Atlantic Notes: Randle, Young, Robinson, Sixers, D’Antoni
Knicks star Julius Randle is rejuvenated and encouraged despite his team coming off a rough road trip, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. New York went 1-4 on the trip, defeating the Warriors and losing to the Lakers, Jazz, Nuggets and Blazers.
“Honestly encouraged in a sense of this was a tough trip,” Randle said. “We played some really good teams on this trip. We were in the game and really gave ourselves a shot to win four of the five games.
“It’s encouraging in that sense. But it’s also very disappointing that we were 1-4, easily could have gone 4-1. It’s tough. It’s tough. But for me it sucks, got a long plane ride back home.”
The Knicks are now 25-32 and rank 12th in the Eastern Conference. The team will return to New York for a four-game homestand on Monday, playing the Thunder, Nets, Heat and Sixers.
There’s more out of the Atlantic:
- New Raptors forward Thaddeus Young shouldn’t struggle fitting in with the team, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports writes. Toronto acquired Young in a deal with San Antonio last week, adding another lengthy and versatile defender to its frontcourt. The team is 8-2 in its last 10 games.
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson exited the club’s game on Saturday with a sprained ankle, Marc Berman relays in a separate article for the New York Post. Robinson finished with two points and three blocks in the contest, playing just 14 minutes. Backup center Nerlens Noel is day-to-day with a knee injury, so veteran Taj Gibson and two-way center Jericho Sims could see more playing time this week.
- Sixers officials rejected the theory of president Daryl Morey eyeing Mike D’Antoni as a future replacement for coach Doc Rivers, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice tweets. D’Antoni coached the Rockets when Morey served as general manager from 2016-20. Rivers has guided the Sixers to a 34-22 record despite not having Ben Simmons this season.
Central Notes: Jones Jr., Duarte, Cavaliers, Smith
Bulls wing Derrick Jones Jr. is determined to play through the pain of a fractured right index finger, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago writes. The Bulls are already playing without Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams and Javonte Green due to injuries.
When Jones initially broke his finger in January, he was given a six-to-eight week recovery timeline. However, the Bulls later issued an update saying the forward would be able to return sooner if he was able to play with a splint. That was less than three weeks ago.
Jones returned on Saturday against the Thunder, playing 23 minutes off the bench. In addition to a finger injury, he was also dealing with a knee injury he suffered a couple weeks before breaking his finger, so this was his first action in a month.
“Personally, I love to compete, and me being out since January 12 has been eating me alive on the inside,” Jones said. “I was just waiting for this pain to die down a little bit so I could hop back out there. Soon as it went away a little bit, I was right back out there tonight.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Pacers rookie Chris Duarte will miss the team’s next two games after jamming his toe, Scott Agness of FieldHouse Files tweets. Duarte exited early in Sunday’s game against Minnesota due to the injury. It could impact his availability for the Rising Stars Game, which takes place on Friday, Agness notes.
- The Cavaliers‘ loss to the Sixers on Saturday was a valuable experience for the team, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. Cleveland lost the road game 93-103, allowing Joel Embiid to finish with a 40-point triple-double. “The intensity of which you’re going to have to play at in order to compete with teams like this down the stretch,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after being asked what could be taken from the loss, according to Fedor. “It was a clear message from the beginning of the game the intensity that they were coming with, the physicality that they played with. These are the tests that we talk about, and these are the lessons that we have to learn.”
- Despite joining the Pacers on the day of a game, Jalen Smith showed promise in his debut on Sunday, James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star writes. Smith finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, logging 23 minutes. Indiana acquired him and a 2022 second-round pick from Phoenix in exchange for Torrey Craig last week.
Eastern Notes: Suggs, Heat, Hornets, Harden, Embiid
Magic rookie Jalen Suggs is pushing the pace for his team this season, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando lost to Phoenix 132-105 on Saturday, but Suggs still finished with a 20-point, 10-assist effort.
“I liked the pace of the game,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Suggs. “His ability to push the ball up the floor. He got a lot of guys easy shots being able to get out in transition [and] attacking before the defense was set. I really like his aggressiveness.”
Suggs also grabbed six rebounds in the contest, immediately pushing to run the break. His work came in just 26 minutes of action. The 20-year-old is holding per-game averages of 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists on the season, shooting 37% from the floor.
Here are some other notes from the Southeast Division:
- The Heat were content with standing pat at the trade deadline, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The team did clear a roster spot by trading KZ Okpala to Oklahoma City, but Victor Oladipo‘s looming return should serve as a valuable upgrade. “I thought everyone was pretty safe this year on our team,” Tyler Herro said. “In past years, we’ve made pretty significant moves and people didn’t really know what move we were going to make. But I felt like this trade deadline was a little bit more clear. We’re first in the East. We feel like we made all our moves in the offseason and I think this roster is good enough to compete with anybody. I think that’s why we didn’t make any moves.”
