Clippers Expect Austin Rivers To Return For Game 5
4:18 pm: Rivers said his son will play in Tuesday’s contest, but he’ll be on a minutes restriction, as Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link).
12:44 pm: Health issues have wreaked havoc on the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Jazz and Clippers, with standout big men Rudy Gobert and Blake Griffin both sustaining injuries of varying severity during the first four games. One player who has yet to make his 2017 postseason debut in the series appears to be ready to return though.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Clippers expect Austin Rivers to play in Game 5 on Tuesday. Rivers will be on a minutes restriction for the game, league sources tell Wojnarowski.
Rivers was initially sidelined with a left hamstring back in March, with head coach Doc Rivers suggesting earlier this month that the injury was “a little more serious” than initially believed. Shortly after he first went down, the younger Rivers said that he expected to get back on the court in time for the start of the playoffs, but his return was delayed by another week and a half.
Assuming Rivers is able to play on Tuesday, his return will give the Clippers some flexibility to use smaller lineups, particularly with Griffin sidelined for the postseason. In addition to providing solid perimeter defense, Rivers will give Los Angeles another outside shooting option — he made a career-high 37.1% of his three-point attempts during the regular season.
The Clippers and Jazz are tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5.
Pacers Notes: George, Teague, Miles
Paul George can become a free agent next season and he hasn’t yet committed to staying in Indiana long-term, as Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports writes. “I ain’t even at that point, yet,” George said.
The small forward took responsibility for the Pacers‘ short playoff run, though he admitted to being frustrated by losing to the same foe over and over again.
“It’s real frustrating to continue losing to the same team, or the same person. It’s what I work hard for in the summer, to try to help lead a team of my own and it’s ultimately who I’m always going to see and face. But again, came up short. Didn’t do enough,” George said. “If we want to win, that’s the team that we have to work towards stacking up against. If we want to be serious, that’s the team we’ve got to look at and figure out how can we match up against them.”
LeBron James-led teams have sent George home in the playoffs on four separate occasions. Here’s more on George and his Pacers teammates:
- If George is going to leave the Pacers to join the Lakers, he may have to settle for mediocrity during his prime, Lee argues in the same piece. The scribe cites the past situations of Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Deron Williams. All were stars who forced their way to other teams mid-prime and each player found himself playing for a team that wasn’t a serious championship contender.
- Jeff Teague, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer for the first time in his career, is a native of Indiana and loves playing for the team. However, he admits that free agency comes with uncertainty, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star relays. “ I love it here, but you never know, how they feel about me or whatever,” Teague said.
- C.J. Miles could also hit the open market if he opts to turn down his player option, though he hasn’t yet decided what he’s going to do, Brown adds in the same piece. “I’ll sit down with my agent in the next couple of days,” Miles said in the locker room. “If [I opt out], it’s not solely because I’m trying to get out of here. It’s a business decision. The market, salary cap, everything is going up. It’s not like I’m 22. I’m nowhere near done, but you don’t want to waste anything.”
- Miles added that he feels the Pacers could have a busy offseason, as Brown passes along in the same piece. “I think it could be,” Miles said. “I can’t speak for what they plan on doing, but you look at all the stuff, the rumors that happened throughout the season. We’ll see.”
Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Johnson Staying In Draft
A pair of college underclassmen who were previously said to be testing the draft waters have decided to forgo their remaining NCAA eligibility by hiring representation, per various reports.
One of those players is Kentucky freshman big man Bam Adebayo, who will sign with an agent and won’t return to the Wildcats, sources tell Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Adebayo is considered likely to be drafted in the first round, so it makes sense that he’ll keep his name in the draft, joining former UK teammates De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe, and Isaac Humphries among this year’s early entrants going pro.
Also going pro is Louisville junior forward Jaylen Johnson, who announced that he won’t return for his senior season. “I will miss my teammates and coaches, but it is really important that I help out my mom and family,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m going to work incredibly hard to give it my best shot. I’ll be rooting for the Ville next year.”
Here are several more early entrants who are declaring for the draft in advance of this year’s deadline:
- Jevon Carter, G, West Virginia, junior (announcement via school): Testing waters.
- Matt Morgan, SG, Cornell, sophomore (Twitter link via Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com): Testing waters.
- Nik Slavica, SF, Croatia (Twitter link via international reporter David Pick)
- Leo Cizmic, SF, Israel (Twitter link via Eurohopes)
- Ji Wei Zhao, PG, China (Twitter link via Zhang Duo)
- Zou Yuchen, PF/C, China (Twitter link via Zhang Duo)
Frank Ntilikina Enters 2017 NBA Draft
French point guard Frank Ntilikina has formally filed his paperwork to enter the 2017 NBA draft, his agency CAA Sports confirms to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link). The move had long been expected, and now it’s official.
