Pacific Notes: Curry, Iguodala, Clippers, Suns
Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala were both fined for their behavior during the Warriors‘ 111-101 loss to the Grizzlies on October 21st. Curry was docked $50K for flinging his mouthpiece at an official. Iguodala’s fine was less severe — $15K for verbally abusing an official.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was not too rattled by Curry’s antics, sarcastically offering, “I think he should be suspended eight, maybe 10 games. It was egregious. It was awful.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Austin Rivers proffered that the Clippers are a better team without Chris Paul. While careful to note that Paul is a great player, Rivers said that the team has improved its cohesion and competitiveness. “I think we have more talent this year,” Rivers said, per Elliott Teaford of The Daily Breeze. “Look how many pieces we got for one guy. We got a defensive dog (Patrick Beverley). We drafted well.”
- With the Suns exploring potential trades involving Eric Bledsoe, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders notes (via Twitter) that Phoenix “looked hard” at Cavaliers swingman Iman Shumpert over the summer, but Shumpert’s player option is a problem for the club.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made an immediate impact on the Lakers during his debut against the Pelicans. As Bill Oram of The Orange County Register details, Caldwell-Pope nailed a three less than 30 seconds into the game and gives coach Luke Walton a legitimate “3-and-D” option.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 10/23/17
NBA G League training camps open today, with the start of the 2017/18 season less than two weeks away. With camps getting underway, NBA teams have begun to assign players to their respective affiliates. However, as we detailed earlier this year, four teams are still lacking affiliates.
The Nuggets are one of those teams without an affiliate for 2017/18, which means their two-way players are headed to two different G League clubs. Denver announced today in a press release that Monte Morris will join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets‘ affiliate, while Torrey Craig will play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat‘s affiliate.
Here are today’s G League assignments:
8:00pm:
- After spending the day in the G League, Isaiah Whitehead has been recalled to the Nets, the team announced this evening in a press release.
5:13pm:
- The Nuggets have assigned first-round pick Tyler Lydon to the G League too, according to the team. Lydon will head to the Rockets‘ affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, along with Morris.
- While the Rockets are adding a pair of Denver players to their G League squad, they’ll also send a couple players from their own NBA roster to the Vipers, announcing today (via Twitter) that Chinanu Onuaku and Troy Williams are G-League-bound.
- Despite some minutes becoming available in the Nets‘ backcourt in the wake of Jeremy Lin‘s season-ending injury, second-year guard Isaiah Whitehead hasn’t cracked the rotation. Brooklyn is sending him to the Long Island Nets to get him some playing time, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
- The Heat have assigned center A.J. Hammons to the G League, the club announced today in a press release. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said that Hammons is joining the Skyforce to work on his conditioning after he missed time with the flu, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Lakers’ G League Team Hires Metta World Peace As Assistant Coach
The South Bay Lakers have hired Metta World Peace as an assistant coach, according to the team’s website. World Peace had recently expressed an interest in coaching, and this opportunity lands him in a player development role for the Lakers’ G League affiliate.
World Peace spent six seasons with the Lakers and won an NBA championship with the club in 2010. Known for his defensive prowess and for his role in the 2004 brawl between the Pacers and the Pistons, World Peace can impart 17 seasons worth of accrued wisdom on the South Bay roster.
The South Bay Lakers – formerly known as the Los Angeles D-Fenders – are the G League’s defending Pacific Division champions and are led by head coach Coby Karl, son of the former longtime NBA coach, George Karl. The club’s 16-man roster includes two-way players Vander Blue and Alex Caruso, as well as L.A. camp invitees V.J. Beachem and Stephen Zimmerman.
Latest On Eric Bledsoe
It’s been a busy day on the Eric Bledsoe front. After the point guard posted a tweet expressing his displeasure with his situation on Sunday, the Suns indicated that Bledsoe wouldn’t play in Monday night’s game against Sacramento, and it sounds like he may not suit up at all for Phoenix going forward, as the club looks to trade him.
Bledsoe has been linked to the Bucks and Knicks, among other teams, with the Suns reportedly seeking Frank Ntilikina and Willy Hernangomez from New York. However, the Knicks aren’t eager to move either player. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are also said to have interest in Bledsoe, with Denver and Phoenix discussing a deal that would involve Emmanuel Mudiay.
While we wait to see if anything comes of any of those rumors, here’s the latest on Bledsoe:
- According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Bledsoe actually had multiple meeting with the Suns before the season to discuss the possibility of a trade, so it’s not as if his dissatisfaction just developed within the last few days.
- Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders provides an update on the Suns‘ talks with the Nuggets, reporting that Kenneth Faried has emerged as part of a hypothetical package. That’s not a real surprise, since Faried doesn’t seem completely happy in Denver, and his contract would be useful for salary-matching purposes.
- A Faried/Mudiay package is the first idea proposed by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton in his Insider-only article examining trade possibilities. Although Pelton also puts forth trade ideas involving the Magic, Cavaliers, and a few other teams, he suggests that the Nuggets are the most logical landing spot for Bledsoe “by a wide margin.”
