Kevin Durant Won’t Play In Game 2
Kevin Durant has been ruled out for Game 2 against the Blazers, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link) reported earlier today that Durant’s status for tonight’s tilt was in question.
The small-forward has a strained left calf and he didn’t participate in the Warriors’ shootaround earlier today, as Stein relays in a full-length piece. A source told Stein that Golden State was considering having Durant sit so he could have a full five days rest before playing in Game 3. However, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Groups tweets that Durant may miss that game as well.
The 2013/14 MVP scored 32 points in Sunday’s win over Portland, though he was seen with ice on his left leg near the end of the contest. Golden State went 16-4 with Durant sidelined this season.
Mike D’Antoni Talks Lakers’ Failures, Rockets’ Success
Mike D’Antoni knew he wanted to coach again following his departure from the Lakers, but he was simply waiting for the right spot, as he tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. D’Antoni found success with the Rockets this season, but he admits that prior to arriving in Houston, he had concerns about the fit.
“I knew that they liked to play the way that I liked to play. I didn’t know [James Harden], and I didn’t know the other guys on the team,” the coach said. “So, there was always that moment of, will this fit? Will this work? Will James accept being point guard? Will [Patrick Beverley] accept being the 2-guard instead of the 1-guard? Will [Eric Gordon] accept coming off the bench? That’s where you run into problems with coaching. But when everybody said “yeah, this is great,” and then we started off pretty quick, that was an easier sell. Then, management, ownership, they all want the same thing. Then it’s that your star player wants the same thing, then now it becomes just coaching and doing what you do.”
“That’s where you run into problems with coaching. But when everybody said “yeah, this is great,” and then we started off pretty quick, that was an easier sell. Then, management, ownership, they all want the same thing. Then it’s that your star player wants the same thing, then now it becomes just coaching and doing what you do.”
Here’s more from Shelburne’s piece:
- D’Antoni was never able to win a playoff series with the Lakers and he blames the team’s injuries as well as his player’s unwillingness to buy into his system. “There were just injuries, and people were pretty stubborn in their roles, and it’s like ‘sorry guys, this is not me. It’s not going to work right here,'” D’Antoni said of his time in Los Angeles. “So, things happen, and you coach, you learn, you go on and you hope for a better situation.”
- D’Antoni applauds Harden’s determination to win, something that propelled the guard to consider switching positions. “I would have never got the job if his reaction was ‘No, I’m not playing point.’ So, let’s not kid ourselves. He was open to it, and it took a little, just showing him film and talking about it. James is willing to try anything to win.”
- Harden was always meant to play the point guard position and his prior coaches weren’t using him correctly, according to D’Antoni. “He was spending a lot of time off the ball, and he was spending a lot of energy trying to get the ball. It’s like, why go through all that? Just give it to him,” D’Antoni said.
- D’Antoni believes most Coach of the Year winners receive the award because they’ve overachieved and that sometimes comes with consequences. “That’s why most Coach of the Years get fired the next year. You overperform, then you come back to normal and they fire you,” D’Antoni said. You can check out Hoops Rumors’ picks for the COY award here.
David Fizdale, Marcus Smart Fined By NBA
The NBA handed out a pair of fines on Wednesday, docking Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale $30K for his post-game rant about the officiating following his team’s Game 2 loss in San Antonio. The league also fined Marcus Smart $25K for making an obscene gesture toward home fans during the Celtics’ Game 2 loss to the Bulls.
Fizdale was a lock to be fined even before his Monday night rant concluded with the “take that for data” line that instantly went viral. The Grizzlies head coach spent time after Monday’s loss pointing to the free throw discrepancy between the two teams, after Kawhi Leonard shot more free throws than the entire Grizzlies squad.
According to Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal and Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links), Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley sent Fizdale a text early on Tuesday morning thanking him for his comments. Conley and his teammates intend to reimburse Fizdale for the $30K fine as a sign of appreciation for aggressively taking a stand on their behalf.
Meanwhile, Smart received his $25K fine after TNT cameras showed Smart appearing to exchange words with a fan in Boston before flipping him the bird. Head coach Brad Stevens called the incident, which came midway through the fourth quarter with the Celtics trailing the Bulls by a 14-point margin, “unacceptable.”
Jerry Stackhouse Named NBADL Coach Of The Year
Four years after playing his last NBA game, Jerry Stackhouse is receiving formal recognition for his coaching work. The NBA D-League announced today in a press release that Stackhouse, the coach of the Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBADL affiliate, has been named the D-League’s Coach of the Year for the 2016/17 season.
