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Community Shootaround: Possible First-Round Upsets

April 16th, 2018 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

Game 1 is in the books for all eight of the NBA’s first-round playoff matchups, and several of those games set up potentially fascinating series. Six of the eight higher seeds held their home-court advantage in the first game, but some of those favorites looked a little shaky in their victories, leading to plenty of speculation about first-round upsets.

We’ll start with the weekend’s biggest upset, which took place in Cleveland, where the Pacers dismantled LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 1. It won’t be a surprise if the Cavs eventually pull out this series, but their 98-80 loss on Sunday was something we haven’t seen since James returned to Cleveland in 2014. In their last three first-round series, the Cavs have swept the Celtics, Pistons, and – one year ago – the Pacers.

Of course, these Pacers are a much different team than the squad swept out of the postseason a year ago. Victor Oladipo looked like the best player on the floor on Sunday, and players like Myles Turner, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Lance Stephenson looked great in supporting roles. This Pacers team was overlooked and underappreciated all season, and appear poised to give the Cavs all they can handle in round one.

The other Game 1 upset occurred in Portland, where the Pelicans edged out a two-point win over the Trail Blazers. Anthony Davis (35 points, 14 rebounds) was the best player on the court in that game, but Jrue Holiday‘s impact shouldn’t be understated. Besides posting 21 points and seven assists, Holiday also locked up Damian Lillard on the other end of the court — Lillard made just six of 23 shots.

The Pelicans don’t have a whole lot of standout talent behind Davis and Holiday, but Nikola Mirotic (16 points, 11 rebounds) stepped up as a reliable third option on Saturday. If he – or another Pelican – can continue to support Davis and Holiday throughout the series, New Orleans should have a chance.

Elsewhere, the Raptors, Rockets, and Thunder had to battle to the end to hold off the Wizards, Timberwolves, and Jazz, respectively, but came away with Game 1 victories. The Bucks pushed the Celtics to overtime before losing Eric Bledsoe and Giannis Antetokounmpo to foul problems and ultimately losing the game. None of those four favorites is a mortal lock to advance, though Houston is probably close.

The Warriors and Sixers took care of business with comfortable wins over the Spurs and Heat, respectively.

What do you think? Will we see an upset – or multiple upsets – in the first round of the postseason? Which lower-seeded teams do you think look like the best bets to advance to round two?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Kawhi Leonard Expected To Miss Remainder Of Postseason

April 15th, 2018 at 6:50pm CST by marksuleymanov

Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss the remainder of the postseason with the intent of fully rehabilitating his injured right quadriceps, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports.

We noted earlier today that Leonard has remained in New York to continue his rehab in hopes of returning this season. However, it appears that after months of speculation, Leonard’s 2017/18 season is over and his future in San Antonio becomes the focal point.

The 26-year-old appeared in just nine games this season, averaging 16.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.3 APG in 23.3 minutes per contest. Leonard missed the first 27 games of the season, then appeared in nine midseason contests, suffering a partial tear in his left shoulder in early January. He has not played since January 13 as he rehabs his right quadriceps tendinopathy.

Leonard finished third in NBA Most Valuable Player voting last season behind winner Russell Westbrook and runner-up James Harden.

Without Leonard, the Spurs still made the postseason as the seventh seed with a 47-35 record. San Antonio suffered a 113-92 Game 1 defeat to the Warriors on Saturday and will have to battle Golden State without their two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Conspicuously, Leonard has been largely absent from the Spurs during his rehab. Just today, head coach Gregg Popovich said that Leonard would only return once his group of doctors and associates deem him ready.

“You’ll have to ask Kawhi and his group that question…so far they say he’s not ready to go. So we can’t do anything until that happens. Then we would have to decide what’s going on from there. But that’s the first thing that has to happen.” Popovich said.

It seemed that Leonard’s situation reached a boiling point in late March when a team meeting was held in which his teammates asked him about his status. While the meeting was not tense, according to several reports, Leonard’s teammates left without a clear indication of his situation.

Leonard can hit free agency next summer, where he will have no shortage of suitors. However, given his frustrating season in San Antonio, reports have suggested that teams will inquire about his availability in trades this offseason. Yesterday, the Clippers emerged as a potential trade partner for the Los Angeles native.