- Charles Curtis of USA Today makes a case for the Sixers as the best trade partner for the Suns, while Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News explains why the Mavericks aren’t a fit.
New York Notes: Ntilikina, Hernangomez, Dinwiddie
The Knicks are one of the teams that has been linked to Eric Bledsoe as the Suns explore trade options for their veteran point guard, with one report earlier today suggesting Phoenix would want both Frank Ntilikina and Willy Hernangomez in a deal with New York.
In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Ian Begley confirms that the Knicks are one of the teams that have reached out to Phoenix and adds that the Suns have indeed asked about both Ntilikina and Hernangomez. However, New York has been opposed to trading either player, sources inform Begley. The Knicks found the Suns’ asking price “outrageous,” a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.
According to Begley, players like Kyle O’Quinn, Lance Thomas, and Courtney Lee have drawn some trade interest in recent weeks, but it seems unlikely that those veterans would be of much interest to the Suns, who are believed to be seeking younger players. Hernangomez would seem to be a logical target, considering he isn’t currently in the Knicks’ rotation. But despite playing O’Quinn and Enes Kanter ahead of Hernangomez, the club isn’t currently looking to move the big man, says Begley.
Here’s more on the Knicks and their cross-town rivals in Brooklyn:
- Although the Knicks aren’t interested in trading Ntilikina, they haven’t been able to get him on the floor early in the season either, as Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. Currently, Ntilikina is being nagged by an ankle injury.
- With Jeremy Lin out for the season, young guard Spencer Dinwiddie has earned the opportunity to step up and take on a larger role in Brooklyn, says Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Dinwiddie, who joined the Nets as a free agent last December, is under contract through 2018/19, though his contract isn’t guaranteed.
- It has been five years since the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn, prompting CEO Brett Yormark to reflect on that move in an interview with Pollstar Pro. NetsDaily has rounded up the highlights of that interview, passing along several quotes from Yormark, who admits the franchise didn’t handle the transition period as well as it could have.
Dwyane Wade To Come Off The Bench
Dwyane Wade will come off the bench for the Cavaliers and J.R. Smith will take his place as the starting 2-guard, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. Vardon notes that Wade made the request for the change.
“I just decided, earlier than later, just to get to the unit where I’d be more comfortable in and can probably better with this team in that lineup,” Wade said. “Why wait? Three games in, why wait? Wanted to get in there with those guys.”
The future Hall-of-Famer is averaging a career-low 8.3 points per game over his first three contest with the club. Part of the reason is that the 35-year-old isn’t getting enough touches and coach Tyronn Lue envisions him getting more opportunity with the second unit.
“He saw that it would be better for him with him in the second unit because he can be featured and have the ball in his hands more than he was in the first unit. Class act for him to come to me and say, ‘You know what, I’m ready to make that change,'” Lue said.
Wade and Lue previously discussed a reserve role when the shooting guard signed with the team back in September, though they wanted to first evaluate the fit in the starting lineup. While Wade will likely be more involved in the offense as a member of the second unit, scoring is not his primary objective.
“I came here for one reason,” Wade said. “I didn’t come here to shoot 20 shots or average 20 points. I came here to be a part of winning and to bring what I can to this team and I want to do that. I feel that my best opportunity to do that is in that unit, so it just came down to that.”
Wade agreed to a buyout with the Bulls late in the summer, which was a decision fueled by Chicago’s desire to get younger and go forward with a rebuild. He was set to make approximately $23.8MM during the 2017/18 season, though he gave up roughly $8MM of that amount as part of the agreement with the Bulls. He’s currently on a one-year, minimum salary contract with the Cavs.
Pistons Notes: Bradley, Rotation, Tolliver, Bullock
The Pistons are finding early success by doing some things that are out of character, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Andre Drummond is perfect from the foul line, Reggie Jackson isn’t dribbling through the shot clock, Stanley Johnson is under control and coach Stan Van Gundy is giving minutes to his young players.
Another key to the successful start has been shooting guard Avery Bradley, who has bolstered the team’s defense and inspired Jackson to improve in that area. The opportunistic Pistons traded for Bradley in July when the Celtics were trying to clear cap room to sign Gordon Hayward.
“Anybody watching us can see a difference from what they had seen a year ago, in terms of the spirit and energy and fight — I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Van Gundy said. “To me, it’s some of the guys coming back, taking greater pride and understanding. We’ve seen Reggie, Andre and Stanley step up a lot more in terms of that. Avery has had a lot to do with it. They watch him every day in practice and it raises everybody’s level.”
There’s more out of Detroit:
- Van Gundy has been mixing and matching combinations through the first week of the season, notes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Eric Moreland, Jon Leuer, Henry Ellenson, Anthony Tolliver, Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway and Boban Marjanovic have all been used in different roles during the first three games. The only substitution pattern that has remained constant is Ish Smith filling in for Jackson at point guard. “It’s taking me time to figure it out,” Van Gundy said. “We’ll just keep going at it every night and trying to learn guys and learn our unit as we go. Hopefully, I’ll make better decisions as time goes on.”
