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Clippers/Lakers To Headline NBA’s 2019 Christmas Day Schedule

August 2nd, 2019 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has set its Christmas Day schedule for the 2019/20 season, according to reports from multiple ESPN writers. Adrian Wojnarowski, Tim Bontemps, and Malika Andrews have details on the five games set for December 25, 2019.

While the order and times of the games haven’t yet been confirmed, these are the five matchups we’ll see on Christmas Day this December, per ESPN’s reporting:

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors
Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors
New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets

The Clippers/Lakers and Bucks/Sixers matchups will pit the two current favorites from the Western and Eastern Conferences against one another. Those games figure to be the headliners of the day, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George squaring off against LeBron James and Anthony Davis, plus Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid going head-to-head.

The Rockets/Warriors game – a rematch of the most competitive Western postseason rivalry of the last two years – should be an entertaining showdown as well, even without Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson in the picture. James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and D’Angelo Russell will still provide plenty of star power.

The defending champion Raptors will make a rare Christmas Day appearance, hosting the new-look Celtics, led by Kemba Walker. It’ll also be a rare December 25 home game for the Nuggets, who will take on the young, up-and-coming Pelicans and No. 1 pick Zion Williamson.

Which Christmas Day game are you most looking forward to in 2019? Are there any teams or matchups you’re disappointed to see (or not see) on the December 25 schedule? Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Atlantic Notes: Gasol, Lin, Poirier, Erman

July 28th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors center Marc Gasol is thankful that the Grizzlies didn’t agree to his request not to be traded, relays Alex Madrid of Eurohoops. Gasol had been with Memphis for more than a decade before the team committed to rebuilding and sent him to Toronto in a deadline deal. The move led to Gasol collecting his first NBA championship ring.

“There have been few players that haven’t been traded over the years in the NBA,” Gasol said. “If it had been dependent on me, I wouldn’t have been traded. I always thought I could reverse the situation there (in Memphis) and bring the team to the top. But, thank God, they ignored me.”

Gasol will be part of the remaining foundation as the Raptors try to stay in contention without Kawhi Leonard. The 34-year-old will earn $25.6MM this season in the final year of his contract.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Jeremy Lin appears distraught about his free agency situation in a video tweeted by Daily Sports Dosage. “Free agency has been tough,” Lin says. “Because I feel like in some ways the NBA has kind of given up on me.” The Raptors signed Lin in February to provide backcourt depth, but he shot just 37% in 23 games and was barely used during the playoffs.
French center Vincent Poirier could have made more money in Europe, but he wanted the challenge of playing in the NBA, tweets Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. Poirier was the EuroLeague’s top rebounder last season, and the Celtics believe his athleticism will translate well.
Former Celtics assistant Darren Erman will become head coach of the organization’s G League affiliate in Maine, according to Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Known as a defensive specialist, Erman has spent the past four seasons with the Pelicans.

Community Shootaround: Kawhi Leonard

July 27th, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

It only lasted five days, but it seemed much, much longer at the time. In a summer where many of the NBA’s top free agents announced their agreements suspiciously close to the official start of free agency, Kawhi Leonard‘s decision seemed to linger forever.

While we all waited, the rumor mill got wacky. First came reports that he was definitely joining the Lakers, followed by other reports that he was definitely staying with the Raptors. The Clippers were presented as an afterthought and were rumored to be out of consideration. Intrepid reporters tracked a flight from Los Angeles to Toronto without knowing for sure that Leonard was on board. And Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter somehow became an NBA insider.

Tension was high all week for the three teams involved in the chase as other free agents came off the board. When Leonard announced his decision late on the night of June 5, there was jubilation at Clippers headquarters and severe disappointment across town and throughout Canada.

Hard feelings in the Lakers’ camp led to accusations that Leonard had “played” them in the process. There were also reports that he asked for extreme considerations from the Raptors before abandoning an organization that had just won its first NBA title. The grumblings grew so loud that Leonard felt compelled to address them at his introductory press conference this week.

“I didn’t lead anyone on,” he said. “I took my time in free agency, as I should, to make sure I made the best decision for myself and my family. I feel like some of the media coverage over it made it feel that way, with people saying I’m signing with Toronto 99 percent or I’m going to the Lakers 99 percent. I don’t ever want to have that bad karma come back on me trying to make the Lakers miss out on players they should have gotten or vice-versa with the Raptors.”

Leonard added that all the teams were free to change their strategy if they thought waiting was too risky.

“If they didn’t want to wait for me, they didn’t have to,” Leonard said. “They had a big opportunity to sign me. [The Lakers] were close, but I ended up on the other side.”