While there’s a chance Leonard will never play for the Spurs again, his extensive rehab suggests he wants to be healthy for his next NBA game — whenever and wherever that game takes place.

Popovich On Kawhi's Return: Ask Kawhi And His Group

April 15th, 2018 at 3:36pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Spurs lost Game 1 against the Warriors without Kawhi Leonard‘s services at their disposal and coach Gregg Popovich was asked if could see the 2016/17 MVP candidate returning for this season’s playoff run.

Rumblings of his rift with the organization continue to linger over the team with veteran Pau Gasol recently telling the media that many of the San Antonio’s players haven’t seen Leonard in weeks. Several teams are keeping tabs on the situation and we learned this weekend that the Clippers will be among the teams with a trade offer should the Spurs put Leonard on the trade market.

Game 2 of the Spurs-Warriors series will be held on Monday. As the teams await the contest, let’s take a look at some notes from other playoff squads.

Hornets Granted Permission To Interview Ettore Messina

April 15th, 2018 at 12:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets plan to interview Spurs assistant Ettore Messina for their head coaching vacancy, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. San Antonio has granted permission for Messina to interview with Charlotte.

Messina, who has been with the Spurs for the past four seasons, has experience working with new Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak when they were both with the Lakers. Messina served as a consultant for coach Mike Brown during the 2011/12 season.

Although there has been speculation about other candidates, Messina is the first name to emerge in an interview capacity since the Hornets fired Steve Clifford on Friday. A long-time international coach, Messina has been in the running for several NBA head coaching opportunities in recent years.

Messina was named best coach in the Italian League three times and is a two-time winner of EuroLeague Coach of the Year. He was named to the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Clippers Planning Trade Offer For Kawhi Leonard

April 14th, 2018 at 7:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers will among the teams ready to pounce if the Spurs decide to trade Kawhi Leonard this summer, reports Sam Amick of USA Today.

Leonard would offer L.A. a chance to rebuild quickly after missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. Clippers consultant Jerry West is known to be a huge fan of Leonard, who grew up in Moreno Valley near Los Angeles. Amick speculates that the team would be willing to part with both first rounders in this year’s draft (its own, plus the Pistons’ pick if it falls outside the top four), along with whatever else is necessary to land Leonard.

Speculation about Leonard’s future in San Antonio increased today when he didn’t join the team for its playoff opener at Golden State. Leonard recently made his second trip of the season to New York to consult with his personal physicians about a lingering quad injury, and Pau Gasol said Spurs players haven’t seen their teammate for several weeks.

Leonard has remained in contact with several players and texted at least one of them this morning, Amick notes, but his absence enforced the idea that his behind-the-scenes relationship with the organization isn’t good, especially when contrasted with injured Warriors’ star Stephen Curry sitting alongside his teammates and supporting them throughout the game.

Twitter was filled with comments from media members and Spurs fans blasting Leonard for his absence, relays Chris Quinn of The San Antonio Express-News.

Leonard, who played just nine games this season, will be eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension this summer that would pay him $219MM over five seasons. He can opt out of his current deal and become a free agent in 2019, so the Spurs may decide to move him if they can’t work out an extension.

2018 NBA Draft Order Tiebreaker Results

April 13th, 2018 at 4:49pm CST by Austin Kent

After a series of tiebreakers were conducted Friday night, the lottery odds for the NBA Draft have been finalized. Similarly, the draft order for teams outside of the lottery has been decided as well.

While a total of four two-way ties and one four-way tie were all broken by coin toss, the biggest winner of the night would have to be the Mavs who will now officially boast the third-greatest odds when the lottery is drawn on May 15.

Although the Hawks equaled Dallas in futility, both teams limited to 24 wins on the year, they’ll slot in one spot behind them at No. 4. That means, if neither team secures a top-three pick when the lottery results are revealed, they’ll just pick after them, the same as if they had won one more game. Both teams, however, will have nearly identical odds (13.7% versus 13.8%) of securing a top-three pick in the lottery.

The Bulls also won big today, edging out the Kings for the No. 6 spot. Sacramento will have an identical shot at landing at top-three pick, however.

