Pacers Notes: Oladipo, Lamb, McConnell, George
The Pacers‘ G League affiliate played an important role in preparing Victor Oladipo for his expected season debut, writes Scott Agness of The Athletic. Oladipo has made eight trips to Fort Wayne over the past two months to practice with the Mad Ants as he comes back from a ruptured right quad tendon. With the Pacers on a road trip, the G League team visited their practice facility this week to work with Oladipo.
“Anytime that an All-Star like Vic wants to play and practice with your guys, you’re going to let him,” Mad Ants coach Steve Gansey said. “Our Mad Ant guys are going to be watching him, and they’re going to look at every move that he does. Vic has been talking to a lot of our guys and trying to help them and give them pointers, both offensively and defensively and off the court. It’s been great for our guys just as much as Vic needs it.”
Gansey has been in frequent contact with Pacers coach Nate McMillan, providing updates on Oladipo’s progress. The latest step has been getting him used to traps as he brings the ball up court.
“This was the best I’ve seen Vic since we’ve had him in practice,” Gansey said of the time in Indianapolis. “We had three straight days where you just saw a different athleticism out there that you can really tell that he’s coming back here pretty soon and really pushing himself.”
There’s more Pacers news to pass along:
- Jeremy Lamb has been starting in Oladipo’s place, but McMillan won’t hesitate to pull him on a bad shooting night, observers J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. Lamb, who has been mired in a shooting slump, sat out the entire fourth quarter of a comeback win in Denver this week. “I went scoreless. That hasn’t happened in a while,” Lamb said. “It still feels the same, score or not score. When you lose, you got to figure out how to just find ways to get better. Last game I had zero points but we won. It’s a lot easier to deal with that.”
- T.J. McConnell has taken over the starting point guard duties while Malcolm Brogdon is sidelined with a concussion, Michael notes in a separate story. The former Sixer has been a valuable addition for Indiana after signing a two-year deal over the summer. Only the first season is guaranteed, but Michael states that the second one is considered a lock to be picked up.
- In an interview with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard and general manager Chad Buchanan talk about what they look for in a player, the challenges that face a small-market team and the difficulty of trading Paul George in 2017. “We really thought that there was going to be 29 teams throwing the kitchen sink at us,” Pritchard said. “But at the end of the day, the number of teams that were after Paul was very small. I think there were just two offers that were real offers.”
Five Key Stories: 1/19/20 – 1/25/20
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
This season’s most anticipated NBA debut took place Wednesday in New Orleans as No. 1 pick Zion Williamson played in his first regular season game. Williamson was dominant in the preseason before suffering a meniscus injury that required surgery. He admitted that it was frustrating to be sidelined as his recovery time stretched to three months.
Starters were announced for this year’s All-Star game, which will be played February 16 in Chicago. Fans selected Trae Young, Kemba Walker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pascal Siakam and Joel Embiid in the East and James Harden, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis in the West. As the top vote-getters in each conference, James and Antetokounmpo will conduct a mock draft.
The Mavericks picked up some frontcourt help by acquiring Willie Cauley-Stein from the Warriors. Golden State received Utah’s 2020 second-round pick in return. Dallas also traded Isaiah Roby to the Thunder for Justin Patton, who was waived to open a roster spot.
Dallas needed another big man because Dwight Powell was lost for the rest of the season with a ruptured right Achilles tendon. The long recovery time associated with the injury could keep Powell sidelined for most of the 2020/21 season as well.
The Warriors may get Stephen Curry back in their lineup by the beginning of March. Curry, who broke his left hand in late October, has set March 1 as a “target date” for a possible return.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from around the basketball world this week:
- Curry’s former teammate, Kevin Durant, is also showing improvement in rehabbing his injury. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said Durant is “progressing” after Achilles surgery, but there are still no plans for him to play this season.
- Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic was a full participant in practice this week for the first time since suffering compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula last March. Nurkic still doesn’t have a timeline to start playing again.
