San Antonio Spurs Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mills Replaces Green As Starter

February 28th, 2018 at 9:37pm CST by clarkcrum

The Grizzlies are on a 10-game losing streak and Marc Gasol is admittedly highly frustrated, he tells Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. As he sees it, the NBA is about winning, not about getting more repetitions for younger players or player development, which, in Gasol’s view, should be left to the G League. In a piece for Yahoo Sports, Chris Mannix adds that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledges the frustration that Gasol is experiencing.

“A guy as competitive as he is, and a guy who every day matters to him, whether it’s practice, drill work, three-on-three, he’s trying to win… A guy who is so unselfish, he doesn’t care how many points he scores. The only thing that matters to him are wins and losses. I think we all understand and appreciate guys who are that way. There’s no doubt about it, it’s frustrating for him.”

Despite the frustration, Gasol is trying to improve different areas of his game, says Bickerstaff.

“He’s working on different parts of his game. The way teams are playing, you don’t see a ton of post-up opportunities any more, (so) he’s working on his face-up game, he’s working on a different array of shots, in the paint, how he gets to those spots, things like that. Playing from the perimeter, being able to attack off the catch versus other big guys. Those things we’ve seen him be able to implement. He’s been able to implement them quick. As soon as he puts his mind to it, he can add it that night.”

There’s more news out of the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have the best record in the NBA and are currently one game ahead of second-place Golden State in the loss column. FiveThirtyEight gives them the best odds (40%) of winning the NBA title. And as MVP-favorite James Harden sees it, “this is (Houston’s) year”, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Spurs guard Patty Mills has replaced incumbent Danny Green in the starting lineup for now, reports Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. As is typical for head coach Gregg Popovich, he wouldn’t elaborate on the change, but Mills appears to give the Spurs a bit more offensive firepower in the first unit, while Green improves the second-unit’s defensive presence.
Mavericks big man Dwight Powell is making a case to be the team’s primary center moving forward, opines Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Averaging 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest over the last seven games, Powell excels at playing hard. “(T)he thing I like about Powell is you’re going to get unconditional, boundless energy and the highest of high-care factors when it comes to the team,” said head coach Rick Carlisle.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/27/18

February 27th, 2018 at 5:00pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.

The Spurs recalled rookie guard Derrick White from the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. He has averaged 16.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 15 games with Austin.
The Heat have recalled guard Rodney McGruder from their G League affiliate, the Sioux City Skyforce, the team announced in a press release. McGruder has not appeared in a regular season game after undergoing surgery on a left tibia stress fracture in mid-October. He appeared in two G League games last week.
The Jazz assigned center Tony Bradley and guard Naz Mitrou-Long to their affiliate in Salt Lake City, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

Kawhi Leonard Eyes March Return

February 27th, 2018 at 2:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 27: Although he didn’t participate in the team portion of today’s workout session, Leonard returned to the Spurs’ practice facility on Tuesday, reports Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. As McDonald details, Leonard has suggested in conversations with teammates that he intends to return to the court this season.

“He said he’ll be back, so we knew he was going to be back eventually at some point — playing-wise, not just being around,” Danny Green said. “If he’s that confident mentally, I know he’s going to get the work done to get it done physically.”

McDonald suggests that a “soft target date” for Leonard’s return could land sometime as early as the Spurs’ mid-March road trip to Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Houston.

FEBRUARY 26: Kawhi Leonard plans to start working out again with the Spurs this week with the aim of returning to action in March, Michael C. Wright and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN report.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise since Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said last week that he’d be surprised if Leonard played again this season, even though the star forward has been medically cleared to play. Leonard has been nagged by a right quad injury that has limited him to nine games this season. He just returned to San Antonio after spending three weeks in New York, seeking further medical opinions on his injury, the ESPN duo continues.

Leonard isn’t expected to immediately start engaging in full five-on-five practices, league sources told ESPN. But he hopes to get to that level in near future. Leonard had been working out at the Players Association headquarters gymnasium, the ESPN report adds.

Friction has developed between Leonard and the organization over his ability to play with the injury, according to the report. That has caused concern within the organization over Leonard’s desire to stay there when he could enter free agency in the summer in 2019.