Leonard isn’t the first free agent to take his time in reaching a decision. In 2016, Kevin Durant waited until July 4 to announce that he was joining the Warriors. A year later, Gordon Hayward picked the same date to confirm his agreement with the Celtics. LeBron James took until July 11 before releasing the Sports Illustrated article proclaiming his return to Cleveland in 2014.

We want to get your opinion on Leonard. Do you believe he did anything to intentionally hurt the Raptors or Lakers in free agency or is this just sour grapes from the teams that didn’t sign him? Please leave your responses in the space below.

Kawhi Leonard Addresses Reports He ‘Led On’ Teams in Free Agency

July 27th, 2019 at 11:54am CST by marksuleymanov

Kawhi Leonard‘s free agency held up a lot of other deals as his three primary suitors, the Lakers, Clippers and Raptors, pushed for his services. The two-time NBA Finals MVP ended up choosing the Clippers after the organization managed to swing a trade for Paul George.

Subsequent reports have suggested the two teams who missed out on Leonard may have felt that Kawhi and/or his representatives led on teams during the recruitment process. On the day he and George were introduced at a press conference, a more-talkative-than-usual Leonard set the record straight to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.

“I didn’t lead anyone on,” Leonard said. “I took my time in free agency, as I should, to make sure I made the best decision for myself and my family. I feel like some of the media coverage over it made it feel that way, with people saying I’m signing with Toronto 99 percent or I’m going to the Lakers 99 percent. I don’t ever want to have that bad karma come back on me trying to make the Lakers miss out on players they should have gotten or vice-versa with the Raptors.”

With his decision, Leonard will become the first player to win an NBA Finals MVP and play for a different team the following season. Leonard’s lone campaign in Toronto was a successful one as the two-time Defensive Player of the Year helped the Raptors advance to and win the first NBA championship in franchise history.

However, the Riverside, California, native had long been known to be seeking to return home. The Lakers and Clippers both represented that opportunity but his childhood fandom for either team had no bearing on his decision.

“Y’all kept saying that me and Paul’s favorite team growing up was the Lakers. I’m not going to say [Yahoo Sports], but whatever media outlet was out there saying that Kawhi prefers the Lakers over the Clippers, or Paul loves the Lakers, was wrong,” Leonard said. “I wasn’t a fan of the Lakers growing up. Not saying that’s why I didn’t choose them, but that’s not what it is. I wasn’t a fan of them, and [Paul] just told you guys he was a Clippers fan.”

At the end of the day, Leonard said the teams in pursuit of him could have pivoted in a different direction at any time if there issues with his approach.

“If they didn’t want to wait for me, they didn’t have to,” Leonard said. “They had a big opportunity to sign me. [The Lakers] were close, but I ended up on the other side.”

Southeast Notes: Adebayo, Heat, Miles, Kulboka

July 26th, 2019 at 8:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat center Bam Adebayo has accepted an invitation to Team USA’s training camp in preparation for the FIBA World Cup tournament in China, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. USA Basketball is scrambling for replacements after nine members of the original 20-man roster decided not to participate this summer, a list that includes Paul Millsap, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Damian Lillard, and CJ McCollum. A 12-man team will represent Team USA in China.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat have named Eric Glass head coach of the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to a team press release. Glass has been in the organization nine seasons and served as a video coordinator and player development coach the last two seasons. Additionally, Adam Simon has been named VP of basketball operations and assistant GM, while Eric Amsler has been promoted to director of scouting and director of player personnel.
C.J. Miles is eager to show he can still be an effective player for the Wizards once he returns from foot surgery, he told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Miles split time with the Raptors and Grizzlies last season and was traded to Washington this summer in exchange for Dwight Howard. “Last year I just felt like I never really got in a groove after the work I put in to really help my team,” he said. “It just didn’t fit. It’s not personal, it was new coach and a trade happened.” Miles underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
Hornets draft-and-stash prospect Arnoldas Kulboka will remain overseas and play in Spain during the upcoming season, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. The 6’9” Kulboka, 21, was a late second-round pick last year.

Cameron Payne Signs With Raptors

July 24th, 2019 at 6:13pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 24: Payne’s deal with Toronto is now official, tweets JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors.

JULY 17: The Raptors have reached an agreement with Cameron Payne, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the free agent point guard is signing a two-year contract with Toronto.

Payne’s new deal won’t be fully guaranteed. According to Charania (via Twitter), the former lottery pick will get a partial guarantee in year one and will have an opportunity to compete for a reserve point guard spot with the Raptors.

Payne, who turns 25 next month, was the 14th overall pick in the 2015 draft. However, he has bounced around the league since then, having spent time with the Thunder, Bulls, and Cavaliers in his first four NBA seasons.

