Warriors Notes: Curry, Starting Five, Cryer, Moody
Star guard Stephen Curry passed Tim Duncan in total career points on Friday, moving into 19th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (Twitter link). However, that was one of the rare bright spots in an underwhelming showing from the Warriors, who were beaten 124-118 by the Kings in Sacramento to drop to 37-44 on the season.
In addition to losing to a lottery-bound team, Golden State also got an injury scare when Curry turned his right ankle in the first half of the game and limped off the court. But he was able to return to action and ended up playing 27 minutes, his highest total since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for two months.
While the two-time MVP didn’t have a great night, scoring just 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, head coach Steve Kerr said after the game that the ankle won’t be an issue going forward (Twitter video link via Anthony Slater of ESPN). According to Kerr, even though Golden State is locked into the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings entering the play-in tournament, Curry will play on Sunday vs. the Clippers. The veteran guard’s health is the team’s top concern, but getting him into a rhythm following a long injury layoff is important too, Kerr told reporters.
For his part, Curry said he’s hoping to play his “normal minutes” on Sunday, which could mean bumping him up to 32 or more, Slater notes (Twitter video link).
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Curry started alongside Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porzingis on Friday vs. Sacramento. It was the first time this season that those five players started together, but Kerr sounded enthusiastic about using that starting five during next week’s play-in game(s), referring to it as “enticing” and noting that the lineup features a good amount of versatility, ball-handling, and shooting (Twitter link via Slater). Although Golden State lost on Friday, that group outscored the Kings by a score of 29-16 in just over eight minutes together and Podziemski scored a career-high 30 points.
- Warriors two-way guard LJ Cryer appeared to be in a lot of pain when he injured his right ankle during Thursday’s game vs. the Lakers and had to be helped off the court (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). Fortunately, he seems to have avoided a serious injury. The team announced on Friday (via Twitter) that Cryer has been diagnosed with a mild ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in one week. He won’t be playoff-eligible on his two-way deal, so his season is almost certainly over, but his contract covers the 2026/27 season too.
- Warriors wing Moses Moody spoke to reporters on Friday for the first time since being diagnosed with a torn patellar tendon last month. According to Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link), Moody was in “good spirits” and expressed confidence about his ability to recover and return to his previous level of play. He has been in contact with Warriors broadcaster Kelenna Azubuike, who sustained the same injury during his own playing career.
Odds & Ends: Stone, Ellington, Pistons, Kings
Julyan Stone, recovering from hip surgery, could be out until January, Nuggets coach George Karl tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. Stone's contract is only partially guaranteed for $100K, so it's possible the team decides to cut him, but Hochman stresses that the Nuggets "love" the second-year point guard, suggesting he's still part of their plans going forward. Here are a few more updates from around the NBA:
- Following up on David Aldridge's story on extension candidates that we covered earlier, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says Wayne Ellington won't be extended by the Grizzlies due to the pending change in ownership.
- General manager Joe Dumars has the Pistons on an upward trajectory as the team continues to rebuild, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Kings coach Keith Smart recently appeared on Sacramento radio station KHTK to discuss Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and changing the culture in Sacramento. Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews has the details.
- Jon Pastuszek of NiuBBall.com passes along Chinese reports that indicate the Qingdao Double Star Eagles are still considering signing Jerome Jordan. We'd heard previously of Qingdao's interest in Jordan, but perhaps the seven-footer is more intrigued by the possibility now that Tracy McGrady is on board.
- Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside wonders if Kelenna Azubuike could head to the D-League after being released by the Cavaliers.
Cavaliers Waive Kelenna Azubuike
The Cavs have waived Kelenna Azubuike, the team announced via Twitter. Azubuike had a guaranteed minimum-salary deal, meaning the team is still on the hook for $1.07MM. Since his contract covered both 2011/12 and 2012/13, the Cavs have to pay him the full minimum amount based on his years of service, instead of the two-year veteran's minimum of $854,389. The move brings the team's roster down to 17 players.