- The Bulls lost Lauri Markkanen for four to six weeks after an MRI revealed an early stress reaction of his right pelvis. He will be extension-eligible this summer.
- Andre Iguodala feels healthy and ready to start playing again after sitting out half the season while the Grizzlies try to find a trade partner. Memphis is seeking a first-round pick in return and has been reluctant to talk about a possible buyout.
- Despite some skirmishes with management and a few displays of frustration with his younger teammates, Kevin Love said he wouldn’t mind staying with the Cavaliers past next month’s trade deadline.
- The Kings seem determined to hold onto Bogdan Bogdanovic and take their chances with re-signing him as a restricted free agent this summer.
- The Knicks may have interest in trading for Hornets guard Malik Monk.
- The Pistons were granted a $9.258MM disabled player exception after Blake Griffin‘s injury. Detroit isn’t expected to sign anyone, but the DPE could be useful on the trade market.
- The Magic received a $4.629MM DPE for Al-Farouq Aminu‘s injury. Orlando has room under the tax line and may take advantage of the exception before the March 10 deadline.
- NFL star Larry Fitzgerald purchased an undisclosed share of the Suns. He and managing partner Robert Sarver are long-time friends.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dion Waiters Makes Impression In Season Debut
Injuries forced the Heat to give Dion Waiters his first playing time of this season Friday, and he responded with a performance that may result in more opportunities, writes David Wilson of The Miami Herald.
Waiters had 14 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes and nearly helped Miami pull off a comeback against the Clippers. He blocked a pair of late shots, then hit a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left that brought the Heat to within three points.
“He’s got big cajones, man, and you can definitely see it in his swagger,” Bam Adebayo said. “That’s what Dion’s all about: making the big shots, big plays and he’s built for those moments.”
Waiters’ chance came because Miami was short on wing players with Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic sidelined with injuries and Jimmy Butler leaving the game with a sprained ankle. There had been speculation that Waiters may not play at all this season because of off-the-court issues that included three separate suspensions. His contract, which carries a $12.65MM salary for next season, was considered virtually untradeable, and the Heat reportedly decided against trying to have it voided only because they didn’t want a confrontation with the players’ union.
Waiters now has a chance to escape the doghouse in Miami after learning that he would be active for Friday’s game when coach Erik Spoelstra sent him a FaceTime message earlier in the day. After the game, Spoelstra called him a “fearless” player who embraces the opportunity to make big plays. Waiters didn’t speak to the media, but is expected to be available following tomorrow’s practice.
“He definitely has been putting the work in behind the scenes. He has done his best to be a true professional,” Meyers Leonard said. “Had K-Nunn and Goran not been out, I don’t know if Dion comes in, but that’s part of being in the NBA. People get hurt, that’s when people get opportunities. People don’t play well and that’s when people get opportunities.”
Northwest Notes: Kings, Wolves, Whiteside, Noel
New Trail Blazers trio Trevor Ariza, Caleb Swanigan and Wenyen Gabriel are excited for their opportunity in Portland, according to Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com. And their new teammates are looking forward to integrating them into the team’s system as 19-27 Portland competes for the eighth seed in the West.
The Trail Blazers are currently the No. 11 seed, just 2.5 games shy of the current eighth seed, the 21-24 Grizzlies. The 34 year-old Ariza appears the most likely new player to be incorporated into the current rotation. He is in the first of a two-year, $25MM contract he signed with the Kings in 2019.
“At this point, we’ve really simplified everything that we’ve done over the years, so… I don’t think it will be that hard to catch on to,” said star Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. “Like today at practice, they put in some of the sets that we’ve been running, the things that we do a lot and we didn’t have to stop practice to be like ‘Alright, this what we gotta do.’ [Ariza] just kinda remembered it, it was pretty simple for him.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- During halftime of a seventh straight Timberwolves loss, irked coach Ryan Saunders berated his team, according to Chris Hine of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Much of that frustration was directed at disappointing $148MM wing Andrew Wiggins. “He was yelling at me a lot of the time,” Wiggins confirmed. “I needed it. The first half was a bad first half. I wasn’t aggressive.”
