- His minutes have decreased but Spurs guard Jonathon Simmons isn’t in Gregg Popovich‘s dog house. The head coach told Tom Osborn of My San Antonio that the 27-year-old hasn’t done anything wrong.
Kevin Durant believes it’s unfair to criticize the top players for sitting out games, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays. “The truth about it is, it’s only for a couple of players in the league,” Durant told Haynes. “They don’t care if the 13th man on the bench rests. It’s only for like [LeBron James], [Stephen Curry], [James Harden], [Russell Westbrook]. It’s only for like five players. So you want a rule just for those five players?”
“It’s hard for you to just craft a rule out for the top players. I’ve seen guys that’s not even in the playoffs resting, sitting out for the rest of the season. And it’s nothing against those guys. I’m not trying to bash them or anything. [Suns center] Tyson Chandler is out. They got him sitting out for the rest of the year. I’m sure he wants to play, but they’re not saying anything about Tyson Chandler, so it’s hard for me to really talk about this. It’s not a league-wide rule. It’s not a league-wide concern.”
Durant added that he empathizes with fans who miss out on seeing their favorite player when they come to the arena. “I see it from the fans’ perspective and the players’ perspective,” Durant said. “I’m caught right in the middle.”
While the 2013/14 league MVP feels bad for those fans who show up the arena, he gives the situation some perspective.
“On the other hand, there’s a lot of people that can’t even afford tickets to the game. So, I kind of feel sorry for you, but then I don’t when I look at it that way,” he added. “Your parents spend hard-earned money, I understand you want to see your favorite players, but there’s some people who don’t even get a chance to watch a game live.”
Durant hasn’t played since February because of a knee injury, but the team recently announced that he has made “very good progress.” The small forward could see court-time again before the end of the season.
While we wait for Durant to get healthy so his fans can see him play, check out some notes from around the league:
- ESPN.com examined every front office in the league and ranked them from top to bottom based on the guidance and leadership each organization provides and how it affects success on the court. Unsurprisingly, team president Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford received the highest mark. Which team received the worst mark? The Kings came in slightly below the Knicks for worst front office in the league.
- Thunder assistant GM Mike Winger, Spurs assistant GM Brian Wright, Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon are among the executives who are viewed as potential nominees for GM roles should they become available, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writes. Arnovitz adds that Wright may be a few seasons away from landing a gig, but those within the league believe he has what it takes to do the job well.
- JK Management announced that it will hold the first annual Professional Basketball Combine at IMG Academy. The PBC will take place in the days following the league’s official combine in Chicago.
- Speaking of future head coaches, commissioner Adam Silver believes a woman will coach an NBA team at some point, and wouldn’t mind seeing it happen sooner rather than later, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com outlines. Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is currently viewed as the top candidate to break that barrier.
- Silver got involved last week in the league-wide debate over resting healthy players, calling it a “significant issue” and suggesting that there will be penalties for teams who don’t provide sufficient notice when resting stars. In the view of Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, Silver’s involvement in the issue could create a “slippery slope” that contributes to undermining relationships around the NBA. Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com has the details, including the quotes from Popovich.
- An ESPN.com panel is ranking each of the NBA’s front offices, assigning grades to each club’s coach, GM, and owner. The full list can be found right here, from the Spurs at No. 1 to the Knicks at No. 30.
The Spurs signed Pau Gasol to a two-year, $30MM deal over the summer and he began the year in the starting lineup, something he’s done at every stop during his career. Yet, since coming back from a hand injury in February, he’s come off the bench. That’s not something that bothers the big man; he’s more concerned with winning.
“Right now we’re the second-best record in the league and we’re in a good spot,” Gasol said (via Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press). “That was the key reason why I came here.”
His 3-point range is giving the Spurs exactly what they need as they get set for another playoff run. He’s taking more shots from behind the arc (making 53,5% of them) than he has during any season in his entire career. “I’m trying to survive in this league that is evolving continuously,” Gasol said recently. Gasol’s ability to shoot from long-range has allowed LaMarcus Aldridge to thrive from inside the arc, Krawczynski notes.
