Marcus Morris, Luka Doncic Receive Fines
Clippers forward Marcus Morris and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic have both been fined for incidents in Sunday’s Game 6 of their playoff series, the league announced.
Morris was fined $35K for “recklesssly striking” Doncic on a Flagrant 2 foul in the first quarter, resulting in Morris’ ejection (Twitter link). Morris’ history played a role in the amount of the fine, according to the statement, which notes that he has been “disciplined on several prior occasions for physical altercations on the court.”
Doncic received a $15K fine for “throwing the ball off the legs of a game official,” the league tweeted. It happened midway through the third quarter, and Doncic was assessed a technical foul.
Rockets Notes: Game 7, Harden, Westbrook, Chandler
More than the fate of this season will be on the line for the Rockets tonight as they face the Thunder in Game 7 of their first-round series, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Houston is in danger of wasting another year of James Harden‘s prime, and both he and Russell Westbrook will have the chance to opt out of their current contracts and become free agents in the summer of 2022.
Although the Rockets have gone through two recent shakeups by trading for Westbrook last July and fully embracing small-ball by dealing starting center Clint Capela in February, O’Connor believes more changes could be on the way, especially if the team gets bounced in the first round. Mike D’Antoni seems unlikely to return as head coach, and general manager Daryl Morey might have to consider changes to his philosophy of surrounding Harden and Westbrook with standstill shooters.
There are also concerns that Westbrook, an inconsistent 3-point shooter, doesn’t fit as well with Harden as Chris Paul once did. Playing just his second game since returning from a quad injury, Westbrook was particularly bad in the Game 6 loss, turning the ball over seven times.
“We’ve gotta take care of it. Starting with myself,” said Westbrook, who is expected to remain on a minutes limit tonight. “I’m just trying to figure out rhythm and timing, but I’ll figure it out next game.”
There’s more Rockets news to pass along:
- The team will make a greater effort to get the ball to Harden in the closing minutes if tonight’s game is close, D’Antoni tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Although stats show Harden’s usage hasn’t changed much in the final minutes of the three close games in the series, he didn’t touch the ball in the final seconds Monday with the Rockets trailing by two points. “Obviously, we’re trying to get him involved,” D’Antoni said. “We just kept turning it over before he had a chance to get involved. There was a number of turnovers that probably shouldn’t happen. We’ll talk about it. He knows. He’ll be ready to go.”
- While Westbrook was disappointing in Game 6, the Rockets made the right move by acquiring him in exchange for Paul and a parcel of draft picks, argues Mark Medina of USA Today. Medina points out that Paul’s injury history made him risky for Houston, even though he has stayed healthy this season. There was also noticeable tension between Paul and Harden that built up over two seasons, while Westbrook and Harden are long-time friends.
- Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press talks to several little-used players, including Rockets veteran center Tyson Chandler, about the experience of being stuck in a closed environment without seeing much playing time.
Jazz Will Give Maximum Extension To Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell, one of the stars of this year’s playoffs despite Utah’s first-round loss, will receive a maximum extension when free agency begins, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
The total value of the five-year deal, which would go into effect in 2021/22, is projected to be about $170MM. The actual value will depend on where the salary cap lands for the ’21/22 season and whether Mitchell meets the Rose rule criteria.
Mitchell, 23, averaged 36.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in the series against the Nuggets and shot 52% from 3-point range. He set a playoff record by making 33 three-pointers in a series.
Haynes notes that Mitchell was among several young stars who were reluctant to participate in the restart because of the risk of an injury that might affect future earnings. Mitchell explained his position on a Zoom call with other players set up by Kyrie Irving in June, but said talking to his teammates convinced him to play.
“Once my teammates told me they wanted to play, then I was all in. I couldn’t make it all about myself,” Mitchell said. “There are younger guys who aren’t established in this league and needed this time to show their value. It would have been selfish of me to stand in the way of that. I couldn’t let my contract get in the way of the bigger picture. I had to rely on God. If I got hurt, it was God’s will. But I put my trust in Him and didn’t worry about potentially getting injured. That allowed me to go out there and play. My faith was in God.”
Mitchell took Tuesday’s loss especially hard, Haynes adds. He collapsed to the court when Mike Conley‘s potential game-winning shot at the buzzer bounced out, then fought back tears in a post-game session with the media. Afterward, he fell into the arms of assistant coach Johnnie Bryant – who is headed to the Knicks to join Tom Thibodeau’s coaching staff – and sobbed uncontrollably.