- Though the Trail Blazers are clearly eager to cut more contracts to get under the luxury tax this spring, The Athletic’s Jason Quick suspects that GM Neil Olshey may have trouble offloading $98MM center Hassan Whiteside. Quick puts Whiteside’s odds of remaining in Portland through the February 6 trade deadline at 50/50.
- Thunder backup center Nerlens Noel will miss tonight’s tilt against the Timberwolves due to a surgical procedure for a left cheek fracture, according to an ESPN report. The timeline on Noel’s absence will be updated next week. Noel, the No. 6 pick in 2013, has been productive in limited minutes for Oklahoma City, averaging 8.2 PPG and 5.2 RPG.
Atlantic Notes: Anunoby, Kanter, Embiid, VanVleet
Much like they did with current All-Star Pascal Siakam and swingman Norman Powell, the Raptors are determined to turn erratic third-year forward OG Anunoby into a consistent, high-level contributor, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
“I think he needs more reps,” coach Nick Nurse reflected. “He needs some more chances to go out there and develop his game, and that’s got to be on me a little bit.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers center Joel Embiid hopes to resume his All-Star season on the floor next week, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Embiid underwent surgery January 10 to repair a torn radial collateral ligament in his left ring finger.
- Due to a right hip contusion, Celtics center Enes Kanter will not return to action until at least Tuesday against the Heat, Brad Stevens relayed to Boston’s team Twitter account (link). In just 18.5 minutes per night, Kanter has produced impressive averages of 9.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 60.2% field goal shooting.
- Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, an unrestricted free agent in 2020, could be a great fit for the Knicks, Greg Joyce of the New York Post suggests. VanVleet, the best point guard in a limited free agent class, should be in line for a major pay upgrade from the two-year, $18MM contract he signed in 2018.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 1/19/20 – 1/25/20
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Luke Adams takes stock of the clubs that hold traded player exceptions expiring this month as NBA teams consider their trade options before the February 6 deadline.
- Rival front office executives project 2020 unrestricted free agent and current Wizards forward Davis Bertans to net a significant raise when he hits the market this summer, as Chris Crouse details.
- There are five teams still projected to pay the luxury tax this season, as Adams details here.
- Looking to follow specific players on Hoops Rumors? You can get news about players wherever you go with our Trade Rumors app, available for iOS and Android devices.
- Knicks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and Nets guard Rodions Kurucs could be on the move before the trade deadline, as Luke Adams explained in the Atlantic Division’s version of our NBA Trade Candidate Watch.
- With the trade deadline swiftly approaching, Adams takes a look at the Ted Stepien Rule, which was designed to help save teams eager to offload draft picks from themselves.
- Is your team on a hopeless losing streak? Are you excited about the opportunity to add James Wiseman or Cole Anthony to your squad’s roster in 2020? Then take a look at Adams’ latest update of our 2019/20 Reverse Standings tool, which catalogues the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first.
- In our Community Shootaround discussions this week, we asked:
- Should the Mavs make a major trade to beef up their frontcourt?
- If Derrick Rose is traded by Detroit, where will he end up?
- In our Poll Questions this week, we asked:
Mavs Acquire Willie Cauley-Stein From Warriors
JANUARY 25: The trade for Cauley-Stein is official, according to the Mavericks’ PR account (Twitter link). As expected, the team has waived Patton to open up the roster spot necessary to complete the deal.
JANUARY 24: The Mavericks are finalizing a deal to acquire center Willie Cauley-Stein from the Warriors, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Golden State will receive a 2020 second-rounder from the Jazz, which Utah owed to Dallas, in return for the big man, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Warriors don’t own their own second-rounders from 2020-26 except for the 2022 draft, so this gives them another asset, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
The Mavericks will open up a roster spot once they complete a trade agreed upon with the Thunder in which they’ll receive center Justin Patton for forward Isaiah Roby and then waive Patton.