Stackhouse, who took over as head coach of the Raptors 905 last offseason, led the club to a 39-11 regular season record, the best mark in the D-League. Toronto’s affiliate made it through the first round of the NBADL playoffs and is now facing the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate, for the right to advance to the championship round. A Raptors 905 win tonight would send the club to the D-League Finals.
While we typically wouldn’t dedicate a full story to a D-League award, Stackhouse’s achievement is worth noting because his name has increasingly been mentioned this year among the NBA’s ascendant head coaching candidates.
Sam Fortier of The Ringer profiled Stackhouse last month, writing that the longtime NBA star hopes to join the ranks of the league’s head coaches in the near future. Stackhouse told Fortier that he looked at the quick jumps from playing to coaching made by Derek Fisher and Jason Kidd, and believed he could follow suit.
“Seeing [Fisher and Kidd] get those head-coaching jobs, I was like, I know I’m — you hate to say better — but I know I’m damn as good as those guys when it comes to coaching,” Stackhouse said. “I’ve had more experience. …
“I wouldn’t have been ready [to be a head coach] in 2012–13, but Jason Kidd came in and my mind was like, ‘I have more of a pulse of this team than he could ever have. They respect me.’ I look at all of the other relationships you have to have to make it work, and the people you need to know in organizations. … It’s hard to get that.”
It doesn’t appear that many teams will make head coaching changes this spring, after more than one third of the league’s clubs hired new coaches in 2016. But when NBA jobs start to open up again, there’s a chance that Stackhouse will draw some interest.
Jonathan Jeanne Enters 2017 NBA Draft
French center Jonathan Jeanne has entered the 2017 NBA draft, agent Bouna Ndiaye tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link). According to Givony (via Twitter), Jeanne intends to stay in the draft and will be looking to make the jump to the NBA immediately — he doesn’t intend to accept draft-and-stash offers.
Jeanne, a 7’2″ center who will turn 20 in July, ranks 49th on Chad Ford’s big board at ESPN.com. Other draft experts are even more bullish on the young big man, who comes in at No. 35 on DraftExpress’ top-100 list and ranks 20th on Kevin O’Connor’s big board for The Ringer (Twitter link).
Still, while Jeanne has plenty of upside, he remains fairly raw, so it remains to be seen how NBA scouts will value him. NBA teams may have the opportunity to scout Jeanne in June, according to Givony, who reports (via Twitter) that the big man is willing to participate in five-on-five games at this year’s Adidas Eurocamp, assuming he gets an invite to the event.
Jeanne, currently on loan to SLUC Nancy Basket in France, is playing modest minutes for the team, with 3.1 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 16 contests (12.3 MPG).
2017 NBA Award Picks: Defensive Player Of The Year
With the 2016/17 NBA regular season in the books, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our selections below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.
We’re keeping things going today with the award for Defensive Player of the Year. Here are our picks:
Arthur Hill: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Gobert is the league’s greatest shot-blocking force, averaging 2.6 per night, but he also has more mobility to cover pick-and-rolls than a traditional big man. He is the centerpiece of a Utah defense that is eight points better (per 100 possessions) when he is in the game. The Jazz were able to overcome a long string of injuries to win the Northwest title, and Gobert’s presence in the paint was a major reason why.
Austin Kent: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
There are a number of defensive metrics that tilt the Defensive Player of the Year conversation in Gobert’s direction, but the fact that his emergence as the unquestioned anchor of Utah’s defense corresponded perfectly with the Jazz emerging as a borderline elite team is what does it for me. It doesn’t matter what defensive schemes the Jazz run; it doesn’t even matter what team he suits up for; pick any randomly conceived set of circumstances, add a healthy Gobert in the middle, and suddenly life is impossibly hard for the 29 other teams in the league.
While you could trot out various numbers for a handful of solid candidates when debating who should win this award, I’ll take Gobert’s league-leading defensive win share mark and his 2.6 blocks per game. Imagine what that BPG mark would look like if opponents didn’t start game planning ways of avoiding the 7’1″ game-changer the second they saw the Jazz on their team schedule.
Chris Crouse: Draymond Green (Warriors)
What Green does on the floor is truly remarkable. There isn’t a position he can’t guard and you could compile an instructional coaching video purely off his help defense. Gobert is the best rim protector in the league, but Draymond’s ability to disrupt the opposition’s offense at any given spot on the floor is what makes him this season’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Dana Gauruder: Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Utah defended the two-point shot better than any other team, mainly because it had the league’s top shot blocker anchoring the paint. Green and Kawhi Leonard are also worthy candidates, but the Jazz improved dramatically this season and a healthy Gobert (until the postseason) was a major factor.
