Joel Embiid: “Play Speaks For Itself” In MVP Race
Sixers center Joel Embiid believes he should be the favorite in this year’s Most Valuable Player race, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Embiid, who finished second in last year’s voting, has the stats to back up his claim. He’s leading the NBA in scoring at 29.6 points per game while pulling down 11.2 rebounds and dishing out a career-best 4.5 assists per night. He has Philadelphia near the top of the Eastern Conference at 35-23, despite the season-long distractions caused by the absence of Ben Simmons before he was traded last week.
“I don’t want to push for the whole thing, but the way I’ve been playing speaks for itself,” Embiid said. “Especially with everything we went through, the drama this whole year, obviously missing a big piece and then everything that happened to our team and the way our team is set up.
“So I knew had to take my game to another level whether it was offensively, defensively or playmaking and I’ve got great teammates that are coming in every single day and giving their all on the floor. But it always goes back to winning. As long as we win I’ll be at that level and have a chance to win it all and win the MVP. But to answer your question, the play speaks for itself. Every single night that’s what I’ve been doing offensively and defensively and I don’t plan on stopping.”
Embiid finished slightly ahead of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic in an ESPN straw poll of MVP voters conducted over the past week. Embiid may be able to expand his game after the All-Star break when he teams up with former MVP James Harden, who was acquired from the Nets in the Simmons trade. If they can lead Philadelphia to the top spot in the East, Embiid’s case for MVP honors will get even stronger.
Embiid also told reporters that he believes he can still reach another level because of improved conditioning over the last two seasons.
“That level is the last two years I really worked on my body and the results are showing,” he said. “I still feel like I’m not there. I’m not close to where I want to be when it comes to my body, so I feel like once I get to that level, a lot of times, most of the time, I play I’m 100 percent, but to be asked to do everything offensively and defensively it takes a toll, it’s hard.
“There’s not a lot of guys that can do that in the league, so I really believe once I get to that level … I don’t get a lot of respect when it comes to my defense. So, I want to be able to be this great offensive player and I already think defensively I’m up there but I really want to earn that respect when it comes to defense, but it takes a lot. It takes your body to be in the best shape possible and I think that’s where I got to get to.”
LeBron James: “The Door’s Not Closed” On A Potential Return To Cleveland
With LeBron James back in Cleveland for All-Star Weekend, he offered a hint that he might consider returning for one more stint with his hometown team, writes Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. When asked about playing for the Cavaliers again before he retires, James gave an open-ended response.
“The door’s not closed on that,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t even know when I’m free.”
James has one season remaining on his current deal with the Lakers at $44,474,988. He could be back on the free agent market in the summer of 2023 at age 38.
James emphasized that he hasn’t specifically pondered a return to Cleveland, but he also hasn’t ruled anything out. Lloyd notes that he could be referring to a simple one-day contract so he could retire as a Cavalier, but he could also mean something more.
The Cavs selected James with the first pick in the 2003 draft, and he spent seven years with the team before leaving for Miami as a free agent in 2010. He returned four years later and took the Cavaliers to four straight NBA Finals, capturing the franchise’s only championship in 2016, before departing for Los Angeles.
Although the Lakers won a title in 2020, Cleveland may have a brighter future than L.A. The Cavaliers have rebuilt since James left and are fourth in the East at 35-23 with plenty of youth on the roster. The Lakers, whose roster is stocked with veterans, are ninth in the West at 27-31.
“I think (Cavs general manager Koby Altman) and those guys have done an unbelievable job drafting and making trades,” James said. “I think big fella (Jarrett Allen), that acquisition was amazing for them to make that trade. Obviously Darius Garland is a big-time player. And I think the role that Kevin (Love) is playing right now has kind of uplifted those young guys, seeing a veteran that could sacrifice, a champion that’s won a championship, all the things that he’s done, to come off the bench and play this role. I am not surprised by anything that they’re doing right now.”
As Lloyd points out, it wouldn’t be easy for Cleveland to open enough cap room to sign James without tearing apart its current core. And James made it clear that he wouldn’t be interested in providing a hometown discount so the Cavs could sign him with their mid-level exception.
“I don’t play mid-level basketball,” he said. “I don’t come back for anything below the top.”
James also revealed today that he plans to play his final NBA season for whichever team winds up with his son, Bronny. Currently a junior in high school, the earliest that Bronny could be draft-eligible is 2024.
