tweets.
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Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Davis, LeBron, Dunn

October 26th, 2024 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

DeMar DeRozan had a strong debut for the Kings on Thursday, scoring 26 points and eight rebounds in nearly 43 minutes of action, with Sacramento outscoring Minnesota by eight points during his time on the court.

Still, the two-point loss to the Timberwolves showed that there will be an adjustment period for the Kings as they get used to DeRozan’s presence, writes Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. After finishing third in the NBA with 39.3 three-point attempts per game last season, Sacramento let it fly from beyond the arc just 29 times in Thursday’s game, well shy of Minnesota’s 50 three-point tries.

“His game is the mid-range,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of DeRozan. “He’s an elite mid-range guy, and so he’s going to take a lot of shots, and that’s going to probably take away from the (three-point shots) some.”

Still, the Kings are confident it won’t take them long to get accustomed to DeRozan’s playing style and believe it will ultimately pay off to have another offensive weapon capable of breaking down defenses and creating his own shot like the 35-year-old can.

“He can run an offense all by himself,” teammate Kevin Huerter said. “There’s times you can just give him the ball and he can go make plays. He doesn’t need plays drawn up for him. As he continues to get more comfortable, we’ll get a lot better. … It’s game one, so we’re early. It’s obviously going to take time. Everybody’s still figuring everything out.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • Anthony Davis dominated for a second straight outing in the Lakers‘ Friday win over Phoenix, scoring a game-high 35 points to increase his season total to 71 through two games (both victories). Head coach J.J. Redick‘s plan to make Davis the focus of L.A.’s offense is working as intended so far, according to LeBron James. “It’s very important that he’s the main focal point for us every single night,” James said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We know what he’s going to do defensively, but offensively we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game. And we’ve done that through two games.”
  • Asked during his post-game media session on Friday whether he’ll suit up for the second game of the Lakers‘ back-to-back set on Saturday vs. Sacramento, LeBron told reporters, including McMenamin, that his goal is not to miss a single one of the team’s 82 regular season contests. “I plan on playing every game,” said James, the NBA’s oldest active player.
  • Although the Suns couldn’t pull out a win on Friday vs. the Lakers, they got an encouraging performance from rookie Ryan Dunn. Known as a high-level defender but not much of a shooter during his time at Virginia, Dunn knocked down three-of-five attempts from three-point range and was a plus-8 in his 14 minutes. Dunn’s improvements as a shooter are the result of “a lot of hard work,” he told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda in a wide-ranging interview. “I keep having the confidence to keep shooting it even when some nights it might not fall and some nights that it might fall,” said Dunn, who also spoke to Medina about his first impressions of the NBA, meeting some of his long-time basketball idols, and his goals for his rookie season.
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And-Ones: M. Williams, Rookies, International Prospects, G League Trade

October 20th, 2024 at 7:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Monty Williams will be a head coach after all this season, just not in the pro or college ranks.

Williams has accepted the head coaching job at TMI Episcopal prep school in San Antonio, where he will coach his son Elijah, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. The Pistons fired Williams in June just one season after he signed a six-year, $78.5MM contract.

Williams is replacing former NBA forward Bruce Bowen at the San Antonio prep school, Haynes adds in another tweet.

We have more from around the basketball world:

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Pacific Notes: Warriors Lineup, Hield, Dunn, Jones

October 14th, 2024 at 5:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were the only players who entered Warriors camp with guaranteed starting jobs. ESPN’s Kendra Andrews takes a look at the battles for the other starting spots.

As Andrews details, De’Anthony Melton and Brandin Podziemski are fighting for the shooting guard spot with Buddy Hield pegged as a sixth man. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney are the candidates to play up front next to Green. Jonathan Kuminga is pushing for the starting small forward job with Andrew Wiggins sidelined by an illness during training camp.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • Hield made a nasty remark about Sacramento in a “hot mic” moment two seasons ago after the Kings traded him to the Pacers, but the Warriors swingman told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that he harbors no ill toward the organization or the city. “I’ll always love Sacramento,” Hield said. “Sacramento is kind of where my career started. I always thank (former GM) Vlade (Divac) and (team owner) Vivek (Ranadive) for reaching out and giving me an opportunity to come play for the city and this organization. My comments are my comments. I can’t take them back, but when you have a mic open, friendly conversation with your friends, and a hot mic catches you, you can’t take that back. I’ve got to take that on the chin, but I love Sacramento.”
  • Rookie wing Ryan Dunn has opened some eyes during Suns training camp and could be the steal of the draft, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Dunn only made a dozen three-pointers in 51 attempts during two seasons at Virginia, but has knocked down 12 on 27 attempts this preseason. Dunn’s strength entering the draft was his defense, so if he can continue to make threes, the 28th overall pick will be a valuable addition.
  • Kai Jones didn’t appear in an NBA game last season after two disappointing years with the Hornets. Jones is competing for a roster spot on the Clippers after signing a training camp contract this summer. Head coach Tyronn Lue‘s advice to him hit home, he told Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “(Lue) told me when I got here, that everything that I did in the past (I needed to) forgive myself, you know, just learn from it, grow from it and just be better,” Jones said.
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Suns Notes: Allen, Jones, Nurkic, Dunn, Plumlee