“I’m going to get right back to work,” Mitchell told reporters. “I’m not done. The Utah Jazz aren’t done.”
Jimmy Butler: “I Couldn’t Be In A Happier Place”
Jimmy Butler has heard himself described as a bad teammate and a coach’s nightmare in the past few years as he traveled from from Chicago to Minnesota to Philadelphia. But in a wide-ranging interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Butler says Miami is the perfect place for him — both from a fit standpoint and due to a shared commitment to winning.
Butler’s acerbic style wore thin in his other NBA stops, but his extreme training regimen has been a seamless fit with the Heat. Amick notes that they are the only team at the Disney World complex that hasn’t skipped a day of practice and they regularly use the entire three-hour window that’s allotted to them.
“Here (with the Heat), I’m wanted man,” Butler said. “And that’s all you ever want as a human being, as a basketball player, as anything is to feel wanted. I’m wanted. I’m welcomed here. And I couldn’t be in a happier place, or around better guys.”
Butler touches on several other subjects during the interview:
On previous clashes with teammates, coaches and management:
“If you’re not there, and you don’t know what’s really going on. You can only go by what you read or what somebody else says happened. I’m not one to always just tell you what happened, because I don’t give a damn what you think anyways, regardless. If me working hard makes people feel a certain way about how I go about things, I wasn’t meant to be there. Like here, I work incredibly hard. And everybody knows, so I don’t have to say it.”
On rumors that former Sixers coach Brett Brown didn’t want the team to re-sign Butler last summer:
“I don’t even think about what could have happened with Brett Brown. What could have happened. … I don’t, because if I get too lost in that I’m not doing my due diligence for these guys. … I couldn’t care less how anybody labels me. Just know that I do everything in my power to win. That’s what brings me the most joy, is that no matter what you think, or no matter what you might say, you’re never going to be able to say that I’m not a winner. I may not have won ‘it,’ but you’re not going to say that I was a loser, that I played a losing style of basketball. You’ll never say that.”
On Sixers center Joel Embiid tweeting “IF” on Monday, which was believed to be a reference to what the team might have accomplished if Butler had stayed:
“That’s my guy. Outside of basketball, I love that man to death. He knows that. I tell him every opportunity I get, and I appreciate him for making me a better player, a better leader, better at understanding so many different things. I talk to him all the time, and I tell him, ‘I wish you were still in the playoffs, because you deserve a championship.’ Because he works. He works at it, and that’s just my guy. Yeah, I saw it, and I know that he still wanted me to be on his team. And I still wanted to be teammates with him. Let’s not get that misunderstood. But here, with these guys, I’m not trading that for the world either.”
On the conference semifinal matchup with Milwaukee and Butler’s declaration that the Heat came to Orlando to win an NBA title:
“We’re in the same place. We haven’t done anything. We won a game. For us, that’s what we’re supposed to do. For us, we’re supposed to win in four. It may not be — everybody else may not think that, but for us, we’re in it to win it, man. We work too hard. Like, I can only keep saying that. We’re studying film like there’s no tomorrow. To me, we were built for this. We can do this.”
Community Shootaround: Bulls’ Coaching Search
The Bulls procrastinated this summer before ultimately deciding to part ways with head coach Jim Boylen. The new front office is moving much more quickly to find a replacement.
They have begun conducting interviews and received permission to talk to more candidates on the staffs of playoff teams. They may look to hire a coach by the middle of the month, when organized team activities begin for the teams that weren’t invited to the Orlando campus.
That biggest name that has surfaced is former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson.
Otherwise, the front office appears to be focused on hiring an NBA assistant. That group includes the Sixers’ Ime Udoka, the Nuggets’ Wes Unseld Jr., the Bucks’ Darvin Ham, the Mavericks’ Stephen Silas, the Timberwolves’ David Vanterpool, the Mavericks’ Jamahl Mosley and the Heat’s Dan Craig.
Bulls assistants Chris Fleming and Roy Rogers could also get a look from Bulls executive VP Arturas Karnisovas.
Karnisovas has stated that Chicago is seeking a head coach who “puts the relationship with players first” and is “a good communicator.” It’s still possible other former head coaches besides Atkinson could be added to the list.
