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Southwest Notes: Irving, Lofton Jr., Murphy, Eason

December 9th, 2023 at 9:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving suffered a right foot injury on Friday when teammate Dwight Powell landed on him. Coach Jason Kidd said he’ll know more on Saturday about the extent of the injury, according to ESPN.

Dante Exum picked up the slack with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a victory over Portland.

“One of the biggest things with our team is our next man up mentality,” Exum told Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “You see that right now with me as an example. We have (a lot of players) down. And the guys have been able to step up. Hopefully, he (Irving) is not out for too long, but we have a deep roster that’s willing and ready to step up.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Kenneth Lofton Jr. has shed 20 pounds in the past three weeks, he told Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Lofton has played sparingly for the Grizzlies this season despite frontcourt injuries. He’s hoping his improved conditioning will lead to a bigger role. “My mental has been good,” he said. “I’m just pretty much waiting on my time, working off the court and getting better at my strengths. Really just focusing on myself.” He needs to show more, as his $2.02MM salary for next season is not guaranteed.
  • When the Pelicans executed a trade three days before the 2021 draft, Trey Murphy knew the organization was interested in selecting him. In a multi-player trade, New Orleans gave up the 10th pick and received the 17th pick. However, Murphy wasn’t sure if he’d go a little higher. “I knew for sure once they moved back from 10 to 17, they are making a move with the intent of drafting me at 17,” Murphy told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I knew my draft range was around 14 to 17. That was my range. I was either going to go 14 to the Warriors or go 16 to Oklahoma City at the time. It ended up changing to Houston (in a draft-night trade). One of those three teams.”
  • Second-year forward Tari Eason has endeared himself to Rockets coach Ime Udoka due to his versatility, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “Metric-wise or analytic-wise, he’s off the charts for all of those reasons. He defends, can shoot the ball and do some different things with his offensive rebounding, loose balls. Where other guys might touch their hands and lose it, he gets every one of those,” Udoka said. “Just makes the right plays over and over. We’re happy that his minutes are starting to go up. We can play him a little bit more here and there and we understand how impactful he is for us.”
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Southwest Notes: Kennard, Tillman, McCollum, Thompson, Eason

November 20th, 2023 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies, who have already been ravaged by injuries this season, got some more bad news on Monday. Wing Luke Kennard has a left knee bone bruise and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team’s PR department tweets. Kennard was off to a slow start, but the Grizzlies will miss the perimeter threat of a 43.5% career 3-point shooter.

Meanwhile, Grizzlies big man Xavier Tillman is considered week-to-week as he recovers from a left knee injury. He’s averaging 9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • CJ McCollum remains out indefinitely due to a collapsed lung. Pelicans head coach Willie Green offered an update on McCollum on Monday, relayed by Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune (Twitter link). “They are still working it out with the doctors,” he said. “They want to make sure CJ gets to the floor healthy and safely. … Once they give us his timeline, we will know more. Right now, he can work out. But it’s really in their hands.”
  • Rockets rookie Amen Thompson, who has been out since Nov. 1 due to a right ankle sprain, is not close to returning, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Thompson has not been cleared to practice and the Rockets will gradually ramp up his activity until he’s ready to play.
  • Rockets forward Tari Eason is still being eased back into action after suffering a stress reaction in his left leg during the preseason, Feigen reports. He’s playing an average of only 17.2 minutes per night and has been limited in practices. That has prevented him from getting into a rhythm in the games he has played. “I feel all right,” said Eason, who sat out Monday’s game against Golden State. “Right now, we’re going to do injury prevention, stuff like that. So for me, it’s just been hard to get my groove, not be able to get certain extra reps and being able to play and practice. My only time to really be able to play basketball is in games.”
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Southwest Notes: Eason, Brooks, Biyombo, Wemby

November 7th, 2023 at 11:36am CST by Luke Adams

Rockets forward Tari Eason is nearing a return from the leg injury that has sidelined him for the first two weeks of the 2022/23 season, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). According to Feigen, head coach Ime Udoka said on Monday that Eason will practice on Tuesday and could be cleared to play in Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers.

The second-year forward missed the Rockets’ final three preseason games and has been out for the club’s first six regular season contests due to a stress reaction in his left leg. Eason is one of Houston’s stronger defenders, so the team – which is riding a three-game winning streak – could use benefit from his presence on the wing.

