Hall Of Famer Paul Westphal Passes Away
NBA Hall of Famer Paul Westphal has passed away, according to Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Westphal, 70, was diagnosed with brain cancer in August.
During a playing career which lasted from 1972-84, Westphal played for the Celtics, Suns, SuperSonics and Knicks. He was a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team selection. In his career, Westphal scored a total of 12,809 points for an average of 15.6 PPG, along with 3,591 assists for an average of 4.4 APG.
Westphal coached the Suns from 1992-95 and SuperSonics from 1998-2000. His last head coaching stint came with the Kings (2009-12). His last NBA assistant coaching stint was with the Nets from 2014-16. He had a 318-279 (.533) regular-season record as a head coach and 27-22 record in the playoffs. The Suns reached the NBA Finals in his first year as head coach.
Westphal was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Hoops Rumors offers its condolences to the Westphal family.
Blake Griffin Talks Pistons, Free Agency, Playoffs
Entering his 11th NBA season, Blake Griffin is not just one of the NBA’s most recognizable names — he is also one of the league’s longest-tenured players. The Pistons forward opened up about his future both on and off the court in a recent interview with The New York Times’ Sopan Deb.
Griffin evolved from a human highlight reel as a younger player to a multi-faceted scoring weapon with a consistent three-point shot. However, despite his strong play, no team that Griffin has been part of has reached an NBA conference final. As a veteran on a young, rebuilding team, Griffin may not be in great position to change that, but he’s staying positive, as he tells Deb.
Check out some of the highlights below:
Griffin on the Pistons’ young group of rookies:
“I’ve also just really enjoyed it, especially this group of rookies that we have now. They’re great players, but great kids. They want to learn. They come. They ask you questions.”
Griffin on his goal of a deep playoff run:
“The individual awards and these things are fine, and I’m appreciative of them, but I just want to win. Not making it to a conference final, yeah, it does gnaw at me. Not to the point where I’m losing sleep over it. But that’s the main goal — I want to win.”
Griffin on the possibility of reaching free agency after the current season (he has a player option for 2021/22):
“It’s not a decision that I have to make in the immediate future. And I know, I’m sorry, I’m just kind of running around that question, but it’s just true. Things can change.”
Bulls’ Chandler Hutchison Tests Positive For COVID-19
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan announced that forward Chandler Hutchison has tested positive for COVID-19, ESPN’s Eric Woodyard writes.
Hutchison is currently in Washington, D.C., where Chicago beat the Wizards on Thursday. In addition to Hutchison, the Bulls were without Lauri Markkanen, Ryan Arcidiacono and Tomas Satoransky for Friday’s tilt against the Bucks under the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
“He’s going through the NBA safety and protocols,” Donovan said of Hutchinson.
This is not the Bulls’ first encounter with COVID-19 this season. Noah Vonleh tested positive during the preseason and was subsequently released. Guard Garrett Temple confirmed he tested positive in late November.
Hutchison, 24, has appeared in four games for Chicago this season, averaging 3.3 PPG and 4.3 RPG off the bench. He will have to clear the league’s safety and protocols before returning, which includes a quarantine period and producing several negative COVID-19 tests.
Kings Rookie Haliburton Has Wrist Bone Bruise
Tyrese Haliburton has been one of the league’s top rookies during the first two weeks of play but he’ll be out for at least a week, according to a team press release.
The Kings guard underwent an MRI in Houston on Friday which confirmed a left wrist bone bruise. He suffered the injury during Thursday’s game against the Rockets.
His condition will be updated when the team returns to Sacramento next week. The Kings play at Houston on Saturday and Golden State on Monday before returning home.
The 12th overall pick in the draft out of Iowa State, Haliburton has scored 10.6 PPG while shooting 50% from the field. He’s also averaging 4.4 APG while playing 26.8 MPG off the bench.
“He plays beyond his years and we all have the utmost confidence in him with the ball,” starting point guard De’Aaron Fox told Shaun Powell of NBA.com. “He steps up to the occasion. He understands the game so well … you would have thought he’s played a few years already.”
Atlantic Notes: Barrett, Thibodeau, Powell
Knicks guard RJ Barrett is in the midst of a miserable shooting slump, Marc Berman of the New York Post notes. The No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft has made just 19 of 72 field-goal attempts since scoring 26 points in the team’s opener. He’s also missed all 21 of his 3-point tries in the last four games. However, Tom Thibodeau said this week that Barrett contributes in many ways.