- Tolliver, who signed with the Pistons in July, played a key role in erasing a 21-point deficit Saturday against the Knicks, Langlois writes in a separate story. After sitting out the first two games, Tolliver sparked the comeback with his defense on Kristaps Porzingis. “Here he was inactive the first game, didn’t play last night, gets his first opportunity and is a huge contributor,” Van Gundy said. “That’s just a great, professional effort and that’s why you put somebody like Anthony Tolliver on your roster.”
- Swingman Reggie Bullock will provide even more depth when he returns from a suspension this weekend, according to a piece on MLive. Bullock was sidelined five games for a violation of the league’s anti-drug policy. He is expected to compete for a rotation spot at small forward.
Suns Trying To Trade Eric Bledsoe
2:40pm: Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) hears that the Knicks have indeed contacted the Suns about a Bledsoe deal and Phoenix wants No. 8 overall pick Frank Ntilikina and Willy Hernangomez in exchange for the veteran point guard.
1:35pm: Add the Bucks to the list of teams that have expressed interest in Bledsoe, Marc Stein of the New York Times relays (Twitter link). According to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops, the Clippers and Blazers may also have interest in the point guard.
12:49pm: The Knicks are among the teams that have contacted the Suns about a Bledsoe deal, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley.
12:34pm: The Suns are involved in trade talks with several teams regarding Bledsoe, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Teams know Bledsoe is available and something should happen soon, adds John Gambadoro of ArizonaSports, who states that Bledsoe believes he has played his last game with Phoenix.
12:16pm: Eric Bledsoe‘s dispute with the Suns continues to escalate as he will be held out of tonight’s home game with the Kings, tweets Chris Hayes of ESPN. Bledose met with team officials this morning and was subsequently sent home.
Bledsoe has become increasingly more open about his dissatisfaction in Phoenix, culminating with a tweet yesterday that stated “I Dont wanna be here.” That was posted roughly an hour before the team announced the firing of coach Earl Watson.
Bledose isn’t happy to be on a losing team in the prime of his career and he has lingering bitterness with the organization over shutting him down in March of last season because of soreness in his knees. A report earlier today said Bledsoe was “depressed” after a rumored deal fell through that would have sent him to Cleveland as part of the package for Kyrie Irving.
Bledsoe, 27, has spent the past four seasons in Phoenix after being acquired from the Clippers in a 2013 trade. He had his best year in 2016/17, averaging career highs in points (21.1 per game) and assists (6.3).
Suns, Nuggets Discussed Bledsoe Deal
The Suns and Nuggets have discussed a deal that would send Emmanuel Mudiay along with other pieces to Phoenix in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear if the talks are ongoing or whether the idea of swapping point guards was merely discussed by the two franchises.
It seems clear that the Suns will at some point find a trade partner for their disgruntled point guard. Over the weekend, Bledsoe expressed his desire to no longer be part of the team via social media, tweeting “I don’t want to be here” right before the Suns fired coach Earl Watson. The point guard apparently tried to walk his comments back by telling GM Ryan McDonough that he meant his physical location at the time. The executive wasn’t amused.
“He said he was at a hair salon… I didn’t believe that to be true. He won’t be with us going forward, “ the GM said via ABC15 Sports out of Arizona (Twitter link).
Sam Amico of Amico Hoops hears confirms that Bledsoe is being shopped around the league with a rival executive telling the scribe that “[Bledsoe] will not play another game for [Phoenix].”
Bledsoe appears to be unhappy with the franchise’s rebuilding phase and Denver may be a good fit for him should the team deal him. The Nuggets made several offseason moves with an eye on competing this season, though point guard remains a problem area for the team. Denver recently waived Jameer Nelson—their staring point guard for parts of last season—and inserted Jamal Murray into the first unit. In two games this season, the 2016 No. 7 overall pick has been inconsistent, recording four turnovers while accounting for four assists in 40 minutes of action.
Several other teams have also expressed interest in Bledsoe. In addition to the Nuggets, the Knicks, Bucks, Clippers, and Blazers have been linked to the point guard.
Zach LaVine Sees Long-Term Future In Chicago
Bulls fans won’t get their first look at Zach LaVine for several weeks, but he told reporters today he believes his future is in Chicago, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
LaVine will be a restricted free agent next summer after the deadline for a rookie scale contract extension passed last Monday. Several sources have reported that the Bulls have every intention of keeping the fourth-year combo guard, who was one of the key pieces in June’s Jimmy Butler trade.
LaVine told reporters today that it’s “fine” that an extension wasn’t reached, adding, “I know I’m going to be in black and red for a long time.”
He is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in February while he was with the Timberwolves. Doctors originally gave him a nine-month timeline before he could play again, and the Bulls are sticking to that schedule. LaVine said he feels ready to take the court now, but the team won’t clear him for contact until mid-November (Twitter link).
“I think we’ll re-evaluate when we get close,” he said. “I’m pushing as much as possible. I want to play with my guys.” (Twitter link).
A two-time winner of the Slam Dunk competition at All-Star Weekend, LaVine was putting together his best season before the injury hit. He averaged 18.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 47 games.