That leads us to our question of the day: Should the Bulls hire a former head coach like Kenny Atkinson or find an up-and-coming assistant to turn the team into a playoff contender?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
New York Notes: Carmelo, LeVert, Beal, Holiday
Is a Carmelo Anthony–Knicks reunion at all possible? Don’t count on it, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Anthony has revived his career with the Trail Blazers and would prefer to re-sign with Portland. However, Anthony has been on team president Leon Rose’s radar since he took the job in early March, Berman continues, and the Knicks have an opening at small forward.
We have more on the two New York City teams:
- Will the Nets get a third star to join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving? They may already have something to close to that in Caris LeVert, Brian Lewis of the New York Post opines. LeVert was the team’s best player in Orlando and the alternatives, unless they can pry Bradley Beal from the Wizards, are mostly question marks. Guards such as Jrue Holiday (potential opt-out after next season) and Victor Oladipo (knee issues) may not necessarily be an upgrade over LeVert, Lewis adds.
- Whether to keep LeVert or trade him in a package for another star is also the topic of choice for HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. A majority of scouts polled by Scotto believe the Nets should hold onto LeVert, though a deal that would net Beal or perhaps Holiday would change the equation.
- In case you missed it, the Nets have formally interviewed coach Jacque Vaughn, who hopes to have the interim tag removed.
Eastern Notes: Butler, Hawks, West, Cavaliers
Jimmy Butler has fit in perfectly with the Heat’s culture, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. The Bulls and Timberwolves traded Butler away and the 76ers didn’t make him a priority in free agency. However, Miami has been a better spot for the sometimes abrasive swingman, since the front office and coaching staff welcomes a measure of friction, believing it can be a positive in the long run. It leads to more focus, camaraderie and trust, Windhorst adds.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Sixers‘ flameout in the first round of the playoffs could benefit the Hawks. Philadelphia could be willing to deal one or more of its starters, according to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner, who joins forces with Peachtree Hoops’ Andrew Kelly to explore how various Sixers – along with some other potential trade targets from around the league – could fit in with Atlanta’s current mix.
- The Pistons have finalized a contract with former Lakers executive Ryan West, Jerry West‘s son, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The news that Detroit was hiring West broke three weeks ago. He will concentrate on player evaluation with Detroit. West and the Lakers mutually agreed to part ways last summer after both sides felt he had reached a ceiling in his 10 years with their franchise.
- The Cavaliers are likely to use their mid-level exception to upgrade the team, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. If there’s a player worth signing, the Cavs are eager to upgrade the roster before next season and push for a playoff spot, Fedor adds. Fedor also explores the Cavaliers’ draft strategy in his mailbag column.
John Collins Talks Trade Rumors, Hawks’ Needs, Possible Extension
The Hawks are expected to enter the 2020 offseason with more salary cap space than any other NBA team, putting them in position to potentially add a major piece or two to their roster. It’s not clear if Atlanta will be more aggressive in free agency or on the trade market – or if the team might preserve some of its cap room for 2021 – but big man John Collins tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he’s prepared to recruit players to the franchise.
“I try my best, as I feel like all other NBA players try to recruit other good players or other good friends,” Collins said. “I’m definitely always trying to hit up guys. I can’t tell you who I’m talking to or who I’m trying to get down here, I’ve got to let that simmer, but I’m trying to be GM J.C. over here, just know that.”
Collins explained to Scotto that his pitch to a star player considering the Hawks would focus on Trae Young‘s passing ability, Collins’ own willingness to give up offensive touches, and the team’s flexibility to offer big money using its cap room.
Collins’ conversation with Scotto also touched on many other topics and is worth checking out in full. Here are a few of the highlights:
On Collins’ name coming up in trade rumors before February’s deadline:
“I wasn’t too hung up over that. Whenever I’m in trade talks, that’s a good thing. That means other teams are seeing my value, want me, and so I try to take it as a good thing.”
On the Hawks’ roster needs:
“I can’t tell you, players, specifically, but I think we need just some veteran leadership. We need more guys with minds like Vince (Carter). Having Vince was a blessing, and losing him is going to hurt us. If we don’t try to cover his ability to have so much knowledge and spread it, that is so valuable. I feel like we need more guys like who have been in the league for a minimum of six or seven years, understand what it takes on a day-to-day basis to come in, work out, lift, get your body right, recover, eat, right. It creates a culture when you see five or six guys doing it consistently every day. Now the whole team is doing it every day.