Can Dejounte Murray Become Next Great Spur?

February 26th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

With Tony Parker averaging a career-low 20.6 minutes per game and Kawhi Leonard appearing in just nine contests this season, the Spurs have had to lean on other players, including Dejounte Murray. The second-year point guard has been a starter since January 21, averaging 26.2 minutes per game since then. Michael C. Wright of ESPN takes an in-depth look at Murray, exploring whether he has the potential to become one of the next great Spurs.

Cavaliers Notes: Thomas, LeBron, Hill, Leonard

February 25th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Isaiah Thomas believes the Cavaliers panicked when they sent him to the Lakers as part of a flurry of deals at the trade deadline, according to an ESPN story. Thomas, who was acquired from the Celtics in the offseason, played just 15 games for the Cavs before being sent to L.A.

“It was a tough situation I was being put in,” Thomas said. “It was — it was different. … It’s hard to get acclimated to a team halfway through the season. People don’t put in there that we had eight or nine new players. So it was basically a brand new team. … I’m in a new system. New team, new coach, new players. And then I’ve been off for seven months. So I got to get — individually, I got to for the most part get my rhythm back, get my timing back.”

Thomas, who will be a free agent this summer, said he has no hard feelings about his time in Cleveland and he is concentrating on his future with his new team. He added that he plans to “play my heart out and show the Lakers why I should be here long term.”

There’s more out of Cleveland:

LeBron James was revitalized by the trades because he knew he wouldn’t have to share the ball anymore with Thomas or Dwyane Wade, writes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. He adds that James prefers to control as much as he can, both on and off the court, and now has the freedom to initiate the offense any time he wants. Pluto has noticed a difference in James’ play and his on-court demeanor since he found out the trades were coming on the night before the deadline.
The addition of George Hill and Larry Nance Jr. has provided the defensive spark the Cavaliers needed, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The Cavs turned in one of their best performances of the season Saturday, holding the Grizzlies to 89 points while registering 13 steals and 35 points off 23 turnovers. “Obviously G. Hill’s hands, Larry’s length and athleticism allows us to kind of keep everything at bay,” James said. “Our league is all pick and roll. So when you’ve got a point guard and a center that can play two on two and the other three can kind of stay at bay, it helps out everybody.”
The Cavaliers would be very interested if the Spurs decide to part with star forward Kawhi Leonard, writes Sam Amico of AmicoHoops. Leonard reportedly has a strained relationship with the organization related to his lingering quad injury. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed this week that Leonard has been medically cleared to play, but is choosing to sit out until the pain subsides. Amico speculates that Cleveland would be willing to give up the unprotected pick it owns from Brooklyn as the centerpiece of a deal for Leonard.

Tony Parker Adjusts To Reserve Role

February 24th, 2018 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tells Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News that he likes the way veteran point guard Tony Parker has adapted to a reserve role since Dejounte Murray was named the starter last month. Now 35 and in the final year of his contract, Parker has adopted a new routine to keep him ready to come off the bench. “Tony has handled it fantastically well,” Popovich said. “He’s been a really mature, high-character guy. He understands what’s best for a basketball team.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/23/18

February 23rd, 2018 at 5:22pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.

The Lakers recalled rookie center Thomas Bryant from the South Bay Lakers, according to the G League team’s Twitter feed. Thomas has averaged 19.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 28 games with South Bay.
The Magic reassigned forward Jonathan Isaac to their Lakeland affiliate, according to Orlando’s PR Twitter. Isaac, who missed almost three months with an ankle injury, is expected to see his first game action this weekend for the G League squad.
The Spurs assigned rookie guard Derrick White to the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. He has averaged 15.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.6 APG in 13 games with Austin.
The Suns assigned Davon Reed to the Northern Arizona Suns, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports. In seven games with the G League squad, Reed has averaged 10.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
The Cavaliers assigned guard Marcus Thornton to the G League’s Canton Charge, according to a team press release. Thornton has averaged 18.8 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 37 games with Canton.
The Thunder have assigned center Dakari Johnson to the G League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue, per a team press release. Johnson has appeared in five games with the Blue, averaging 24.2 PPG and 10.4 RPG.