Ntilikina, who has been playing for Strasbourg in France, is considered a probable lottery pick by most draft experts, who generally rank him in the tier of point guards below top options like Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball. Both Givony and Chad Ford of ESPN.com currently have the 18-year-old at No. 10 on their respective big boards.
According to Ford, who praises the Frenchman’s speed, passing ability, toughness, and shooting ability, Ntilikina has the upside to be a top-five pick in a draft class less stacked with top point guards. In this year’s draft, Ntilikina will likely come off the board at some point after Fultz, Ball, Dennis Smith Jr., and De’Aaron Fox are selected.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/24/17
Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- After a Raptors 905 loss in the first game of the NBA D-League Finals on Sunday, Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam have been recalled to Toronto by the Raptors, the team announced today (Twitter link). Caboclo and Siakam figure to remain with the NBA club for tonight’s playoff game before being re-assigned to the Raptors 905 for Game 2 of the championship round on Tuesday. Since the NBADL’s series are best-of-three, Tuesday’s game could be the last of the D-League season.
Beijing Ducks, Stephon Marbury Part Ways
After winning three Chinese Basketball Association championships in six years with the Beijing Ducks, former NBA All-Star guard Stephon Marbury is no longer a member of the team, per Qiushi Li of ESPN. The Ducks held a 2017/18 team option on Marbury as a player or an assistant coach, but the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement on his role, prompting the club to terminate the contract.
“We agreed that I would leave this season and the door is always open to coach,” Marbury tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “They had the option for me to play or coach, and they wanted me to coach. It’s understandable at my age, but my age doesn’t dictate my game. This gives me strong desire to work hard and try my best to come back to help a team win a [championship].”
Marbury, who turned 40 in February, explained in a letter to fans on Weibo that Beijing has not yet decided on a head coach for next season, making it difficult for him to accept an assistant coaching role with the club. Marbury also wants to continue playing for at least one more season, having previously announced his plans to retire as a player in 2018, and he expects to draw interest from other CBA teams.
A former fourth overall pick in the NBA, Marbury hasn’t played in the Association since he appeared in 23 games for the Celtics during the 2008/09 season. However, he became an international sensation in China, particularly after joining the Ducks in 2011. He was perennially among the CBA’s scoring leaders, and has won the league’s Foreign MVP award and the CBA Finals MVP award.
Although Marbury has spent most of the last decade in China, he recently expressed a desire to return to the NBA down the road as a coach.
UNC’s Joel Berry, Theo Pinson Testing Draft Waters
Three University of North Carolina prospects will test the draft waters, the school announced today in a press release. According to UNC, juniors Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson are entering the draft without representation. The Tar Heels also confirmed that freshman center Tony Bradley is testing the draft waters, as had been previously reported.
[RELATED: UNC’s Tony Bradley to enter draft without hiring agent]
“We fully support our players taking this step of being evaluated by NBA teams to see where they stand in relation to the Draft,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said in a statement. “All three players have options to do what is best for their careers and going through the evaluation process helps them make the best decision available to each of them.”
Of the three players, Bradley is viewed as the one with the highest upside, but Berry and Pinson are also both solid prospects who played major roles in this year’s championship run. Berry is ranked 86th on DraftExpress’ big board, and comes in even higher on Chad Ford’s board at ESPN, placing 64th. The junior point guard, who turned 22 this month, isn’t considered an elite prospect, but is a solid pure point guard who sees the floor very well, says Ford.
As for Pinson, he comes in at No. 66 on Ford’s big board, though he doesn’t earn a spot in DraftExpress’ top 100. The 6’6″ small forward averaged a modest 6.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG during his junior year, and struggled with his shot, making just 38.1% of his field goal attempts, including 23.7% from three-point range.
In addition to Berry, Pinson, and Bradley, UNC’s Justin Jackson has also declared for the draft — he intends to keep his name in the draft pool and won’t be back with North Carolina next season.
Draft Updates: Hartenstein, Flaccadori, Diallo
German power forward Isaiah Hartenstein has entered the 2017 NBA draft, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Hartenstein, who is ranked as the 19th-best prospect on DraftExpress’ big board, will be represented by agent B.J. Armstrong. At just 18 years old, Hartenstein is “clearly not ready for the NBA” yet, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. However, assuming the big man remains in the draft, he could make an intriguing draft-and-stash project for an NBA team.