“He’s doing a lot of things for us defensively, moving well without the ball. He’s getting downhill,” the Knicks coach said. “There’s a lot of room for him to grow. … Just having a wing to do things he can do, his versatility is a big asset for the team and willingness to make plays for people.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Thibodeau has stuck with the same starting five in the first five games because he wants to establish chemistry and a coherent rotation, Berman writes in a separate story. “I think they’re familiar with each other,’’ Thibodeau said. “It’s a good balance of how they complement each other. We have three guys that can go off the dribble pretty effectively. We have shooting with Reggie (Bullock) and defense. And Mitch (Mitchell Robinson) is really coming on. So I like the balance of that group, especially with our bench.’’
- The Raptors have played better with Norman Powell in the starting lineup but it creates other issues, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. In 90 career starts, Powell has averaged 13.3 PPG while shooting 41% from 3-point range. Toronto could go small by taking Aron Baynes out of the lineup but that would affect the second unit and reduce Alex Len‘s playing time, Smith adds.
- ICYMI, virtually every Atlantic Division teams has checked in with the Rockets regarding disgruntled star James Harden. Get the details here.
And-Ones: Johnson, Martin, COVID-19 Protocols, Bender
Mavericks forward James Johnson and Hornets forwards Cody Martin and Caleb Martin have been fined for their roles in an on-court altercation on Wednesday, according to an NBA press release.
Johnson, who was ejected, was fined $40K for deliberately pushing Cody Martin out of bounds, aggressively confronting him, and initiating the incident. Cody, who was also ejected, was fined $25K for pushing Johnson in retaliation and making contact with a game official. Caleb Martin was fined $20K for entering the altercation and making contact with a game official.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The NBA is planning to require players and many team staffers to wear sensor devices during all team-organized activities outside of games starting January 7, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. The plan is aimed on improving its contact tracing program. Players and specific staff members, such as coaches, will be required to wear Kinexon SafeZone contact sensor devices on the team plane, the team bus, during practices and while traveling to and from the arena or their home practice facility.
- The league is placing more responsibility on team officials to monitor and mete out discipline for COVID-19 protocol violations among players and staff, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. The NBA told teams that they’re required to notify the league office of any discipline imposed. The league office still holds the power to override team decisions on player punishments.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv has extended the contract of former NBA big man Dragan Bender for the remainder of the season, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando writes. Bender signed with the Israeli team in September. Bender played seven games with the Bucks last season before being waived in February. He joined the Warriors on a pair of 10-day deals and averaged 9.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG in nine games before the hiatus began.
Southeast Notes: Bonga, Dunn, Bogdanovic, Herro, Robinson
Wizards forward Isaac Bonga got benched on Thursday after starting the first four games and coach Scott Brooks said it was simply a numbers game, Kevin Brown of NBC Sports Washington writes. With Rui Hachimura returning from an eye injury and reclaiming his usual spot in the lineup, Brooks had to choose between Bonga and Troy Brown as the backup. He chose Brown. “We’re trying to find minutes for Troy (Brown Jr.) and Bonga, and (Thursday) it was Troy, but who knows who it will be (Friday) night,” Brooks said.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said he had promising reports regarding guard Kris Dunn‘s arthroscopic right ankle surgery on Tuesday, according to Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Dunn is wearing a walking boot and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The former Bull has yet to make his Atlanta debut. “It sounds as if everything went well, as well as the surgery can go, and he’s staying here at the hotel,” Pierce said. “But he’s post-op and laying low.”
- Hawks free agent acquisition Bogdan Bogdanovic has averaged 15.3 PPG on 42.9% shooting from deep but Pierce says his value goes beyond perimeter shooting, Spencer writes in a separate story. “He hasn’t had any bad games,” Pierce said. “Bad games aren’t ‘make or miss.’ He’s taking those shots, I’ll live with them…. I trust his work. I’ve been praising the fact that he’s probably our hardest post-practice worker.”
- Would the combination of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson be enough to satisfy the Rockets in a potential deal with the Heat for James Harden? Not even close, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Houston wants “significantly more than that” for Harden, sources inform Jackson.
Central Notes: Doumbouya, Hayes, Bickerstaff, LaVine
Pistons second-year forward Sekou Doumbouya has received limited playing time in the early going, Rod Beard of the Detroit News notes.