- The upcoming All-Star break is coming at a good time for the Hornets, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes, noting how the team could use a reset. Charlotte is 3-7 in its last 10 games. “I feel like we just got to put it together,” Terry Rozier said. “Whatever that means, however people take it. But the season is about ups and downs and at home we’re just not getting wins right now.”
- Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines why he believes the James Harden–Joel Embiid pairing will flourish for the Sixers at first. Pompey also explores whether it could advance past the initial stage, as both Harden and Embiid don’t hold championship experience. Philadelphia acquired Harden and veteran Paul Millsap last week, sending Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to Brooklyn.
Norman Powell Fractures Bone In Foot
Clippers guard Norman Powell has suffered a fractured medial sesamoid bone in his left foot, the team announced. The treatment is non-surgical at this time and no timetable was issued for his return.
Powell, 28, missed the team’s game against Dallas on Saturday due to the injury. He last played against the Mavericks on Thursday, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists in 34 minutes of action.
As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes tweets, sesamoid fractures aren’t a common injury for NBA players, but since 2005/06, the average time lost for a player with that diagnosis is about 19 games. If Powell’s return timeline is in that neighborhood, he could be back before the end of the regular season — Los Angeles currently has 24 games left.
Powell was acquired by the Clippers in a trade before last Thursday’s deadline. Los Angeles gave up Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick in the deal, also getting back Robert Covington.
With Powell out, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey and Luke Kennard will likely see more action. Head coach Tyronn Lue started Mann in place of Powell on Saturday.
Powell joins star players Paul George (elbow) and Kawhi Leonard (ACL) as players who are sidelined, but the Clippers still rank eighth in the West at 28-30.
Kings Notes: McNair, Fox, Sabonis, Haliburton, DiVincenzo
Kings team president Monte McNair is confident that new addition Domantas Sabonis will fit well alongside pricey star point guard De’Aaron Fox, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter).
“We think [Sabonis’] skillset complements De’Aaron,” McNair said. “De’Aaron’s skillset complements him. And Domas’ skillset complements just about everybody.”
McNair discussed his decision to move promising young guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers in a package for Sabonis, writes Anderson in a separate story.
“This was a unique opportunity to acquire a two-time All-Star and two veteran wings [in Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb], all [of] whom will help us, as we continue to build here in Sacramento,” McNair said.
Sacramento, which has not made an NBA postseason since 2006, is hoping that its new-look roster can at least lead it to the play-in tournament. The team’s current 22-36 record positions it just 1.5 games behind the current No. 10 seed, the Trail Blazers, with plenty of time to catch up.
There’s more out of Sacramento:
- Domantas Sabonis is enjoying his tenure with the Kings thus far, writes Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. In two contests with his new club, both wins, the 6’11” power forward/center is averaging 19.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 6.0 APG. “Since the second I made it to the NBA, I figured out the hard way it’s a business,” the two-time All-Star said after his first game. “I got traded on draft night, and then a year later, I got traded again. I’m just trying to find a home where I’m loved … and I feel like I found it here. I love it here.”
- Not everyone is excited about the Kings’ decision to move on from an exciting young prospect like Tyrese Haliburton. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic tries to make sense of the Kings’ choice to trade the 6’5″ guard, who had been Sacramento’s top performer this year, to Indiana. Vecenie pegs the 21-year-old Haliburton as a future All-Star, one capable of doing well with or without the ball in his hands. Vecenie acknowledges that the pairing of Sabonis and Fox could help the team in theory, though Fox has regressed so far this season and Sabonis could reach free agency in 2024. As a second-year NBA player, Haliburton could have been under team control for significantly longer.
- New Kings shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo is relishing his opportunity in Sacramento, writes Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings initially tried to land DiVincenzo in the scuttled sign-and-trade deal for Bogdan Bogdanovic at the start of the 2020/21 season, then finally got their man as part of a four-team deadline day trade. “It was meant to be,” DiVincenzo said. “That mutual respect and wanting to be here and them wanting me here, it’s a super good feeling and it makes you want to go out and play as hard as you can for not only the team, but also the organization.” Though DiVincenzo has had a down year after returning from a June left ankle surgery, the Kings are hopeful that he can return to being the solid two-way contributor he was with for Bucks during much of the 2020/21 season. “I think he’s a very versatile defender,” Kings interim head coach Alvin Gentry said. “We can play him on ones, twos, threes. I think he does a good job of getting into the ball. I think he understands rotations and things like that. “
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Westbrook, AD, Vogel, Reaves
Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James has to live with the consequences of the disastrous Russell Westbrook trade he pushed his team’s front office to make, opines Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill writes that, whether James cooked up the Westbrook deal or merely advocated for it, his interest in the idea ultimately compelled Los Angeles team president Rob Pelinka to pull the trigger, and the team is now struggling to stay afloat, currently the ninth seed in the West.