Cleveland acquired Azubuike in a draft-night trade with the Mavericks, who had signed him in March for the rest of 2011/12 with a team option for 2012/13. The 6'5" shooting guard appeared in just three games for Dallas, scoring a total of seven points in 18 minutes. He saw a little more time with the team's D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, averaging 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.7 minutes over seven contests. Azubuike had his best days with the Warriors, starting 51 games and averaging 14.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG while shooting 44.8% from three-point range in 2008/09.
The decision to let go of Azubuike's guaranteed deal presumably opens up another roster spot for Micheal Eric, Kevin Jones or Samardo Samuels, all of whom have partially guaranteed deals, and Donald Sloan, whose contract is non-guaranteed. Daniel Gibson has a partially guaranteed contract, too, but the team would be obligated to pay him $2.49MM if they let him go, making him less likely to be cut.
Cavs Notes: Thompson, Leuer, Roster Cuts
As we heard earlier today, the NCAA is investigating agent Rich Paul and Myck Kabongo regarding a trip the Texas guard took to Cleveland this summer. Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson, who is represented by Paul, was involved in Kabongo's trip, but doesn't think any NCAA rules were violated, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes (on Sulia).
"I had to pay for it, but then his brother reimbursed me, which is totally fine with the NCAA," Thompson said. "I think everything will work out. I don't see no eligibility issues, but that's for the NCAA to figure out."
Here are a few more Thursday notes related to the Cavs:
- Jon Leuer doesn't appear to be in jeopardy of not making Cleveland's regular season roster, though he may face an uphill battle for minutes, says Bob Finnan of the News Herald.
- Leuer was traded by the Bucks this summer, waived by the Rockets, and eventually claimed by the Cavs on waivers, and says he was caught off guard by all the movement: "I didn't see that coming at all. Milwaukee needed a center and Houston had a million things going on. It was a pretty crazy offseason, kind of a welcome to the free-agency frenzy for a young player."
- The Cavs have 18 players on their roster and will need to cut three more before the season begins. Finnan expects the team to cut one of Donald Sloan or Jeremy Pargo, and one of Luke Harangody, Luke Walton, and Kevin Jones. It's unclear who the last cut could be — perhaps Kelenna Azubuike or Micheal Eric. Finnan suggests that Cleveland may also be willing to move Daniel Gibson for a second-round pick.
- As our list of non-guaranteed deals shows, Sloan, who appears to have a leg up on Pargo, is the only Cav under contract without any sort of guarantee. So Cleveland may end up releasing three players who are all owed guaranteed money.
Odds & Ends: Austin Rivers, Cooper, Stoudemire
John Reid of the Times-Picayune writes that Austin Rivers is on schedule to be fully healed in time for Hornets' training camp in October after undergoing surgery on his right ankle three weeks ago. The rookie joins a list of teammates, namely Xavier Henry and Robin Lopez, who are recovering from recent surgeries. Regardless, head coach Monty Williams looks to have all three ready by the time the regular season starts. With that aside, here are more noteworthy tidbits from around the Association:
- C.J. Miles elaborated more on the opportunity he has to expand his game with the Cavaliers, especially for a coach like Byron Scott, who believes that Miles has a lot of untapped potential (Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com reports).
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets that former Timberwolves and Trail Blazers assistant Dean Cooper is headed to the Rockets to join Kevin McHale's coaching staff.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link) mentions that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant is encouraged about Kelenna Azubuike, who looks like he's moving well and could be a contributor this season.
- Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he'll return to the court "stronger than ever" this upcoming season.
- 76ers GM Rod Thorn acknowledges heightened expectations and says that Philadelphia fans appear to be especially excited because of the acquisition of Andrew Bynum, according to Dei Lynam of CSN Philly.
- Jenni Carlson of NewsOK thinks that James Harden is better suited to thrive in a small market city with the Thunder rather than be potentially distracted in what she terms "hot spots."
Cavaliers Acquire No. 17 Pick From Mavericks
10:33pm: Kelenna Azubuike will also be sent to Cleveland in the deal, according to a Mavericks press release making the deal official.