October 5th, 2024 at 6:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Grayson Allen worked behind the scenes to bring Tyus Jones to Phoenix, even though Jones is likely to take his spot in the starting lineup, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Many were surprised that the Suns were able to land a starting-level point guard when they were limited to a minimum-salary offer, but Allen has a strong connection with his former teammate at Duke.

“He played a huge role in recruiting me here,” Jones said. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about me starting. I know we need you to come here and be the starting point guard. That’s what we’re missing.'”

Allen is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 13.5 PPG in his first year with the Suns and leading the league in three-point shooting at 46.1%. Phoenix tried to get by without a traditional lead guard last season, and Allen gradually realized that the approach wasn’t working.

“Looking at Tyus being a starter, I just feel like our team got a lot better,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited to have him on our team and I’m OK with what comes with that.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

  • Starting center Jusuf Nurkic will be reevaluated in a week after injuring his left middle finger in a scrimmage, Rankin tweets. Nurkic will miss Sunday’s preseason opener against the Lakers, along with Tuesday’s game against the Pistons and Friday’s rematch with Detroit.
  • First-round pick Ryan Dunn is a perfect addition for a team that needed big wings who can play defense, notes Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. The 6’8″ Dunn used his 7’1″ wingspan to become a defensive terror for Virginia over the last two seasons. He wants to become the Suns’ primary lockdown defender and has welcomed the challenge of facing Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in practice. “Going up against them day by day, I’ll probably get torched a little bit there and there, but it’s just how it is,” Dunn said. “I’m ready for that, my ups and downs, but it’ll help me get ready, especially with those guys, learning from them and having to take that into going against different players in the league.”
  • Veteran center Mason Plumlee is thrilled about teaming up with Durant after signing a one-year deal with the Suns in free agency (video link from Bourguet). “Sometimes when you play against a guy, you just wonder, like, ‘Is he just hitting those shots tonight?'” Plumlee said. “And from preseason pickup as much as training camp, it’s like, he hits ’em all the time.”
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Suns CEO Bartelstein Talks Durant, Jones, Budenholzer, More

August 15th, 2024 at 8:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked during an extensive interview with PHNX Sports about Kevin Durant‘s future with the Suns, team CEO Josh Bartelstein reiterated the same message that he delivered to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic two weeks ago. While Bartelstein offered no guarantees that Durant will sign a contract extension before the season begins, he stressed that the relationship between the franchise and its star forward is in a very good place.

“He loves it here. We talk to Rich Kleiman, who’s his partner, all the time about the vision and what we’re building, and everyone’s really happy, and I think we’re gonna have a really really good year,” Bartelstein said. “And Kevin’s part of all the discussions about the vision for the team, all the stuff we’re doing on the court, off the court. So the fact that we have all that dialogue, there’s equity built into it. If you do those things, everything else will take care of itself.”

Bartelstein’s conversation with PHNX Sports covered a wide range of additional topics, including his day-to-day duties for the organization, his expectations for the Suns’ new G League affiliate, navigating the second apron, and much more.

The interview is worth checking out in full, especially for Suns fans, but here are a few of Bartelstein’s most noteworthy comments:

On unexpectedly landing Tyus Jones on a minimum-salary deal late in free agency:

“We pulled it out of the back pocket. I think it’s why relationships matter so much. His agent, Kevin Bradbury, and I are friendly, and there’s a balance of just checking in and knowing what’s going on. And (Suns general manager) James (Jones) and I would talk all the time about, ‘Hey, if we could get Tyus, it would be a home run.’ But the first 10 days of free agency, you’re kind of just sitting there and seeing how the market plays out. I think with the new rules and, like, the cap space, a lot of people got squeezed.

