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Raptors Notes: Leonard, Trade Deadline, Siakam, Miles

January 22nd, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard will sit out his third consecutive game tonight, once again because of “load management,” tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. After playing just nine games last season because of a quad injury, Leonard’s health has been a priority in Toronto ever since he was acquired in an offseason trade. Eric Koreen of The Athletic examines how this decision has affected the Raptors and why it’s the best strategy to keep him healthy enough for the playoffs and maybe happy enough to re-sign this summer.

“I think he said it from day one that health is most important to him, so being attentive, listening, pushing him, all the things you’d want to do with your own health for your long-term future (are important),” GM Bobby Webster said recently. “… Anything we can do health-wise and medical-wise to progress him is great, so I think that’s a big one for us.”

Koreen notes that Leonard is getting considerations that aren’t extended to other players. For more than a month, Fred VanVleet has worn a wrap on his back when not playing, and Kyle Lowry skipped a planned night off last Thursday. However, VanVleet said the players understand the situation and aren’t resentful toward Leonard.

“He doesn’t have to prove anything if there’s three (games) in four nights, back-to-backs,” VanVleet said. “It’s from a health standpoint, from what we are told. He’s important. We’d much rather have him fresh and ready later than wearing him out right now.”

There’s more from Toronto:

  • Tax concerns and limited draft picks will affect the Raptors’ options at the trade deadline, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Toronto has the third-highest payroll in the league, which means the third-highest luxury tax bill — projected at $34.7MM without any roster changes. The team sent its 2019 first-round pick to San Antonio in the Leonard trade, which means the 2020 first-rounder is off limits. If this year’s pick doesn’t convey to the Spurs, the Raptors will owe them second-rounders in 2020 and 2023, so those can’t be traded away either.
  • Pascal Siakam is a candidate for a Most Improved Player award this spring and for a rookie scale extension this summer. In a separate story, he tells Murphy the extension would be nice, but it’s not what motivates him. “I think it’s bigger just having an impact on kids,” Siakam said. “That’s why I always say I look up to [team president] Masai [Ujiri] and the things he’s been able to do. ‘Cause when people look at [him], they see a reflection of Africa, and I want to be able to be that way.”
  • After scoring 13 points in back-to-back games, C.J. Miles is hoping for a turnaround in a nightmarish season, relays Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun. Miles has an $8.7MM option for next year that he appears likely to exercise.
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Spurs Have Inquired On Wing Players

January 22nd, 2019 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

While the Spurs typically aren’t too active on the trade market during the season, they’ve inquired about possible targets on the wing over the last few months, league sources tell Jabari Young of The Athletic. According to Young, San Antonio had interest in Trevor Ariza but couldn’t put together a package that would work before he was sent from Phoenix to D.C.

Young isn’t 100% sure that the Spurs remain in the market for a wing, but identifies Pistons forward Stanley Johnson as one player who could be on the team’s radar. As Young points out, Spurs assistant GM Brian Wright was part of Detroit’s front office in 2015 when the Pistons drafted Johnson eighth overall, and is believed to still be a big fan of the 22-year-old.

The 20-26 Pistons are tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference and may not be overly interested in moving Johnson as long as they remain in the hunt for a postseason spot. However, if Detroit considers moving the RFA-to-be, the club could seek a protected first-round pick or a pair of second-rounders, says Young.

With only a few months left on Johnson’s contract and the Spurs viewed as a difficult trade partner with whom to negotiate, a trade may be a long shot, Young notes. Nonetheless, it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on as February 7 approaches.

Here are a few more notes out of San Antonio:

  • Pau Gasol looks like one of the more obvious trade candidates on the Spurs’ roster, but a league executive tells Young, “I just don’t see him having any trade value.” Gasol has played limited minutes since returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for a good chunk of the season.
  • Here’s what Gasol had to say when asked if he’d prefer a change of scenery and an opportunity to play more, according to Young: “I’m trying to adjust and keep things in perspective. Everything has a positive outcome. I’m glad my foot is reacting well, and hopefully, I’ll get a chance to build on my minutes and my contribution to the team. Will I love to play more and have a bigger role? Absolutely, because that’s the kind of player and competitor that I am. But at the same time, I follow the coach’s directives, and you got to fulfill a role, whatever that role is. And that’s what you get paid to do. That’s a part of your job as a player.”
  • Spurs general manager R.C. Buford didn’t rule out the possibility of making an in-season trade, adding that the club will “answer the phone” in the coming weeks. However, as Young relays, Buford also didn’t sound overly eager to make any changes. “Our guys are playing well,” Buford said. “You don’t want to disrupt the chemistry.”
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/20/19

January 20th, 2019 at 8:01pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

Here are Sunday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from across the league:

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Knicks Notes: Vonleh, Smith Jr., Tanking, Prospects

January 20th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Noah Vonleh has achieved his goal of re-establishing himself with the Knicks, but their partnership may not last beyond the February 7 trade deadline, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Vonleh was looking for playing time when he chose New York last summer instead of the Spurs, Bucks or Cavaliers. He joined the Knicks on a one-year, partially guaranteed contract and has turned in his best NBA season, averaging 8.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting better than 40% from 3-point range.