Gregg Popovich didn’t intend for Gasol to play away from the basketball as much. “We didn’t sit him down and say now Pau, part of your role is going to be [shooting 3s],” Popovich said. “But it’s sort of evolved with the spacing and the way we do things with LaMarcus out there. It just evolved that way. He’s been successful at it so we just kind of let it roll.”
Gasol’s contract contains a player option for the 2017/18 campaign, meaning the Spaniard ostensibly could become a free agent again this offseason. However, it was previously reported that he intends to opt in and stay with the team. “My intention is to continue here, and to be here as long as I can,” Gasol said earlier this season.
The former No. 3 overall pick has been a great fit in San Antonio. He’s helped the team claim a record of 57-16, which is the second-best mark in the league.
The only team with a better record: the Warriors. The Spurs are one of two franchises that Golden State has not beaten this season (the Wizards are the other team, though the Warriors host them next weekend). The Spurs won the first two meetings and they’ll play again on Wednesday night. If San Antonio makes it three straight against the defending Western Conference champs, Gasol may not get much attention, but he’ll deserve credit for how he’s altered his game for the betterment of the team.
Here are Monday’s D-League assignment and recalls from around the league:
- The Sixers recalled Tiago Splitter from the Delaware 87ers, according to the team’s website. Splitter was acquired by Philadelphia in the Ersan Ilyasova trade at this year’s trade deadline.
- The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate, the Raptors 905, per the team’s Twitter feed. Caboclo has played a total of 89 NBA minutes since being selected with the 20th pick in the 2014 draft.
- The Spurs have recalled Davis Bertans and Bryn Forbes from the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. Both players were sent down to the D-League on Sunday.
MARCH 27: Hammon has turned down Florida’s offer and will remain with the Spurs, sources tell Mike Robinson of Swish Appeal.
MARCH 24: Spurs assistant coach and WNBA legend Becky Hammon is considering a lucrative offer to coach women’s basketball at the University of Florida, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Per Wojnarowski, Hammon’s offer would be a considerable raise from her current salary with the Spurs.
Currently in her third year as an assistant coach, Hammon aspires to be the NBA’s first female head coach; a factor which makes the Gators’ offer a dilemma.
Hammon’s 16-year WNBA career reached a conclusion after the 2014 season. David Lee, a member of the Spurs who attended University of Florida, vouched for Hammon as a potential boon for the program.
“If anybody’s going to do it, it would be her,” Lee told ESPN. “Knowing the makeup of the campus and how the women’s basketball is there, she’d be a great fit.”
Likely further complicating Hammon’s decision is her close relationship with Gregg Popovich. Hammon has spoken highly of the three-time Coach of the Year, crediting him with her opportunity to coach in the NBA.
“I’m not here unless Coach Pop kind of sees me genderless — he sees me as a person that knows basketball,” Hammon said on the NBA’s YouTube channel. “He didn’t care that I was a woman. What he cared about was, can I help the team and will I do a good job. Pop leaned in for me, big time. You know, I might have been the tool, but Pop, he thrust me through that ceiling. The fact that he invited me into their inner-circle was a huge vote of confidence, and I do believe leadership knows no gender.”
Check out Sunday’s D-League assignment and recalls:
- The Pistons have recalled Henry Ellenson from their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets. Beard notes that the rookie will be available for Detroit’s matchup with the Knicks on Monday.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Larry Sanders to the Canton Charge, per Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (Twitter link). Sanders has only seen two minutes of action for Cleveland this season.
- The Spurs have assigned Davis Bertans and Bryn Forbes to the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. Bertans has appeared in three games for San Antonio’s D-League affiliate, while Forbes has seen action in 18 contests.
- The Mavericks have recalled Manny Harris and Jarrod Uthoff from the Texas Legends, Earl K. Sneed of Fox Sports tweets. Both players will see their respective 10-day contracts with Dallas expire at the end of the day on Tuesday.
- The Rockets have recalled Chinanu Onuaku, Isaiah Taylor and Troy Williams from their D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, per the team’s Twitter feed.
- The Grizzlies have recall Wade Baldwin and Deyonta Davis from the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. Baldwin has played in 33 D-League games this season, while Davis has seen action in 11 contests.