“So our first real meeting with Tyus and his agent Kevin was in Vegas during Summer League, and we had a nice drink and kind of talked about the role and vision, how it could be a perfect fit, but also just that they were gonna take their time and see how things played out. And from there, then we said, like, ‘Let’s go all in and recruit him, and the worst thing they can do is say no to us.’ But we went all in on recruiting him, from little gift bags to videos for their kids, to all the small details and showing the care factor.

“… Obviously if someone offers you way more money, like, that matters. But if it’s close or it’s on the margins, we think the community we have here, the relationships we have here, the concierge service we have here, we can really give ourselves an advantage, and it’s worked in getting some of these guys to pick us.”

On the impact he expects new head coach Mike Budenholzer to have on the team:

“He is awesome. I mean, he’s the real deal. We’ve become very, very close over the three months. It’s crazy it’s been that fast. He’s so detail-oriented. He thinks Phoenix Suns all day, every day, from the biggest things of where is Kevin gonna get the ball to the smallest things of how do we maximize our two-way guys’ days? Like, he’s just always thinking Suns basketball, and he’s a basketball savant. The way he uses players, the success he’s had, the wins, you’re talking about one of the best coaches in the NBA.

“And he’s a great person too. I think he’ll be great in the community. He’s so happy to be here that he can’t wait to get started. So just seeing how he thinks has been cool, about the things he values, how we want to play. We’ve had so many discussions. He was a huge part of the recruiting. I mean, Tyus Jones said it, Bud was a big part of why Tyus picked here. How Bud has gotten players paid, how Bud uses guys, how he optimizes them, so all of our free agents, all of our guys, Bud has a say in it, ’cause he’s the head coach and we’re really, really lucky to have him.”

On why the Suns are excited about 2024 draftees Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro:

“As good of a basketball player as (Dunn) is, he’s an amazing person. Like, he’s a really, really good young man, and he works his tail off. He’s always, always in the gym. And I think for us, that athleticism, size, defensive versatility — that’s what we need, right? Like, if you checked the box of what we’re missing, it’s him. It’s a lot to ask him to go play 20 minutes a game in year one, but we’re gonna develop him. He’ll have a lot of opportunities to play.

“And Oso is someone that came here twice to work out and we loved him. His passing, his play-making, incredibly high IQ. He’s today’s NBA big, and I think with Nurk (Jusuf Nurkic) and Mason (Plumlee), he’ll learn a ton too, ’cause they have a similar archetype player-wise.”

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Suns Notes: Okogie, Dunn, Durant, Madkins

July 21st, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Arthur Hill

With a new two-year contract in hand, Josh Okogie hopes to help the Suns become a legitimate contender in the West, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Okogie, who has been a valuable reserve in Phoenix for the past two years, was rewarded with a $16MM deal, although only the first season at $8.25MM is guaranteed.

“My mentality is just to go out there and just try to try to give this team the energy that they need on both sides of the floor,” Okogie said. “We have a lot of talent on this team, but I want to be the battery of this team, if that makes sense. The motor of this team, to get people going, get people excited to play, get people moving. … Just, when JO steps on this court, everybody’s intensity level just rises.”

Okogie is with the team in Las Vegas, but he’s concentrating on his photography skills rather than basketball. After trying out his new hobby during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Okogie is learning how to shoot the action of Summer League.

“I’m still not good,” Okogie said. “I’ll say 90-95% of my pictures are B.S., but I feel like I’ve gotten better — slightly — each day I’ve taken pictures. I’ve kind of figured out how the camera works, how to do the settings, how to do the white balance and all that. So it’s been pretty cool.”

There’s more on the Suns:

  • First-round pick Ryan Dunn didn’t play on Saturday as Phoenix closed out its Summer League schedule with a loss to Sacramento, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Playing for the fourth time in five days, the Suns chose to rest their top rookie, who displayed elite defensive instincts but struggled with his shot. In four games, Dunn averaged 5.8 PPG on 34.4% shooting, along with 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals. “Our guys loved him,” owner Mat Ishbia said in an NBA TV interview. “His work ethic. His defensive ability. His athleticism. He’s the kind of guy that fits in well with our team. We’re looking for some young guys that have energy and some positivity while playing great defense. He’s long, athletic and in the Summer League he’s performed just as we expected. It’s been fun having him so far and we’re excited to see what he can do during the season, too.”
  • After going through his first practice with Team USA on Friday, Kevin Durant sat out Saturday’s close call against South Sudan. Monday’s game with Germany will be Durant’s last opportunity to take the floor before the start of the Olympics.
  • Assistant general manager Gerald Madkins won’t return to the Suns next season, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Also leaving are personnel evaluation manager David Sevush and scouts Charles Payne and Darrel Johnson.
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