“He’s a guy that kind of comes up with everything all the time,” Udoka said of Eason last week. “A great offensive rebounder. Just some grit and toughness that he brings. I think that physicality, obviously, is beneficial for our group. He does some things that are very instinctual and natural for him that we stressed.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • While he’s known for his defense, offseason addition Dillon Brooks is providing the Rockets with solid offensive play in the early going this season, Feigen writes in another subscriber-only story for The Houston Chronicle. Brooks has posted a scorching hot .593/.565/.938 shooting line through his first six games in Houston.
  • In his second game with the Grizzlies on Sunday, Bismack Biyombo was the team’s starting center, replacing Xavier Tillman (knee) and logging 26 minutes. The big man helped Memphis secure its first win of the season by putting up eight points, 11 rebounds four assists, and three blocked shots. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the story on Biyombo’s instant impact in the middle.
  • The Grizzlies signed Biyombo to his one-year, $5MM contract using a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The Grizzlies also could have signed Biyombo using a disabled player exception if they were granted one for Steven Adams‘ season-ending knee injury, but there has been no confirmation yet that the team has been approved for a DPE for Adams.
  • The Spurs have a 110.9 defensive rating when Victor Wembanyama is on the court compared to a disastrous 129.4 mark when he sits, a remarkable split for a rookie, albeit in a small sample. Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link) and Kelly Iko of The Athletic take a closer look at the impact that the No. 1 pick is having on defense for San Antonio.
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Rockets Exercise 2024/25 Options On Green, Sengun, Smith, Eason

October 30th, 2023 at 5:50pm CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 30: The Rockets have officially exercised their options on all four players, the team tweets.

OCTOBER 12: While the decisions won’t be formally announced until the end of the month, the Rockets plan to exercise their 2024/25 team options on Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith and Tari Eason, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

The news was expected, as all four players are considered core pieces for the Rockets. The decisions don’t impact any of the players this season, but will guarantee their contracts for ’24/25.

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Green will earn $12,483,048 in 2024/25. Sengun, who was the No. 16 pick of the same draft, will have a $5,424,654 salary in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. Both players will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions in 2024.

Smith was the No. 2 pick of last year’s draft. He will earn $9,770,880 in ’24/25, his third season, while Eason, the No. 17 pick in 2022, will make $3,695,160. Next October, the Rockets will have to decide whether or not to pick up Smith and Eason’s fourth-year options, though that also seems like a formality.

A 6’4″ guard, Green averaged 22.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.7 APG on .416/.338/.786 shooting last season. Sengun, a 6’9″ Turkish center, averaged 14.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .553/.333/.715 shooting in ’21/22. Both players are starters, as is Smith. Eason is one of Houston’s main bench players.

Smith, a 6’10” forward, averaged 12.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 0.9 BPG on .408/.307/.786 shooting as rookie in ’21/22. Eason, another forward, averaged 9.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .448/.343/.752 shooting last season.

The full list of decisions on 2024/25 rookie scale team options can be found right here.

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Rockets’ Eason To Miss At Least 2-3 Weeks With Leg Injury

October 22nd, 2023 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets forward Tari Eason appeared in each of the team’s 82 games during his rookie season, but he won’t extend that games-played streak this fall. Head coach Ime Udoka announced today that Eason will be shut down for the next two or three weeks due to a stress reaction in his left leg, tweets sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson.

Eason, 22, averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 21.5 minutes per game in 2022/23, showing promise as a three-and-D wing.

While the Rockets made some veteran additions to their roster this offseason, including forwards Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green, Eason is poised to remain part of the rotation and there has been optimism that he’ll take another step forward. For his part, he expressed some lofty goals this month, voicing a desire to eventually become the NBA’s best defender.

If Eason remain on the shelf for the next three weeks, he’d miss at least Houston’s first nine games of the regular season. In his absence, the club could lean more on wings and forwards like Jabari Smith, Jae’Sean Tate, and Reggie Bullock in addition to Brooks and Green.

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Southwest Notes: Osman, Doncic, Mavs, Eason, Pelicans

October 20th, 2023 at 7:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran forward Cedi Osman had spent all six of his NBA seasons with the Cavaliers prior to the July trade that sent him to San Antonio. He says he’s thrilled he landed with the Spurs, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

“I was happy and celebrating that I would be here in San Antonio with this franchise,” Osman said. “When you step on the court and you see all those (championship) banners, you feel great. It’s another reason to work harder and do anything for this team.”