- The Pelicans recalled Cheick Diallo from Greensboro, the team announced through a press release. Diallo, who has averaged 22.3 points over his last three D-League games, will be available for tonight’s match-up with Denver.
- Asked once again about the possibility of eventually returning to Barcelona to finish his basketball career, Pau Gasol reiterated that it’s unlikely, per CCMA.cat (via Sportando). However, Gasol didn’t completely rule out the idea. We recently identified Gasol’s 2017/18 player option with the Spurs as one of several offseason decisions to watch.
- As Jeff Garcia of News 4 San Antonio details, Manu Ginobili recently hinted in an interview with LU2 Radio Bahia Blanca in Argentina that this season could be his last in the NBA. While the longtime Spurs guard didn’t explicitly state that he plans to retire this summer, he admitted that he doesn’t think his career will “go much longer” as his 40th birthday nears. “Now, basketball is not a priority and I live more peacefully,” Ginobili said. “My priority is my family, my children.”
Tony Parker spoke about his role on the Spurs with Jabari Young of MySanAntonio.com, saying he’s “blessed” to still have fun playing the game.
“Guys have worse (injuries); you know? Knees, Achilles, stuff like that,” Parker said. “I’ve been playing for 16 years. All season long for the Spurs, and then all summer internationally. And the way I play, with speed and going into the trees (the paint), getting hit so many times and going to the ground so many times, I feel very blessed to still be out there.”
Parker realizes his limitations at 34 years old, unable to fill the stat sheet the way he did in 2008/09, when he averaged 22 PPG with 6.9 APG. Nevertheless, Parker occupies an important spot in Gregg Popovich‘s rotation, and will be relied upon as San Antonio continues its march toward the postseason.
“It obviously helps if I play well,” said Parker. “I love it. I think the evolution in anybody’s career is, as you get older, you have to adjust to who is the main guys on your team. Try to be a factor just like Manu (Ginobili) did. Just like Timmy (Duncan] did. I just try and do the same thing.”
More from around the Southwest…
- Having now won four of their last five, the Pelicans are starting to gel offensively, William Guillory of NOLA.com writes. The Pels have reason for optimism following their winning stretch, but must keep up their pace with only 12 games left in the regular season. “When all three of us are playing well like that, we’re tough to beat,” said Anthony Davis, referring to himself, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jrue Holiday. “Guys are stepping up and making big plays, especially at the right time. Guys are doing things that we need them to do. I just feel like we’re gelling and clicking at the right time.”
- Grizzlies coach David Fizdale told Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal that Memphis’ signing of Wayne Selden was a result of Chandler Parsons‘ season-ending injury. Selden, who had most recently received NBA minutes with the Pelicans, was signed to a multiyear contract.
- While there’s no “magic wand” to fix the Mavericks‘ problems, there are adjustments Rick Carlisle can make, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas News writes. “Philly’s a team you can learn from,” Carlisle said of Dallas’ recent blowout loss to the Sixers. “They win their games on sheer persistence and hard play. And that’s what’s gotten us wins when we’ve been successful over the last two months. We took a pretty significant step back last night. We watched film. We saw the nightmare of last night. It’s pretty clear we’ve got to adjust our disposition. And we’ve got to move the ball better.”
Out of action since March 9, Spurs guard Dejounte Murray could actually miss two-to-three more weeks with a pelvic bone injury, Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. That leaves veterans Tony Parker and Patty Mills to man the point guard position for the bulk of the remaining season.
Although the San Antonio Express-News’ Melissa Rohlin adds that head coach Gregg Popovich was surprised at the severity of the issue, the franchise has elected to play it safe with the rookie guard as the postseason approaches. The decision to hold Murray out for the extended period of time comes after an MRI.
Murray has shown flashes of potential over the course of the season but has also spent 15 games in the D-League. Regardless of how exactly they’ll deploy the 20-year-old when he’s available, his presence as an option in the backcourt will serve Popovich well at the tail end of the season should the established recovery timeline hold up.
In 8.5 minutes per game for the Spurs, Murray has averaged 3.5 points.