8:13pm: We've finally got our first trade of draft night, as ESPN.com's Chad Ford reports that the Cavaliers have acquired the No. 17 pick from the Mavericks (Twitter link). The Mavs drafted Tyler Zeller at 17 for Cleveland, and will receive three selections in return — the Cavs' 24th, 33rd, and 34th overall picks (Twitter links via Ford).
You can follow the night's full draft results right here.
Notable Outstanding Option Decisions
The Lakers officially exercised their option on Andrew Bynum yesterday, locking him up for the final year of his contract. Bynum's isn't the first option decision of the year — Beno Udrih has picked up his 2012/13 player option, while Dwight Howard famously waived his early termination option earlier in the season. Over the next few weeks, we'll hear about even more team, player, and early termination options, as teams prepare for the July free agency period. Listed below are a few key decisions to watch in the coming weeks….
Minor Moves: Kelenna Azubuike
The D-League playoffs begin this week, and we'll keep track of today's news from that circuit as well as international developments here:
- Dallas has recalled Kelenna Azubuike from the D-League Texas Legends, according to a press release from the Mavs. Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com originally tweeted the news. The Mavs signed Azubuike March 23 and immediately sent him down to the Legends, where he appeared in seven games and averaged 6.4 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 12.9 MPG.
Odds & Ends: Powell, Lakers, Azubuike, Curry
Here are a few Wednesday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Josh Powell, who was thought to be drawing interest from a handful of NBA teams, has decided to play in Puerto Rico, as he announced on his Twitter account. According to Sportando, Powell will play for Brujos de Guayama.
- Lakers legend Magic Johnson will become the face of Los Angeles Dodgers ownership, after his bidding group reached an agreement to buy the MLB franchise for a staggering $2.15 billion. Check out MLB Trade Rumors' story for more details.
- Current Laker Andrew Bynum stirred up some drama when he was benched following a misguided three-point attempt, says Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Bynum, who will have his 2012/13 option exercised by the team, didn't seem to have any regrets: "I guess 'don't take threes' is the message, but I'm going to take another one and I'm going to take some more, so I just hope it's not the same result."
- Kelenna Azubuike won't play a significant role on the Mavericks' 2011/12 squad, but Dallas intends to exercise its team option for next season, barring a setback, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes.
- Jonathan Abrams of Grantland.com takes an interesting look at the next step for an NBA player when he finds out he's been traded.
- Byron Mullens is becoming a larger part of the Bobcats' future plans, according to an Associated Press report (via NBA.com).
- The Warriors will re-evaluate Stephen Curry in two weeks to determine if he's ready to ready to return to action, the team announced today. There's been speculation that Golden State would prefer Curry not play this season, in part because the team would like to retain its top-seven-protected pick that's ticketed for Utah. Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group hears that Warriors management wouldn't mind Curry sitting out the season, though they'd be happy to have him return to the lineup if he's healthy.
Odds & Ends: Sloan, Azubuike, Sessions, Heat
The deadline for players to be waived in order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team passed last night, and Chris Kaman, who would have been on the radar of just about every team needing a big man had he been bought out, is still with the Hornets. New Orleans "desperately" tried to trade him before last week's trade deadline, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, but didn't get a worthy offer. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and wants to sign with a contender then, Kennedy said. Here's the rest of what's shaking around the NBA:
- Guard Donald Sloan, who signed last week with the Cavs, gave reporters a little insight on his contract, as the end of this video on Cavs.com shows. His deal extends into next year, but is guaranteed only until the end of this season.
- Newest Mav Kelenna Azubuike, who drew raves from owner Mark Cuban last night, will start off with the Texas Legends, the Mavs D-League affiliate, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- The Hawks expressed interest in trading for Ramon Sessions before the Cavs wound up dealing him to the Lakers, Kennedy tweets.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel answered reader questions about the Heat. Despite this week's signing of Ronny Turiaf, much of the talk still revolves around the center position.
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld rounds up the players who could sign contracts worth as much as $10MM a year as free agents this summer.
- Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters hasn't made up his mind about whether he'll enter the NBA Draft just yet, but he says the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz have called him in case he wants to give it a go, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY. He's projected to go in the middle of the first round, and could climb into the lottery, Zagoria writes.