Here’s more news on early entrants for this year’s draft:
- Lithuanian forward Arnoldas Kulboka is testing the draft waters, per international basketball reporter David Pick (via Twitter). Pick suggests that NBA general managers will head to Bamberg to scout the 6’9″ Kulboka, who has some long-term upside and currently ranks 50th on DraftExpress’ big board.
- Italian shooting guard Diego Flaccadori has declared for the 2017 NBA draft, according to sports management and marketing firm Sigma Sports (Twitter link). Like other international early entrants, Flaccadori will have until June 12 to withdraw his name from this year’s draft pool.
- 18-year-old shooting guard Hamidou Diallo, a top recruit who enrolled early at the University of Kentucky, will test the NBA draft waters before playing his first game for the Wildcats, he announced in a statement (Twitter link).
- Today is the deadline for early entrants to formally enter this year’s draft pool. Our early entrant list, which currently features 123 names, can be found right here.
Central Notes: Canaan, Teague, James
Consider Isaiah Canaan the latest beneficiary of the point guard carousel in Chicago. The reserve guard with more DNP-CDs than minutes played since the All-Star Break logged heavy minutes in Game 4 of the Bulls first-round tilt, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes.
With Rajon Rondo out for the series with a fractured thumb, Michael Carter-Williams in foul trouble, Jerian Grant rendered ineffective and Cameron Payne inactive, head coach Fred Hoiberg turned to the 25-year-old journeyman to lead his Bulls.
“I was really proud of Isaiah for coming out after a lot of DNPs and being on the inactive list,” the Bulls coach said. “We wanted him in there because he can pick up the ball full-court. He hit a few shots for us as well. The plan was if we didn’t get off to a good start, he was going to get his opportunity.”
Though the Bulls would fall to the Celtics in the contest, Canaan posted 13 points and three assists in 34 minutes, an adequate stopgap for the latest hole in the club’s volatile point guard rotation.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Indiana native Jeff Teague‘s future with the Pacers is uncertain, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes. The point guard will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after a disappointing 2016/17 campaign. “I have no clue, I’ve never been a free agent, I don’t know how it goes. I love it here, but you never know, how they feel about me or whatever. I love being in Indiana, it’s great, got a home here. But you never know.“
- The Pacers are no closer to a title than they were a year ago, Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star writes. Now, after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cavs, they could be one year closer to losing Paul George.
- Could LeBron James be the best first-round performer in the history of the NBA? Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon suggests as much after the Cavaliers sweep. The King hasn’t lost an opening series in 12 seasons and hasn’t lost a single first-round game in five years.
- Consider Cavaliers leader LeBron James’ record in the first-round as much a sign of his ability to be mentally prepared to tackle lower-seeded opponents as it is a sign of his unique skills, Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Divac, Clippers
The Lakers would be making a terrible mistake by targeting Pacers forward Paul George as their much needed superstar, Mitch Lawrence of the Sporting News writes.
George, the “anti-Magic,” has shown poor leadership and a tendency to alienate teammates, Lawrence says. Those aren’t characteristics typically paired with a young team like the Lakers.
In the same piece, Lawrence goes on to add that a better fit for George may be Boston because the Celtics, unlike the Lakers, boast the strong-willed vets to withstand George’s occasional negativity.
Should the Lakers continue to pursue the swingman, however, they’ll need ensure that their point guard is mentally strong enough to deal with the vocal superstar.
- After a tumultuous first few seasons at the helm, Vlade Divac has been given an opportunity to manage a stable Kings franchise, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes. “I knew the staff I wanted to put together. There was always so much (drama) going on ever since I got here, it took up a lot of my time,” Divac said. “Finally I have been able to find people who believe in what we are trying to do and who I am very comfortable with.“
- The Clippers have every intention of competing for a title even with the injured Blake Griffin on the sidelines, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register writes. “It’s not the best thing that could have ever happened to us,” teammate Chris Paul said, “but it’s not the end of the world. We still are going to go out there. We know we got a job to do. We got a big game (Sunday), Game 4, and we go out there expecting to win.”
- Could a candid conversation on Jimmy Kimmel be considered tampering? USA Today’s Alysha Tsuji wrote about how Lakers executive Magic Johnson may have tampered while commenting specifically about not tampering.
- Count Gary Payton (Sr.) among the crowd who thinks Warriors forward Draymond Green should be this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, an Associated Press report outlines. The Glove also speaks highly of Kawhi Leonard as a legitimate candidate.