The Pistons’ first-round pick in 2019 has not played more than 13 minutes in the team’s first four games. Dwane Casey said that Doumbouya has to deal with the fact he’s backing up Blake Griffin, who missed Friday’s game against Boston with a concussion.
“Blake’s going to get the majority of those minutes and (Doumbouya’s) got to make his minutes count. If Blake’s not going, (Doumbouya’s) minutes will get ratcheted up,” the Pistons head coach said. “It’s that situation, where he’s behind an All-Pro guy, and that’s his challenge right now.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pistons lottery pick Killian Hayes has struggled thus far as the starting point guard and Casey isn’t surprised, Beard writes in a separate story. The lack of practice time due to the shortened offseason put Hayes in a difficult situation, since the Pistons are intent on giving him experience. “We threw him in the fire — which was really unfair to him, because there’s no Summer League, there’s no August or September (workout time),” Casey said. “You’re going right from working out in Florida to going against NBA players.”
- The Cavaliers have lost two straight after starting out 3-0 and coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes his young unit is still learning to handle adversity, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “There was doubt as a unit. There was doubt as a team. And you can’t survive playing against good teams without that belief,” Bickerstaff said. “We have good players. … When they play together, with confidence and a belief, they can be a good basketball team. And that’s what we have to get to. But it takes time.”
- The Bulls defeated Washington on Thursday despite being shorthanded and Zach LaVine feels the team is showing more resolve, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes. “This team is tired of being labeled losers and underachieving,” LaVine said. “Everything is not going to be perfect. We’re not going to go out and win every game. But our demeanor has been a lot better than it has been the last couple of years.”
California Notes: Kawhi, Matthews, Batum, Wiggins
Clippers All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard is making a concerted effort to be a more vocal leader this season, as Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register details. His new teammate Serge Ibaka, who won a title with Leonard in 2019 when both were with the Raptors, encouraged Leonard to do this when he arrived to LA this season.
“Leaders need not only to come on the court and score 30 points. You have to show the team, your teammates, like you’re willing to give everything for them,” Ibaka said of the All-NBA Clippers forward. “And so far, he’s been doing a great job of that. He’s been communicating with everybody… this is something really new I see from Kawhi.”
There’s more out of California:
- New Lakers wing Wesley Matthews, a longtime starter in the NBA, is adjusting to his new role coming off the bench, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. “We don’t worry about Wes,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s a knockdown shooter and a great defender. Just excited that he’s in a Lakers uniform and what kind of things he’s gonna give us throughout the year.”
- With newly-extended Clippers forward Marcus Morris out of commission due to a sore right knee, veteran offseason addition Nicolas Batum has comfortably slid into his starting power forward role, per Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register. Batum is averaging 27.5 MPG, 6.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 3.5 APG for Los Angeles.
- Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins has vastly improved his pick-and-roll output this season, writes Zach Harper of The Athletic. He is producing 116.7 points per 100 possessions as a pick-and-roll scorer thus far in 2020/21.
Northwest Notes: Roby, Green, Little, Dort
During a 118-107 loss to the Magic on Tuesday, Thunder power forward Isaiah Roby demonstrated why Oklahoma City kept him on their regular season roster despite having a scoreless rookie year, according to James Jackson of The Oklahoman. Roby scored 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds in his first NBA start.
“I was really happy for him tonight, he played a phenomenal game,” center Mike Muscala said of Roby’s performance for the Thunder. “I thought he played great defense too and rebounded well. … After not playing in the first two games and then coming out and starting against [Magic center Nikola Vučević], I thought he did a really good job.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- New sharpshooting Nuggets power forward JaMychal Green is set to play in his first game for Denver tonight, hosting the Suns, after missing the first five games of the season due to a calf strain, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Green signed a two-year, $15MM deal with the Nuggets during the offseason.
- 20-year-old Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little suffered through an intense 22 days with COVID-19, as Jason Quick of The Athletic details. He lost 20 pounds, experienced grinding headaches, and lost his senses of smell and taste. “For me, I was on the worst part of the spectrum, the hard end of the disease,” Little said. “It hit me really bad. For about seven to 10 days, I was just really miserable.”
- Upstart second-year Thunder wing Luguentz Dort could nab an All-Defensive team inclusion this season despite being on a rebuilding squad, according to Nick Crain of Forbes. Veteran teammate George Hill thinks Dort is well on his way to carving out a niche on that end of the ball. “He’s going to be one of the best defenders in this league,” Hill said.