“My last year will be played with my son,” James said. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
Cavaliers Waive Kevin Pangos
The Cavaliers have waived guard Kevin Pangos, according to the NBA.com transactions log.
Pangos, 29, played six seasons in Europe before earning a roster spot with Cleveland in training camp. He signed a two-year, $3.5MM contract in September, but only the first season was guaranteed at $1.67MM. Pangos saw spot duty in 24 games for the Cavs, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 assists in 6.9 minutes per night.
A report earlier this month indicated that Pangos has an offer waiting from CSKA Moscow (hat tip to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando). The rumored contract would be worth $6MM and would run through the end of the 2023/24 season.
Cleveland had a full roster before unloading Pangos and may need the open spot to be active on the buyout market.
Central Notes: DeRozan, Okoro, Thompson, LaVine
Bulls star DeMar DeRozan endorsed the team’s signing of veteran center Tristan Thompson, as relayed by K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Thompson agreed to a buyout with the Pacers on Thursday and is expected to sign with Chicago in the near future.
“[I’ve] known Tristan for years,” DeRozan said. “Great dude. Championship experience. Good friend of mine. Got the utmost respect for him off the court. Obviously, we all know what he brings on the court. Think it will be great addition for us. Veteran leadership.”
Thompson carries 11 years of NBA experience, which includes an NBA title with the Cavaliers in 2016. He’s expected to provide depth behind star center Nikola Vucevic for the rest of the campaign. In 34 games this season with Sacramento and Indiana, he’s averaged 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, playing 15.3 minutes per contest.
There’s more from the Central Division tonight:
- Cavaliers swingman Isaac Okoro believes he’s one of the best rising players in the league, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. Okoro has averaged 9.0 points per game on 46% shooting during his second season with the team. “I’m grateful to be one of the top rising young players right now,” Okoro said. “I felt that last year. Throughout the whole season, felt like I was one of the Rising Stars in this league. I feel like I’ve put in a lot of work for our team and it’s showing. Just taking in the experience. I’m blessed to be here and I’m just soaking everything in.”
- Tristan Thompson gave up $774,289 in his buyout with the Pacers, which is roughly what he’ll receive in his new deal with Chicago, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter). Thompson only appeared in four games with Indiana before the buyout.
- Bulls star Zach LaVine feels “great” after visiting a knee specialist, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. As Schaefer notes in his Twitter thread, LaVine had his knee drained and received PRP and cortisone injections. “It’ll get me through the end of the season, and then in the offseason I’ll be able to take care of it and get myself to 100 percent,” he said.
Atlantic Notes: Tatum, Smart, Achiuwa, Irving
Celtics star Jayson Tatum still holds a strong desire to play with Jaylen Brown, he said on J.J. Redick’s podcast, The Old Man & The Three (Twitter link). The Celtics have faced questions over the last year or two about their ability to win with Tatum and Brown leading the way, but Tatum insisted that he and Brown are committed to making it work.
“I think we’re both still very far from our prime,” Tatum said as part of a larger quote. “And I think what people don’t understand is like, alright, if you want to break us up, the grass is not always greener. There’s not a lot of guys in the NBA like JB [Jaylen Brown].”
Tatum and Brown have combined to average 49.4 points per game this season. The duo has played five seasons together and has led Boston to a 34-26 record this year.
“I couldn’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to have two of the best players that are under 25 on your team,” Tatum continued. “And, yeah, there are certain rough patches, but we’ve won way more games together than we’ve lost.”
Here are some other notes from the Atlantic:
- During the same appearance on Redick’s podcast, Tatum discussed Marcus Smart‘s early-season criticism, adding that the Celtics are “past it now,” Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes. As we wrote in early November, Smart called out Brown and Tatum for not passing the ball more. “I wasn’t angry or mad or anything,” Tatum said. “I just waited to the next day. I saw Marcus at the facility and we sat down and talked. It was a great talk actually. We had some time to sleep. The adrenaline was gone from the game. He apologized for what he said and that was something he shouldn’t have said in the media and that they got his words mixed up. I didn’t take offense.”
- Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa is optimistic that his breakout is coming, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes. Achiuwa is in his first season with Toronto after being acquired in a sign-and-trade with Miami. “I want to be lethal,” Achiuwa said. “Being lethal on both sides of the ball game, both offense and defense. I think I have the physical abilities and God’s given abilities to evolve into that player.”