Southwest Notes: Leonard, Okafor, Benson, Grizzlies

February 22nd, 2018 at 10:55pm CST by marksuleymanov

The strange injury situation with the Spurs and superstar Kawhi Leonard took an unexpected turn earlier this week. Head coach Gregg Popovich said that it is unlikely that Leonard returns this season. A separate report indicated that Leonard — who has been medically cleared to resume his return — has personally made the decision to remain inactive.

Leonard, last year’s third-place finisher in MVP voting, has missed all but nine games this season. The Spurs have not missed much of a step without Leonard, wielding the third-best record in the Western Conference (35-24). Leonard’s longtime teammate and Spurs legend, Manu Ginobili, weighed in on the situation.

“Nobody is in his body,” Ginobili said, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (via Twitter). “He feels the way he feels and we don’t know. Yeah, we know he has been cleared. But, again, if he is feeling pain, isn’t sure, he is not ready to come back, then he’s not.”

Check out other Southwest Division notes:

Emeka Okafor has fought his way back to the NBA and earned a pair of 10-day contracts with the Pelicans, Rod Walker of The New Orleans Advocate writes that Okafor, a former second overall pick, is glad to be back in the league. “It’s been an awesome ride so far,” Okafor said. ” I’m happy to be here trying to earn my way back in. Now that I’m back, it feels good and it feels natural. I’m going to keep on going until I’m told otherwise.”
Pelicans owner Tom Benson was recently admitted to a Louisiana medical facility after experiencing flu-like symptoms, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Benson, 90, is resting comfortably and is receiving top-notch care, per the statement.
The Grizzlies are finishing up a poor season that will not end in a postseason berth, but the team – led by veteran Marc Gasol and interim head coach J.B Bickerstaff – wants to finish the year well, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal writes.

Kawhi Leonard Choosing To Remain Inactive?

February 21st, 2018 at 7:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard has received medical clearance to return from a quad injury, but has made a decision to remain inactive, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Leonard met with a specialist in New York prior to the All-Star Game to get a second opinion on the right quad tendinopathy problem that has sidelined him for all but nine games this season. Sources told Wojnarowski that the decision on when Leonard will return is entirely up to him, and his comfort level with the injury will determine whether he plays again this season (Twitter link).

Earlier, we relayed the news that San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich told reporters tonight that he doesn’t expect Leonard back before the season ends. This report from Woj sheds some light on why he made those comments.

During his 10 days in New York, Leonard held workouts at the gym inside NBPA headquarters with representatives from the Spurs on hand to watch him in action.

Sources have told Wojnarowski that Leonard’s prolonged absence has caused stress within the organization, and the deteriorating relationship between the team and its star player could affect his decision when free agency arrives in 2019.

Popovich: Kawhi Leonard May Be Out For The Season

February 21st, 2018 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters he will be surprised if Kawhi Leonard returns to action before the end of the season, tweets Michael C. Wright of ESPN.

“We only have X number of games left in the season and he’s still not ready to go,” Popovich says in a video tweeted by Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. “If by some chance he is, it’s going to be pretty late into the season and it’s going to be a tough decision, you know, how late you bring somebody back. That’s why I’m just trying to be honest and logical. I’ll be surprised if he gets back this year.”

Leonard missed the first two months of the season with a lingering quad injury, then was shut down by the team after appearing in just nine games. He was originally expected to miss just the preseason when the injury was discovered at an intersquad scrimmage in late September, but his debut date kept getting pushed back.

Tensions over the injury and the prolonged recovery process have reportedly led to some behind-the-scenes discord between Leonard and the organization. ESPN reported last month that a rift has developed between Leonard’s camp and San Antonio’s front office.

Leonard is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 25.5 points per game and finishing third in last year’s MVP voting. The Spurs had been hoping he could return for a late-season playoff push, but now that appears unlikely. San Antonio entered the All-Star break in third place in the Western Conference, but two games ahead of the ninth-place Clippers in the loss column.

“We’ve got to move on,” Popovich added. “The team has to realize this is who we have, this is who we are, this is who’s going to play, and wishing and hoping doesn’t do anybody any good.”