The 28-year-old, who is on an expiring $6.7MM contract, has impressed his head coach and teammates during training camp and preseason, according to Orsborn.

“He’s a pro,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s a tough kid. He’s confident, a team player. He is just solid.”

Here’s more from the Southwest:

  • Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd told reporters on Friday that star guard Luka Doncic‘s recovery timeline remains to be determined, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Kidd added that Doncic, who has a mild left calf strain, has resumed light on-court activities. Marc Stein previously reported that the Mavs were optimistic about Doncic’s availability for next week’s regular season opener.
  • In a mailbag for The Athletic, Tim Cato writes that he’s more concerned about Doncic’s mysterious thigh injury than his mild calf strain. Cato also touches on a handful of other Mavericks-related topics, including which players he expects to close games.
  • Second-year Rockets forward Tari Eason missed his third straight preseason game on Friday vs. Miami due to a bruised lower left leg. He’ll be examined this evening to determine if he’ll miss additional time with the injury, head coach Ime Udoka said (Twitter links via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
  • Christian Clark of NOLA.com (subscriber link) provides some takeaways from the Pelicans‘ 1-3 preseason, writing that the offense — which ranked last in the league over those four games — remains a work in progress. Turnovers and spacing have been particularly problematic, according to Clark, who says New Orleans will miss sharpshooter Trey Murphy, who is expected to be sidelined until at least November following meniscus surgery.
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Southwest Notes: Sochan, Kyrie, Lively, Chandler, Rockets

October 13th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

No Spurs frontcourt player has appeared in all 82 games in a season since DeJuan Blair did it in 2009/10, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Second-year forward Jeremy Sochan, who welcomed the NBA’s declaration that its data doesn’t support load management, is hoping to end that streak.

“I think it should be a culture of playing every game that you can, and if your body is not 100%, then I understand,” Sochan said, per Orsborn. “But if you are fit and healthy, I don’t see why not playing 82 games or as many games as you can play.”

Appearing in all 82 games in 2023/24 would represent a major step forward for Sochan, who was limited to 56 contests as rookie due in large part to quad and knee issues.

Here are a few more notes from around the Southwest:

  • While his Mavericks backcourt mate Luka Doncic placed fourth overall in ESPN’s annual rankings of the NBA’s top players, Kyrie Irving isn’t putting much stock in the decisions made by ESPN’s panel, which ranked him 34th. “Rankings don’t mean a damn thing in the league, especially not from ESPN or any of these other media platforms,” Irving wrote in an Instagram comment (hat tip to The Dallas Morning News). “Majority of the analysts are not credible sources in my eyes and I don’t respect them or their opinions.”
  • Former Mavericks big man Tyson Chandler is working with rookie Dereck Lively II, referring to the young center as a “little brother,” according to Brad Towsend of The Dallas Morning News. Lively is welcoming the mentorship of Chandler, who is back for a third year as a part-time assistant in Dallas. “At first I wasn’t really familiar with Tyson’s game, until I started to do my homework,” Lively said. “Then I realized, ‘Wow, we really do play the same.’ We have the same demeanor. He’s 40-something and he has the same energy as me. We kind of reflect off of one another, you know?”
  • While the Rockets are hoping that veteran additions like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks help the team take a step forward this season, they’re also counting on reaping the benefits of “trading” the rookie versions of Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason for more seasoned second-year versions of those players, says Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “They had an opportunity last year to play through mistakes and I think they’re obviously going to take a natural step,” head coach Ime Udoka said of the duo. “They’ve shown that.”
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Rockets Notes: VanVleet, Brooks, Eason, Green, Bullock

October 12th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The addition of Fred VanVleet provides a major upgrade as the Rockets try to move up the standings after three years of rebuilding, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic says in a discussion with Kelly Iko about the team’s prospects. Vecenie notes that VanVleet will be a reliable leader for Houston, which gave about 2,000 backcourt minutes last season to Daishen Nix, TyTy Washington and Josh Christopher.

The Rockets had been using Kevin Porter Jr., who is away from the team due to assault charges, as their point guard even though it’s not his natural position. Vecenie expects improvement just from having a true leader on the court, even though he views VanVleet as the league’s 12th- to 15-best point guard.