- Zach Lowe of ESPN.com (Insider-only) examines 10 noteworthy stories around the NBA, including Kyrie Irving‘s future with the Nets. Irving has only appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 24.1 points and 5.4 assists per contest. He holds a $36MM player option for next season.
Chris Paul Could Miss Time Due To Hand Injury
Suns star Chris Paul could miss some time after suffering a thumb injury this week, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes. Paul wore a cast on his hand during his team’s All-Star practice on Saturday, but he was vague when discussing how long he could be out.
As we previously relayed, Paul suffered the injury against Houston on Wednesday night. The team has yet to release his MRI results from Thursday.
“We’re 48-10 and if we do miss some time, I know the guys are going to hold it down,” Paul said. “There’s always going to be a frustration with injury. My hand surgeon is part of my family now.”
On the season, Paul has averaged 14.9 points, 10.7 assists and 1.9 steals in 33 minutes per game. His 10.7 APG represents his highest mark since the 2013/14 campaign.
“I always want to play,” said Paul, who hasn’t missed a game this season. “When I felt that in my hand, I was mad for all types of reasons,” Paul said. “Obviously we’re not going to (rush it). I’m going to try to heal as fast as physically possible. The second I’m able to play, I guarantee you I will be playing.”
Poll: Who Will Win The 2022 Slam Dunk Contest?
The 2022 Slam Dunk Contest takes place Saturday night and features four participants (betting odds courtesy of SportsLine.com):
- Jalen Green (+125)
- Obi Toppin (+175)
- Cole Anthony (+350)
- Juan Toscano-Anderson (+475)
Rockets rookie Green, the second pick of the 2021 draft, is the favorite, followed by last year’s runner-up, second-year Knicks forward Toppin. Second-year guard Anthony of the Magic is third, and Toscano-Anderson, a third-year reserve forward for the Warriors, brings up the rear. Green, Anthony and Toscano-Anderson are all first-time participants.
Anthony and Green played in the Rising Stars event Friday night, losing a 50-49 nail-biter for Team Worthy against Team Isiah. Anthony flushed an impressive lob dunk off the backboard from teammate Jalen Suggs during the game.
ESPN recently released a video with a short sampling of some of the contestants’ in-game dunks this season. My personal favorite was Toscano-Anderson’s epic poster over JaVale McGee, but all four have certainly had some impressive jams.
If you think shorter players have a stylistic edge given they have to jump that much higher, Anthony is the shortest participant at 6’2″, followed by Green (6’4″), JTA (6’6″) and Toppin (6’9″).
What do you think? Who will win this year’s Slam Dunk Contest? Will the electric rookie favorite come out on top? Will the underdog Toscano-Anderson pull off the upset?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Who Will Win The Slam Dunk Contest?
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Obi Toppin 36% (468)
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Jalen Green 35% (458)
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Juan Toscano-Anderson 15% (194)
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Cole Anthony 14% (185)
Total votes: 1,305
Nets Notes: New Rivalry, Curry, Drummond, Irving
The Nets/Sixers matchup has the making of the league’s next great rivalry, Brian Lewis of The New York Post opines. There could be some bad blood between the two sides after the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade, as Harden and Simmons both clearly left on poor terms.
Simmons refused to suit up for the Sixers this season and didn’t exactly get along well with Joel Embiid, while Harden appeared to stop trying towards the end of his stint in Brooklyn after becoming frustrated with the team’s performance and Kyrie Irving‘s part-time status.
The two teams clashed in the playoffs in 2019, creating some animosity, but Brooklyn’s roster is very different now. Lewis thinks a feud could be great for the league.
“Yeah, it could,” Patty Mills said. “Or not; we’ll have to see. And if it is, then, awesome, it’s great. I mean, we’re trying to get better as a team; if that brings the best out of us, great. Vice versa. Good for the fans. Good for TV. Good for basketball around the world.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Seth Curry and Andre Drummond are integrating quickly with their new team, as NetsDaily.com relays. Brooklyn has gone 2-1 since the trade was officially completed, and both players have started all three contests. “I think in our league today it’s so important to have shooters who can space the floor [and] having him to do so for Kevin [Durant], Ky [Kyrie Irving] and Ben [Simmons] is really important,” coach Steve Nash said of Curry. “It gives us depth in shooting, spacing, but I think he’s a better player than just that. He’s pretty good in pick-and-roll, pretty good at scoring out of pick-and-roll situations or playing that game taking space to create offense and he can deliver the ball pretty well in those scenarios as well.” Curry is eligible for an extension this summer. He’ll earn $8.5MM in 2022/23, the final year of his four-year deal.