Luke Adams: Draymond Green (Warriors)
I’ve gone back and forth between Green and Gobert, and the Jazz center is certainly a worthy choice. However, after the Warriors appeared to take a major step backwards last offseason in terms of interior defense by replacing rim-protecting rotation players like Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli with Zaza Pachulia and David West, Green’s play this season helped ensure that rim protection wasn’t an issue for Golden State after all. Green’s versatility – including his ability to switch onto virtually any player – gives him the slightest edge over Gobert and his interior dominance.
Who is your pick for Defensive Player of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!
Previously:
April 13: Executive of the Year
April 14: Coach of the Year
April 17: Most Improved Player
April 18: Sixth Man of the Year
Still to come:
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: Most Valuable Player
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pat Riley Talks Heat, Offseason, Haslem, Bosh
At his season-ending press conference today, Heat president Pat Riley expressed optimism and enthusiasm about his team’s future, despite the fact that he was disappointed Miami wasn’t able to sneak into the playoffs.
“While we’re not in the playoffs, we’re ahead of the game,” Riley said. “The table is set, with the pick. We obviously know we have flexibility in free agency. We will see how that works out with our players and other players.
“I was pissed. They deserved to get in and they didn’t get in…. We won four out of our last five games against the best teams in the conference and we still didn’t get in. It was a great disappointment, but at the same time it was a lot of success.”
In addition to suggesting that he’s not sure how many more non-playoff years he can take, Riley weighed in on several items of note relating the Heat and their summer plans. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights, courtesy of Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald…
- Asked about possibly pursuing a star free agent – as the Heat did a year ago with Kevin Durant – Riley downplayed that possibility, suggesting that “we are going to focus on our guys” rather than the “whales” he has talked about in the past. In addition to Dion Waiters and James Johnson, one of those guys is Udonis Haslem — Riley said today that he wants the longtime Heat big man back on the roster next season, calling Haslem “invaluable.”
- The Heat may also go the trade route rather than making a massive free agent signing, according to Riley, who added that Justise Winslow is not “going anywhere.”
- On the subject of Chris Bosh, Riley said there have been discussions within the organization about Bosh’s situation, but there’s no resolution yet.
- Riley doesn’t mind not being at the very top of the draft, since he feels like he can get a solid player in the middle of the first round, and points out that seven of the top prospects are point guards, which he doesn’t need (Twitter links via Jackson).
- The Heat president indicated that he was happy the team invested heavily in Hassan Whiteside last summer, adding that he believes the young center is capable of developing into the sort of player who averages 25 PPG, 17 RPG, and 6 APG.
- Riley called the issue of resting healthy players an “absolute travesty” that needs to be addressed by the league, noting that the Heat don’t take part in that practice.
- Riley also said that Miami’s goal is to establish a D-League affiliate within 100 miles of the NBA team (Twitter link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel). Currently, the Heat’s NBADL team plays in Sioux Falls, which is more than 1,800 miles away from Miami.
- Be sure to check out Jackson’s recap for several more comments from Riley.
Poll: 2017 All-NBA Second Team
In an NBA season packed with incredible performances and remarkable statistical achievements, we’re letting you decide which 15 players are most deserving of All-NBA recognition.
On Tuesday, we opened voting for the All-NBA First Team, and 24 hours later, we have clear answers for which five players you believe deserve spots on that team. James Harden and Russell Westbrook ran away with the two guard spots, while LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard comfortably won the vote for forwards. At center, Anthony Davis topped all challengers to earn a spot on our All-NBA First Team.
The voting results so far:
- Guard: Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
- Guard: James Harden (Rockets)
- Forward: LeBron James (Cavaliers)
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard (Spurs)
- Center: Anthony Davis (Pelicans)
With four clear-cut MVP candidates on the First Team, the choices were somewhat straightforward, but that’s not the case for the next 10 spots, where there should be several interesting races. We’re moving on today to the All-NBA Second Team, so cast your votes below for the two guards, two forwards, and one center that you believe are most deserving of being named to that squad.
You’ll have about 24 hours for this round of voting before we move on to the All-NBA Third Team on Thursday. You’ll also have the opportunity to select two players apiece in the guard and forward polls, so be sure to take advantage of that. And if there’s a player not listed below that you believe deserves All-NBA consideration, be sure to mention him in the comments section too — if I agree, I’ll make sure he’s included in our All-NBA Third Team poll.
Guards:
Who are your All-NBA Second Team guards?