The four-way tie between Utah, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Indiana ended with the Thunder at No. 20, the Jazz at No. 21, the Pelicans at No. 22 and the Pacers at No. 23.

That Oklahoma City pick will head to Minnesota while the 22nd pick will go straight to the Bulls as part of the Nikola Mirotic deal.

The Heat won the tiebreaker for the the 16th pick, ahead of the Bucks, and will send that to Phoenix as part of the Goran Dragic trade back in 2015.

Milwaukee claiming the No. 17 pick is particularly interesting since, had they won the tiebreaker, they would have had to flip the pick to the Suns as part of the Greg Monroe trade. Since they didn’t, they’ll keep the pick and send a protected first-rounder in 2019, so long as it falls between 4-16.

The Spurs won the coin toss between themselves and the Timberwolves and will now pick at No. 18. Minnesota’s 19th pick will go to Atlanta as part of a 2015 Adreian Payne trade.

As is always the case, the loser of any tiebreaker will end up with the better pick in the second round. In the event of the four-way tie, all four teams will simply be flipped, giving the Pacers the 50th pick and so on.

Here’s a rundown of what the draft order currently looks like, prior to the results of the May lottery.

Pick	Team
1	Suns
2	Grizzlies
3	Mavs
4	Hawks
5	Magic
6	Bulls
7	Kings
8	Cavaliers
9	Knicks
10	76ers
11	Hornets
12	Clippers
13	Clippers
14	Nuggets
15	Wizards
16	Suns
17	Bucks
18	Spurs
19	Hawks
20	Wolves
21	Jazz
22	Bulls
23	Pacers
24	Trail Blazers
25	Lakers
26	76ers
27	Celtics
28	Warriors
29	Nets
30	Hawks

Stephen Curry Targeting Second-Round Return

April 13th, 2018 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Curry, who remains sidelined with an MCL injury, will look to get back on the court sometime during the Western Conference Semifinals, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Curry, who sprained his left MCL sprain in March, was initially ruled out at least three weeks, and his three-week re-evaluation will occur this Saturday, as Charania observes. While the two-time MVP had wanted to return for the Warriors’ first-round series, it sounds like he’ll remain on the shelf for at least a couple more weeks.

That timeline matches up with comments made by head coach Steve Kerr in the wake of Curry’s initial diagnosis. Kerr told reporters at the time that there was “no way” Curry would play in the first round, while the star guard responded to those comments by saying he hoped to prove his coach wrong.

Assuming Curry isn’t able to play until the second round, the Warriors will have to get by the Spurs without him in round one. For their part, the Spurs appear likely to take the court without their own star — no recent updates have been provided on Kawhi Leonard, who last played three months ago today, on January 13.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 4/12/18

April 12th, 2018 at 10:13pm CST by marksuleymanov

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

The Spurs recalled guard Derrick White from their G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, for the final time this season, the team announced in a press release. White helped lead Austin to the 2018 G League Championship over the Raptors 905. White averaged 24.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.75 SPG and 1.75 BPG during Austin’s G League postseason run. In 17 games with the Spurs, White averaged 3.2 PPG and 1.5 RPG.

Ginobili Not Guaranteed To Return For 17th NBA Season

April 12th, 2018 at 10:04pm CST by marksuleymanov

Manu Ginobili has been a member of the Spurs for his entire 16-year NBA career and it’s far from a guarantee that he returns for a 17th season. As Ginobili prepares for the postseason, his teammates and coaches are enjoying his presence and contributions while they still can, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes in a lengthy feature.

The 40-year-old played in 65 games off the bench for the Spurs this season, averaging a modest 8.9 PPG and 2.5 RPG. However, his impact in his native Argentina and as a member of the Spurs in San Antonio has resonated for nearly two decades. Head coach Gregg Popovich is among those who tries to honor Ginobili’s career as it winds down.

When Kyrie Irving demanded a trade last offseason, the Spurs were one of four teams that Irving was reportedly interested in. However, in retrospect, not making a trade for the All-Star point guard was a good move, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News opines. While Irving’s talent made a trade enticing, his recent season-ending knee surgery paired with Kawhi Leonard‘s lost season would have made for a disappointing year, Finger writes.