- Nash expects Drummond to play a larger role with Brooklyn than he did with Philadelphia, per the same article from NetsDaily. “I think he fills needs that our group is looking for, and we’re excited for him to continue to get more comfortable in the way we play and also really get in great shape,” Nash said. “He’s going to play more minutes for us as far as the way we project things to go, so he’s used to (playing behind Embiid, but we’re going to ask him to) play more. I think part of it is adapting to the new role.” The Nets were interested in Drummond last season after he reached a buyout agreement with the Cavaliers, but he ultimately finished the season with the Lakers before signing with the Sixers on a minimum deal as a free agent last summer. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link) ponders what the future holds for Irving. He has a player option for 2022/23, but no one knows what his plans are. Only a few teams project to have money to spend on free agents this summer, and given Irving’s volatility, Lowe questions whether other teams would even offer a long-term deal. Will the Knicks make another run at Irving if he opts out? A short-term contract with the Nets could make sense if Irving opts out, Lowe posits, assuming they want him back.
Knicks Notes: DeRozan, Rose, Starters, Offseason, Rosas
A source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that DeMar DeRozan would have signed with the Knicks instead of the Bulls last summer if New York had matched Chicago’s contract offer. The Bulls inked DeRozan to a three-year, $81.9MM deal via sign-and-trade.
DeRozan’s top choice was the Lakers, but the team never made him a formal offer, the source tells Berman. Nor did the Knicks.
GM Scott Perry was interested in DeRozan, but president Leon Rose and executive VP William Wesley were sold on Evan Fournier. Perry believed that signing DeRozan could have led to Damian Lillard down the line, as the two stars are close friends, Berman relays. Obviously, the Knicks ultimately acquired Fournier.
Here’s more from New York:
- The return of Derrick Rose could provide a needed boost to the struggling Knicks, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. “When you look at Derrick when he’s on the floor and you look at the plus-minus of the players, he impacts it in a very positive way,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And he’s always been that way. Because he gives you the transition game, he gives you the pick-and-roll game, he can play on the ball, he can play off the ball, so it adds a lot to our team.”
- In Zach Lowe’s latest ’10 things’ column for ESPN (Insider link), he writes that New York’s starting unit has been a disaster all season, and has been outscored by 14 points per 100 possessions, one of the worst marks in the league. He points to Kemba Walker, Fournier, and Julius Randle as the weak links on defense, with Randle’s regression from last season being especially disappointing. Lowe says to “expect everything to be on the table for the Knicks in the summer.”
- In a separate article for The New York Post, Berman explores what the hiring of Gersson Rosas means for the Knicks’ front office. Rosas has multiple ties to the organization, Berman notes, as he shares the same agent as Thibodeau from Creative Artists Agency. Rose was a longtime agent at CAA prior to becoming the Knicks’ president. Rosas and Thibodeau also worked together for several years in Houston.
Cade Cunningham MVP Of Rising Stars
Pistons rookie guard Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 draft, was named MVP of the Rising Stars event on Friday night, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
The event had a unique format this year, with two semifinals featuring an “Elam Ending” with a target score of 50. Both contests were competitive, with Team Isiah defeating Team Worthy by a score of 50-49, followed by Team Barry’s 50-48 victory over Team Payton. The final was played to 25 in honor of the NBA’s 75th anniversary (50+25), with Team Barry emerging victorious over Team Isiah, 25-20.
Cunningham led Team Barry to consecutive victories, totaling 18 points, seven rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in the process. He was 7-for-13 from the floor across the two games, including 3-for-6 from deep.
“It means a lot. This is a game I was looking forward to, to being around so much big-time talent, and just have fun but try to compete and go get a win,” Cunningham said, per Beard. “To bring the trophy home in my first All-Star Weekend really means a lot.”
No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers also had a couple nice games for Team Barry, totaling 18 points, 11 rebounds and two assists while shooting 8-16 from the field.
Pistons sophomores Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart both had strong performances for Team Isiah, Beard notes.