In 153 total regular season games, the former Murray State standout has averaged 6.0 PPG and 2.5 APG with a .397/.331/.775 shooting line. He did have a strong Summer League showing in Las Vegas this month though, recording 20.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 2.7 SPG while shooting 51.4% from the floor in three games for Dallas.

Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet figure to handle point guard duties for the Raptors in 2019/20, but after trading Delon Wright at last season’s deadline and not re-signing Jeremy Lin in free agency, the team doesn’t have a ton of depth at the position. That lack of depth – and a partially guaranteed contract – should give Payne the upper hand in earning one of Toronto’s last few roster spots.

Kevin Love Expected To Withdraw From World Cup; Kyle Lowry To Remain

July 24th, 2019 at 10:29am CST by Arthur Hill

Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love is expected to be the next NBA star to pull his name out of consideration for the FIBA World Cup, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry remains committed to play despite recent thumb surgery, Charania adds. Lowry is still recovering from the procedure to repair a tendon injury, but he is expected to be ready for action midway through training camp.

Love battled his own injuries last season, being limited to 22 games because of toe surgery. He remained at his normal level when he played, averaging 17.0 points and 10.9 rebounds for the season.

Love would be the eighth Team USA player to decide against participating in the World Cup since the original list of invitees was announced. Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan both announced yesterday that they won’t be part of the team, joining Anthony Davis, James Harden, Bradley Beal, CJ McCollum and Eric Gordon.

Charania notes that their absence will provide greater opportunity for young players such as Donovan Mitchell, De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner, along with lower-profile veterans like Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Thaddeus Young (Twitter link).

A source tells Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News that there’s “no question” Kuzma will participate in the camp (Twitter link).

Sagaba Konate Signs With Raptors

July 23rd, 2019 at 11:15am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have signed West Virginia center Sagaba Konate, the team announced in an email. Terms of the deal were not released, but it is believed to be an Exhibit 10 contract. The release also confirms the signings of forwards Devin Robinson and Oshae Brissett.

Knee injuries limited Konate to eight games as a junior with the Mountaineers, but he was able to average 13.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in about 24 minutes per night. He was on Toronto’s Summer League team, but didn’t see any game action.

Konate is a defensive standout who holds the school record for blocked shots in a career. He earned third team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore along with a spot on the conference’s All-Defensive Team.

Raptors Sign Oshae Brissett To Exhibit 10 Deal

July 23rd, 2019 at 10:58am CST by clarkcrum

JULY 23: The signing is official, the team confirmed in an email.

JULY 20: The Raptors have signed undrafted rookie forward Oshae Brissett, a Toronto native, to an Exhibit 10 deal, reports Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Brissett attended a pre-draft workout with the defending champions back on June 11 before playing with the Clippers during summer league.

Brissett, 21, played two seasons at Syracuse before forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility and entering the 2019 NBA Draft. While at Syracuse, the 6’8″ Canadian averaged 13.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.3 RPG. Brissett’s numbers fell off a little as a sophomore, but he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team alongside fellow rookie and No. 4 overall pick De’Andre Hunter in 2018.

Brissett is the second undrafted free agent to reach a deal with the Raptors this summer after former Ole Miss guard Terence Davis signed a two-year contract earlier this month. However, Brissett appears less likely than Davis to make the 15-man roster and will probably end up as an affiliate player for the Raptors 905.

Raptors Sign Devin Robinson

July 23rd, 2019 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 23: The signing is official, the Raptors announced in an email.

JULY 17: The Raptors have agreed to sign free agent wing Devin Robinson to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, reports Blake Murphy of The Athletic (via Twitter). It’s not clear if it will be an Exhibit 10 deal, but it sounds like it could be.

Robinson spent the last two seasons on a two-way contract with the Wizards. He appeared in seven games for Washington in 2018/19, averaging 6.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 13.6 minutes per contest. The 24-year-old saw more frequent action for the Capital City Go-Go in the G League, recording 19.9 PPG and 8.2 RPG in 22 games (34.4 MPG) last season.

Robinson’s time in D.C. came to an abrupt end in April when he was arrested following a fight with NFL player Jalen Mills outside a Washington nightclub. The Wizards quickly announced that the former Florida Gator wouldn’t be back with the team, and he became an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Based on the current make-up of the Raptors’ roster, Robinson will have an uphill battle to earn a spot on the regular season squad. The team is only carrying 12 players with fully guaranteed salaries, but Cameron Payne and Dewan Hernandez will have partial guarantees, and Chris Boucher and Malcolm Miller (both non-guaranteed) are also candidates to return.