The small forward spot continues to be a nagging problem for the Raptors, as Michael Grange of SportsNet details. Two-way player Malcolm Miller got a chance to start on Sunday with OG Anunoby sidelined by a sprained ankle, though he only played 14 minutes. Norman Powell has struggled for most of the season, Grange adds. “That position is probably going to be fluid,” coach Dwane Casey told Grange and other media members. “We’ll keep looking at different people. It’s a situation where we’ve got to get a lot of people ready and this is an opportunity to do that.”
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The owner of the Sixers’ Wells Fargo Center will pump $250MM into the building for renovations, Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Comcast Spectacor will make those upgrades over the next three summers, with about 21,500 seats being replaced without affecting any Sixers games. The company chose that plan over tearing it down and building a new facility on the same lot, Fernandez adds.
- Nets forward DeMarre Carroll has challenged point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to figure out how to coexist with D’Angelo Russell, he revealed to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Dinwiddie hasn’t come close to matching the numbers he put up with Russell sidelined by a knee injury and Carroll is trying to shake Dinwiddie out of his funk. “What toes are you going to step on if you’re helping the team?” Carroll told Lewis. “That Spence was helping our team win a lot of games, so it’s not stepping on toes. … That’s why all of y’all have grown to love Spence, because of the way he’s been playing, attacking the goal, playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’s just got to get back to that Spence, playing like he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
- Kyrie Irving has emerged as a stable, consistent leader since he was traded to the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBCSports.com opines. Irving has embraced the concept of doing whatever coach Brad Stevens asks of him even if it adversely affects his statistics, Blakely concludes.
Kyrie is the ideal player. He’s an all-star. He plays his own position. He doesn’t tell Brad Stevens how to do his job. He doesn’t tell Ainge how to do his job. Stevens and Hayward missed out on an NCAA championship together. They deserve a title.
Kyrie is nothing special, a tier 2 star.
You must not be talking about Kyrie Irving, Dionis. Kyrie is a special player. He’s not necessarily a generational talent but he is certainly a top tier star, and one of the best PG’s in the league. Not the best, but he’s up there for sure.
He is a top 25 player. Occasionally he plays like a top 10 player. PGs ahead of him… Curry, Harden, CP3, Westbrook, Wall. He’s in the group with Lillard, Conley, Walker, Lowry. I’d put him at 7th best tbh.
He played a real good game against Curry this year. Harden is a shooting guard. CP3 is old. Westbrook can’t hit 3’s. Wall is having problems with his teammates. Kyrie is only 25. I’d put him, Curry, and Lilliard on the first 3 NBA all pro teams this year.
Harden is a PG averaging 8.9 assists per game. They have 2 PGs on the team. CP3 can be 100 still better than Kyrie this year and likely next year. Westbrook is almost averaging a triple double 2nd year ima row. Gortat’s only relevant bc Wall dishes him the ball at the rim. If you use the teammate argument then Kyrie couldn’t play with the GOAT.
Kyrie and Steph were the starters on this years all-star game. When they select the all NBA team this year, Harden will be 1st team shooting guard, Steph will be 1st team point guard. Westbrook will probably be 2nd or 3rd team, but OKC has been real inconsistent. CP3 has missed a lot of games. Wall makes a lot of money, but he’s out with knee surgery. Kyrie will be 2nd or 3rd team on all NBA.
He left Cleveland because he wanted to play point guard and LeBron wouldn’t let him. That and last time LeBron left, Kyrie got stuck with a team that had the worst record in NBA history. I give Kyrie credit for being smart as well as a great ball player. He is the best ball handler in the NBA, has an unstoppable move under the basket, and can shoot 3’s. With Stevens his defense will improve.
My reply:
link to nba.com
No way Philly can beat Boston. Kyrie
is top 3 point guard. Get over it!
Don’t mind Dionis. He thinks he’s a martian, and the aliens are going to take over planet Earth. He’s mad at Kyrie for saying the Earth is flat.
The more I read Dionis’ posts, the more I start to believe he’s just making these comments to get a rise out of everyone. There is no way that anyone can think that Kyrie isn’t a top 10-20 player in the L.
He is. I read one of his posts on NBC Sports.com that had 4 likes and 94 dislikes about Lonzo Ball. He enjoys clowning around.
Lol. That’s pure talent.
Not in America!
The Wells Fargo Center opened in 1996 and they were thinking to build a new one. Glad they are not. Funny though it cost $210 to build back then but are now putting $250 million to redo it.
Dionis for the L