Dallas is using its $11.7MM trade exception to acquire Cauley-Stein acquired in the Harrison Barnes deal with the Kings last season. It’s needed since Cauley-Stein was signed with part of the non-tax mid-level exception, according to Marks (Twitter link). Golden State will get a $2.17MM trade exception out of the deal.
Dallas was seeking a rotation player to replace Dwight Powell, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Cauley-Stein, who is making $2.18MM this season and holds a $2.29MM option on his contract for next season, fits that role at a modest cost. He’s averaging 7.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 23.0 MPG for the Warriors.
The Warriors have plenty of monetary reasons to make this deal. The deal will save them $5.66MM on their luxury-tax bill, dropping it to $9.3MM, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Golden State, which will have two roster openings once the deal is completed, will also drop $2.57MM below the hard cap. The team will have two weeks to get back up to the league-mandated minimum of 14 players.
RJ Barrett To Remain Sidelined At Least One More Week
Knicks rookie RJ Barrett, sidelined with a sprained right ankle, has transitioned from crutches to a walking boot, the team announced on Saturday (Twitter link). Barrett is set to be reevaluated in one week.
Barrett, 19, sprained his ankle last Thursday and was set for a reevaluation one week after sustaining the injury. In an otherwise abysmal 12-34 season, the Duke product has been a bright spot for the Knicks.
In 41 games this season, Barrett is averaging 14.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He has struggled to shoot at a consistent clip, making 39.3% of his attempts from the field at the time of the injury.
Spoelstra On Butler Not Being All-Star Game Starter: “It’s A Joke”
When the All-Star game starters were announced earlier this week, Heat swingman Jimmy Butler was not among those voted to get the starting nod. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra took exception to Butler’s snub, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes.
Butler, who was listed as a frontcourt player on All-Star ballots, lost out to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Pascal Siakam for a starting spot. He likely would have had a better shot if he was listed as a guard, where he would’ve been up against starters Kemba Walker and Trae Young.
Spoelstra stressed Butler’s flexibility in the Heat lineup and being able to essentially play all five positions as needed. The Heat coach expressed hope that voting changes in the future to not limit players based on position alone.
“These are such antiquated labels that I feel like we’ve moved on from that years ago when we started talking about positionless [players],” he said. “But either way, regardless of how you want to label it or discuss it, Jimmy Butler should be a starter in this All-Star Game. It’s a joke that he’s not. Hopefully this will change things in the future.”
Butler, 30, is averaging 20.3 PPG along with a career-high 7.0 RPG and 6.5 APG in his first season in South Beach. The four-time All-Star has been a focal point in helping the Heat to a 31-14 record, tied with the defending NBA champion Raptors for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Butler left the Heat’s Friday loss to the Clippers due to a sprained ankle.
“You have to wait until the next day to see how a guy feels,” Spoelstra said.
Nets Sign Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot To Second 10-Day Deal
9:00am: The Nets officially signed Luwawu-Cabarrot to his second 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. The deal will run through February 3, at which time Brooklyn will either have to re-sign TLC to a standard deal or let him return to the free agent market.
8:37am: The Nets will sign forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to a second 10-day contract, tweets Bleacher Report’s Michael Scotto. Brooklyn inked the swingman to a 10-day deal on Jan. 15 as his 45-day window as a two-way player was set to expire. That first 10-day deal expired on Friday night.
Since signing the first 10-day pact, Luwawu-Cabarrot appeared in four games with Brooklyn, averaging 6.0 PPG. In 21 total games this season, the France native is averaging 5.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG.
“He’s still a very young player, and I think that was the thought process when we brought him in,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson recently said of Luwawu-Cabarrot (via NetsDaily). “He’s a guy that has played minutes in the NBA, played a decent sample size of minutes, but he’s still young, hasn’t found his mark yet in the league. But he’s still young. Let’s take a shot at him.”
The 2016 first-round pick (24th overall) has played for the Sixers, Thunder, Bulls and Nets.