“A lot of talented players in the NBA don’t get to showcase certain things because that’s not how the team views them — they already got guys that can do that,” Vonleh said. “So the opportunity and the role is here, so I’m able to showcase some of the things. Coach (David Fizdale) said he has confidence in me, and that’s a big part. If your coach has confidence in you, ain’t no telling where you can go in this league. Sky’s the limit.”

However, Vonleh’s contract status brings some uncertainty to his situation. The Knicks don’t have his Bird Rights, so there’s no advantage to keeping him for the rest of the season. They will have the cap space to bid on him in free agency, although they are hoping to use that money on a top-level talent. A few teams have expressed interest in dealing for Vonleh, sources tell Vorkunov, although the Knicks haven’t said if they’re open to a trade.

There’s more out of New York:

  • It doesn’t appear the Knicks are interested in a second chance at Dennis Smith Jr., according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York bypassed Smith in the 2017 draft to take Frank Ntilikina and hasn’t pursued him despite rumors that he might be available in the midst of a troubled second season in Dallas. A source tells Berman that the Knicks asked about the Mavericks about Smith before the season, but “not recently.”
  • Despite reforming the rules for the draft lottery, the NBA is still faced with a four-team tanking race for the rest of the season, Berman notes in a separate story. The teams with the three worst records will have an equal shot at landing the top pick, and the Knicks are in that competition with the Cavaliers, Suns and Bulls. New York has dropped 17 of its past 19 games to move into third place in our latest Reverse Standings, but all four teams are separated by just two games.
  • In another piece, Berman examines the top five prospects the Knicks will be looking at if they land a high lottery pick. He places the Duke trio of Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett and as the top three, followed by Murray State guard Ja Morant and Virginia forward De’Andre Hunter.
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Pau Gasol Deals With Limited Minutes

January 19th, 2019 at 10:06pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • Pau Gasol has been back in the Spurs‘ starting lineup in four of the past five games, but the move hasn’t resulted in more playing time, notes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. He has averaged just 11 minutes per game during that stretch. “At this point, I’m just doing my best with the opportunity and the conditions I am playing under,” Gasol said.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/19/19

January 19th, 2019 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from across the league:

  • The Spurs assigned forward Chimezie Metu to their Austin affiliate so he would be available for tonight’s game against Iowa, the team announced on its website. Metu is averaging 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 15 G League games.
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Wright Explores Tony Parker's Departure From San Antonio

January 18th, 2019 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams
  • In advance of Tony Parker‘s return to San Antonio earlier this week, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com took a deep dive into why the veteran point guard left the Spurs during the offseason. “[Gregg Popovich] just told me that I was going to be the third point guard, and I had to think really hard about if I was going to stay,” Parker says. “So then I told him I’m not gonna stay. I think they really didn’t believe I was gonna leave anyway. I think they thought I’d be like Manu [Ginobili] and just stay.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/17/19

January 17th, 2019 at 9:23pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

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Gregg Popovich Unsure If He’ll Coach Spurs Beyond 2018/19

January 17th, 2019 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich remains undecided about his future beyond the 2018/19 season, writes Marc Stein of The New York Times. Popovich is in the final season of his current contract, and while the team would be happy to extend him for as long as he wants, he’s unsure whether he’ll continue his coaching career next season.

“I don’t know the answer,” Popovich said when asked about his coaching future.

According to Stein, Popovich – the NBA’s longest-tenured head coach by 12 years – said that he and general manager R.C. Buford have “periodically” discussed the Spurs’ options beyond this season. Buford notes that Popovich will remain on San Antonio’s bench for “as long as he wants to coach.”

NBA observers have speculated that Popovich would coach the Spurs for one more season after 2018/19, then retire after working with Team USA in the 2020 Olympics. However, while Popovich remains on track to coach the U.S. basketball squad in Tokyo in the summer of 2020, there’s no guarantee he’ll still coach the Spurs leading up to that event.

As Stein observes, Popovich will also coach Team USA during this year’s World Cup, which takes place in September, just two weeks before NBA training camps get underway. With international competitions bookending the ’19/20 season, Popovich may prefer to focus on those Team USA responsibilities.

Stein also points out that Popovich will turn 70 years old later this month. Only three other head coaches in NBA history have worked into their 70s, per Stein — Bill Bertka (71), Hubie Brown (71) and Larry Brown (70).

Popovich currently has the third-most wins of any coach in league history, with 1,223, and also ranks fifth in all-time winning percentage (.686) among coaches who have been on the sidelines for at least 100 games.

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Patty Mills Expects "Emotional" Night When Tony Parker Returns

January 13th, 2019 at 4:02pm CST by JD Shaw
  • Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has denied that there’s any rift between him and teammate Joakim Noah, David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. A video of Gasol brushing by Noah after the team’s win over the Spurs circulated on social media, with Gasol calling the insinuation “f——” unbelievable.” Noah also played with Marc’s brother, Pau Gasol, for two seasons in Chicago.
  • Patty Mills expects an emotional night when longtime Spurs guard Tony Parker returns to San Antonio on Monday, tweets Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. Parker signed a free-agent contract with the Hornets last summer, leaving the Spurs after 17 seasons. “I think he is going to get a very, very warm welcome,” Mills said. “The city loves him. They always have, and vice versa. Looking forward to a pretty cool reception from the fans.”
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