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Stephen Curry 28% (641)
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Isaiah Thomas 25% (567)
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John Wall 17% (373)
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Kyrie Irving 7% (160)
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DeMar DeRozan 6% (145)
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Damian Lillard 6% (145)
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Chris Paul 3% (67)
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Klay Thompson 2% (39)
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C.J. McCollum 1% (31)
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Bradley Beal 1% (21)
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Kyle Lowry 1% (21)
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Mike Conley 1% (20)
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Kemba Walker 1% (13)
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Goran Dragic 0% (8)
Total votes: 2,251
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team guards.
Forwards:
Who are your All-NBA Second Team forwards?
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Giannis Antetokounmpo 42% (876)
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Kevin Durant 21% (448)
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Jimmy Butler 13% (267)
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Paul George 8% (160)
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Gordon Hayward 7% (137)
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Draymond Green 6% (134)
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Kevin Love 1% (30)
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Blake Griffin 1% (24)
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Paul Millsap 1% (13)
Total votes: 2,089
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team forwards.
Center:
Who is your All-NBA Second Team center?
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Karl-Anthony Towns 33% (351)
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Rudy Gobert 29% (313)
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DeMarcus Cousins 16% (169)
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Nikola Jokic 7% (78)
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Marc Gasol 6% (65)
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Hassan Whiteside 5% (49)
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DeAndre Jordan 3% (33)
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Brook Lopez 2% (18)
Total votes: 1,076
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote on the All-NBA Second Team center.
Kevin Garnett Talks Wolves, Glen Taylor, BIG3
Speaking to Adi Joseph of USA Today, future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett explains that he received multiple TV offers following his retirement as a player, but opted to join TNT because Turner was the only network willing to give him the kind of unique role he sought, rather than having him become a panelist on a studio show.
Although Garnett’s conversation with Joseph focused in part on KG’s analyst role with TNT, the longtime NBA big man also weighed in on a few other topics of note, including why he doesn’t currently have a role with the Timberwolves. Here are a few notable Garnett quotes from the piece, which is worth reading in full:
On whether he might return to the Wolves as a front office exec or minority owner:
“It seemed like it was perfect for how Flip [Saunders] organized and put it together and designed it. Obviously when he left us, [team owner] Glen [Taylor] saw differently and wanted to go a different way. I’ve always said I wanted to be a part of an organization that is about winning more progressively, in that direction. Minnesota seemed like a perfect fit for that. That has changed. I don’t see myself doing that any time soon, but that still is a goal of mine. I would like to be part of an organization that is part of winning, that I can help the young guys progress. So that’s still a dream but not a priority at this point.”
On whether it was disappointing that the possibility of taking on a role with the Wolves became less viable:
“A little bit. A little bit. To say Debbie Downer is an understatement. It was a huge disappointment and one that showed me the true Glen Taylor. It showed me how he really feels. When this guy got the team, it was worth $90MM. When I left it, it was worth somewhere in the $400 [millions]. That was never taken into account in my value or none of that. I guess I served my purpose, and I was on to the next. So it’s all good. So it’s all good. I’m moving on and taking my ball and playing somewhere else. (Laughs.)”
On whether he has the urge to keep playing basketball, possibly in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league:
“Before I walked away from the Timberwolves, I was prepared to play a couple years. So when I walked away from that, I hung my shoes up for good and put the glass on it. And I have not had an itch to be out there at all. So, no. Ice Cube’s people called me from the [BIG3] — three-on-three doesn’t do it for me, bruh, I’m sorry.”
Nigel Williams-Goss To Enter Draft, Hire Agent
Gonzaga guard Nigel Williams-Goss has declared for the NBA draft, the school announced on Tuesday night in a press release. Williams-Goss won’t just be testing the draft waters — according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the 22-year-old redshirt junior will forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility by signing with agent Greg Lawrence of Wasserman.
The 2016/17 season was Williams-Goss’s first with Gonzaga, as he was forced to sit out in 2015/16 after coming over from Washington two years ago. In a statement posted on his Instagram account, he called transferring to Gonzaga “the best decision I ever made,” and thanked Zags fans for their support.
“After many discussions with my coaches and family, I have decided to enter the 2017 NBA Draft with representation,” Williams-Goss wrote. “I am 100% confident in this decision and believe I am prepared both mentally and physically to take this step in my career and my life.”
Williams-Goss doesn’t show up on Chad Ford’s top-100 list on ESPN.com, but he comes in at No. 61 on Jonathan Givony’s big board at DraftExpress. The 6’3″ guard is coming off a season in which he averaged 16.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, and 1.7 SPG while helping lead Gonzaga to an appearance in the national championship game.