Vecenie adds that VanVleet’s shooting was down last season, but it was notably better after the Raptors traded for Jakob Poeltl to give them an effective screener. VanVleet can hit threes, make the right decisions on offense and challenge opponents on defense, and Vecenie notes that those are all areas where the team needed to improve.

There’s more from Houston:

  • Vecenie also likes the addition of Dillon Brooks, but believes his four-year contract might be “a bit aggressive” because of the potential of Tari Eason. Vecenie says Eason was “phenomenal” at Summer League, and there’s a chance that he’ll be better than Brooks by the end of the season. Vecenie observes that Eason provides the same type of high-energy defense as Brooks, but without the questionable shot selection that can bog down offenses. At 40.2%, Brooks had the fourth-worst effective field goal percentage in the league last season.
  • Coach Ime Udoka talked about the need for Brooks to play under control after he was ejected early in Tuesday’s preseason opener (video link). “You have to learn to control your emotions and stay in the game, Udoka said. “You can’t get yourself taken out in the first quarter.” Brooks said his reputation was responsible for the ejection, but referees determined that his low blow to Pacers center Daniel Theis was intentional.
  • Free agent additions Jeff Green and Reggie Bullock are expected to make their debuts with the Rockets on Thursday night in New Orleans, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Green signed with Houston this summer to be a veteran leader after winning a title in Denver last season, while Bullock was added last week for outside shooting help after the Spurs waived him.
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Southwest Notes: Eason, Doncic, Cissoko, Rose

October 10th, 2023 at 10:48am CST by Luke Adams

Dillon Brooks, who said last month that he thinks he’s the NBA’s best defensive player, isn’t the only Rockets player with a tremendous amount of confidence in his abilities on that end of the floor. Tari Eason, entering his second season in the league, has expressed some lofty goals of his own, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

“I want to be the best defender in the NBA at some point,” Eason said. “I truly believe I can be. I will be. I just got to work, and the rest will fall into place. As far as effort and taking pride on that end of the floor, that’s kind of my calling card. I want to be the best defender I can be.”

Improving a defense that ranked 29th in the NBA last season has been a priority for new head coach Ime Udoka and the Rockets this fall as they focus on communicating more effectively on that side of the floor. Eason has noticed a difference in training camp.

“There are still some things we got to fully hash out, but I think we’re getting there,” Eason said. “The strides were made as far as communication. Last year, a lot of our defensive deficiencies come from us not being able to communicate, which also comes from us being young. With the mix of veterans and I guess the mentality coming in this year — we’ve all bought into the system — defensively we took a lot of leaps in terms of communication, knowing where to be and a willingness to want to get better on that end of the floor.”

Here are a few more items from around the Southwest:

  • Ahead of the Mavericks‘ exhibition game on Tuesday against Real Madrid, star guard Luka Doncic had nothing but praise for the Spanish club, citing the impact Real Madrid had on his career development, notes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Doncic played for the club from 2015-18, earning three Spanish League titles and a EuroLeague championship during that time. “I’ve got a lot of great memories and I’m happy to be back,” Doncic said. “If I return to Europe one day, I’m sure it will be to Real Madrid. That’s 100%.”
  • Spurs second-round pick Sidy Cissoko signed a standard contract this summer rather than a two-way deal, but the plan is for the French wing to spend the bulk of his rookie season in the G League, head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters on Monday (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News).
  • Veteran point guard Derrick Rose was a standout on Sunday in the Grizzlies‘ preseason opener, racking up 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting in just 14 minutes as the club beat Indiana in overtime. Rose’s new teammates aren’t surprised that the former MVP is showing he still has something left in the tank, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We’ve been seeing it,” Ziaire Williams said. “When I say he’s still so fast, bro, that burst is there. I’m sure it was probably faster 10 years ago, which is insane to think about. He’s a talented player and a better person.”
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And-Ones: Zagars, Sophomores, Super-Max, Best Offseason Deals

September 18th, 2023 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

World Cup standout Arturs Zagars has officially signed with Turkish club Fenerbahce and has been loaned to Lithuanian team BC Wolves, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. A recent report suggested that was the likely outcome for Zagars, who attracted NBA interest based in part on his strong play for Latvia at this year’s World Cup.

Zagars averaged 12.4 points, 7.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game across his eight World Cup appearances, making 48.6% of his shots from the floor and 41.7% of his three-pointers. The 23-year-old, who spent last season playing in Lithuania, was named to the All-World Cup Second Team.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

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