Details On Traded Picks, Upcoming Draft Tiebreakers

April 12th, 2018 at 12:20am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2017/18 NBA regular season in the books, the postseason matchups are set in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

More importantly for fans of most non-playoff teams, the end of the regular season means that the 2018 NBA draft picture is clearer than ever. The 2018 draft order is close to being set and – with a small handful of exceptions – most of this year’s traded draft picks with protections on them have now officially changed hands or officially stayed put.

However, there are still some major question marks surrounding the draft order, since several clubs finished the regular season with identical records, and draft tiebreakers don’t work like playoff tiebreakers do. In order to break these ties, the NBA will conduct random drawings this Friday, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN notes (via Twitter).

[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Reverse Standings]

For lottery teams, such as the 24-58 Mavericks and Hawks, who finished tied for third in the lottery standings, the implications of those drawings are huge. Whichever team wins that tiebreaker will have ever-so-slightly better odds at the first overall pick (13.8% to 13.7%), and will be in position to claim the higher first-round pick if neither team lands in the top three.

For instance, if the Suns and Grizzlies remain at No. 1 and No. 2 in the lottery and another team leapfrogs the Mavs and Hawks, the winner of the tiebreaker between Dallas and Atlanta would claim the No. 4 overall pick — the loser would get No. 5. For the second round, the loser of the tiebreaker would receive the higher selection.

Here are the draft tiebreakers that will be conducted on Friday:

Mavericks vs. Hawks for Nos. 3, 4.
Kings vs. Bulls for Nos. 6, 7.
Bucks vs. Heat for Nos. 16, 17.
Spurs vs. Timberwolves for Nos. 18, 19.
Pacers vs. Pelicans vs. Thunder vs. Jazz for Nos. 20-23.

Several of those tiebreakers will also affect this year’s traded picks. Most notably, the Bucks/Heat drawing has massive implications for Milwaukee and Phoenix — the Bucks’ first-round pick will head to the Suns if it lands at No. 16, but Milwaukee would keep it if it ends up at No. 17. In other words, each team has a 50/50 shot at the pick. If the Bucks keep it, they’d owe their 2019 first-round selection to Phoenix, albeit with somewhat similar protections.

Here’s a breakdown of the traded first-round picks for 2018. A check mark indicates the pick will definitely be sent to the indicated team:

Nets pick to Cavaliers (✔️): Eighth in lottery standings
Lakers pick to Sixers (97.1%) or Celtics (2.9%): 10th in lottery standings
- Note: Celtics will receive pick if it lands at No. 2 or No. 3 via the lottery.
Pistons pick to Clippers (97.5%): 12th in lottery standings
- Note: Pistons will keep pick if it lands in top three via the lottery.
Heat pick to Suns (✔️): No. 16 or 17 (tie)
Bucks pick to Suns (50%): No. 16 or 17 (tie)
- Note: Bucks will keep pick if it lands at No. 17 via a random drawing.
Timberwolves pick to Hawks (✔️): No. 18 or 19 (tie)
Thunder pick to Timberwolves (✔️): No. 20, 21, 22, or 23 (four-way tie)
Pelicans pick to Bulls (✔️): No. 20, 21, 22, or 23 (four-way tie)
Cavaliers pick to Lakers (✔️): No. 25
Raptors pick to Nets (✔️): No. 29
Rockets pick to Hawks (✔️): No. 30

Here’s a breakdown of the traded second-round picks that will change hands in 2018:

Bulls pick to Knicks (✔️): No. 36 or 37 (tie)
Nets pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 38
Knicks pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 39
Lakers pick to Nets (✔️): No. 40
Hornets pick to Magic (✔️): No. 41
Clippers pick to Nuggets (✔️): No. 43
Bucks pick to Nets (✔️): No. 45 or 46 (tie)
Heat pick to Rockets (✔️): No. 45 or 46 (tie)
Nuggets pick to Lakers (✔️): No. 47
Trail Blazers pick to Mavericks (✔️): No. 54
Cavaliers pick to Hornets (✔️): No. 55
Celtics pick to Thunder (✔️): No. 57
Warriors pick to Nuggets (✔️): No. 58
Raptors pick to Suns (✔️): No. 59
Rockets pick to Sixers (✔️): No. 60