“… We’ve got young guys in the locker room. I’m going to be 23. Trae just turned 21. Cam Reddish just turned 21. Kevin Huerter is 22. Bruno Fernando is 22. We’re all super duper young, and I know we’re all talented, and we have all the potential in the world, but we need some help and some guidance.”
On his interest in signing a rookie scale contract extension this offseason:
“I would love it. I would love to say in Atlanta, I would love to be here, so I feel great about it. We’re in good hopes and good spirits with everything right now. Nothing’s really come up as of yet. Everything is still in the talks, but like I said, I’m definitely still in great spirits, and everything is going well. I’m all in. I’m true to Atlanta. There’s nothing else I’ve got to say. I’m ready to extend.”
Poll: Who Will Win Rockets/Thunder Game 7?
When the NBA’s playoff matchups were set last month, the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Rockets and Thunder looked like one of the first round’s most intriguing matchups — not only were the two teams fairly evenly matched, but they also share some notable recent history, having come together in recent years for blockbuster trades involving star guards James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul.
Six games later, the series has lived up to its billing. It will be decided in a Game 7 on Wednesday.
The Rockets, who have held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the series, will enter Game 7 as favorites (they’re currently listed at -5.5 by multiple sports books), and the results of the series to date help explain why. The Rockets have beaten the Thunder by an average of nearly 21 points per game in their three wins; conversely, one of Oklahoma City’s victories came in overtime, while the other two were by four points or less.
With Westbrook back in their backcourt alongside Harden, the Rockets have a star-power advantage over the Thunder and they’re getting contributions from their role players too, with Danuel House (13.8 PPG, .375 3PT%), Robert Covington (12.0 PPG, .486 3PT%), Jeff Green (13.5 PPG, .436 3PT%), and defensive dynamo P.J. Tucker among those chipping in.
The Thunder aren’t about to go quietly though, and they’ve been benefiting from a balanced attack beyond Paul. Dennis Schroder (18.2 PPG), Danilo Gallinari (16.8 PPG), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15.8 PPG) are providing scoring punch, while Steven Adams is racking up offensive rebounds and Luguentz Dort is making Harden work for his points on the other end of the court.
The Rockets’ high-volume approach to three-point shooting means that variance could play a large part in the Game 7 result, but they can give themselves a better chance by taking better care of the ball than they did in Game 6 (22 turnovers).
What do you think? Who are you picking to win Game 7 between the Rockets and Thunder? And do you believe that either team can give the Lakers a run for their money in round two?
Vote below in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your thoughts!
Who will win Game 7?
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Houston Rockets 51% (543)
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Oklahoma City Thunder 49% (522)
Total votes: 1,065
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Northwest Notes: Lillard, Timberwolves, Nuggets
Damian Lillard‘s season came to an early end after he was diagnosed with a right knee sprain, which sidelined him for the end of the Trail Blazers‘ first-round series against the Lakers and forced him to leave the NBA’s campus for further evaluation.
Having undergone that re-evaluation, Lillard had the initial diagnosis of a “mild” sprain confirmed, according to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link), who reports that the Trail Blazers have no long-term concerns about their star point guard’s knee. He’ll be good to go for the start of next season.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Within a deep dive into the Timberwolves‘ draft decisions and offseason plans, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic says sources around the NBA expect president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas to “work the phones” to gauge the value of the No. 1 pick on the trade market. As Vecenie explains, that doesn’t mean the Wolves will move the pick, but the expectation is that Rosas doesn’t have a set timeline in mind for the club’s rebuild and will look to get as much value as possible out of the selection, whether that means trading it or selecting a player.
- A handful of Nuggets players will get richer with a Game 7 win over Utah on Tuesday night, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. As Marks details, Nikola Jokic ($466K), Gary Harris ($350K), and Paul Millsap ($200K) will each receive bonuses if Denver advances to round two of the playoffs.
- In case you missed it on Monday, we solicited your opinions and predictions on tonight’s Game 7 showdown between the Jazz and Nuggets. Our poll remains open, so be sure to make your picks for Game 7 before it tips off.