After the team used many of its remaining assets to acquire Westbrook from the Wizards and opted not to re-sign stellar defensive guard Alex Caruso over the summer, it had its hands tied at the trade deadline this past Thursday, ultimately deciding to stand pat. Beyond the maximum salaries of James, the tough-to-trade Westbrook, and big man Anthony Davis, the Lakers had just two players, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn, making more than the veteran’s minimum. Horton-Tucker has struggled in an expanded role, while the injured Nunn has yet to play a single game with L.A.
There’s more out of Lakerland:
- Lakers star big man Anthony Davis discussed his sense of relief following the trade deadline, now that the team knows its personnel heading towards the end of the season. “[The deadline passing] lifted weight off the [team’s] shoulders,” Davis said, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). “This is our team, let’s go.”
- Following the Lakers’ inactive trade deadline, Los Angeles head coach Frank Vogel also expressed optimism for the home stretch of the 2021/22 season, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s a new day,” Vogel said. “I think there’s just a natural reset energy to our group, knowing that the trade deadline has passed. This is the group that we put together to start the year. This is a group we believe in.” That group has led the Lakers, currently on a three-game losing streak, to a 26-31 record and the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
- One of the lone bright spots in this disappointing Lakers season has been the play of rookie shooting guard Austin Reaves, who has emerged as a reliable bench contributor on both ends of the court. Reaves initially signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after going undrafted out of Oklahoma this summer, then saw that deal converted to a standard NBA contract before the start of the season. The 23-year-old has emerged as a clutch role player of late, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times details. “He’s got a great computer to process help and see whether if he’s going to shoot or whether he’s going to make the extra pass and obviously he’s got a lot of guts to make big shots,” Frank Vogel said. “And he really competes on the defensive end and has a good IQ down on that end.” LeBron James also raved about the youngster: “Nothing has impressed me anymore on Austin. He’s made big plays over and over offensively and defensively.” In 21.1 MPG, Reaves is averaging 6.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG, and has supplanted veterans like Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore in L.A.’s perimeter rotation.
Knicks Sign Ryan Arcidiacono For Rest Of Season
1:43pm: The addition of Arcidiacono is now official, per a team press release (Twitter link).
1:01pm: Guard Ryan Arcidiacono will sign a deal with the Knicks that will keep him in New York for the rest of the 2021/22 NBA season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 6’3″ point guard, who won a title with Villanova in 2016, previously signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Knicks earlier this year, as well as a hardship exception deal that was later voided, though he has yet to suit up for an actual game with New York.
Ian Begley of SNY.tv adds (via Twitter) that the addition of Arcidiacono brings the Knicks’ total standard contract count to 15, the maximum allowable.
Arcidiacono spent his first four NBA seasons with the Bulls, mostly as a reserve. He holds career averages of 4.8 PPG, 2.2 APG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.6 SPG in 17.6 MPG. He boasts NBA shooting splits of .431/.373/.807.
Chicago opted not to re-sign the 27-year-old in free agency this summer. He signed a training camp deal with the Celtics, though he did not make Boston’s opening night roster. He has also spent time with the Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, in between his contracts with the Knicks this season.
When Arcidiacono first signed with New York in January, Charania noted that there was a possibility he would stick with the team for the rest of the year. That possibility has now come to pass.
As Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) observes, now that the reeling Knicks have a full 15-man roster, they’d have to waive someone in order to be active on the buyout market. Berman floats the possibility that point guard Kemba Walker could be the Knicks player the club opts to be buy out if they want to make another addition.
Pistons Notes: Bagley, Weaver, Grant, Cunningham
Marvin Bagley III has a chance to redefine his career with the Pistons and he wants to start by getting rid of the reputation that he’s not a good teammate. Meeting with the media today for the first time since he was acquired from the Kings in a four-team trade, Bagley dismissed any concerns that he won’t do what’s best for the team, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that I’m not a team guy, that I don’t do well with my teammates,” Bagley said. “People talk about defense. If you ask any guy I’ve played with, they won’t have one bad thing to say.”
Bagley said he was awakened by his agent on Thursday with news that a deal might be close. He welcomes the opportunity after three and a half seasons in Sacramento, saying he could “breathe and have fun playing basketball” (Twitter link from Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press).
Because Bagley didn’t reach an extension agreement with the Kings last offseason, he is headed for free agency this summer. His qualifying offer will be worth $7.2MM if he doesn’t meet the starter criteria or $14.8MM if he does, but general manager Troy Weaver told reporters the amount of the QO wasn’t a consideration in the trade. “The reason we got him in was to take a look at the human being and see how he can assimilate with the group,” Weaver said (Twitter link via Sankofa).
There’s more from Detroit:
- Weaver also had a message for fans who were hoping for a big deal at the deadline and may be getting frustrated with losing as the team tries to rebuild, Sankofa adds (Twitter link). “The process is to build a sustainable winner, and that takes time,” Weaver said. “I’m sure everyone would like us to fast-track it. You only have one shot at this thing, and in our restoring process, we don’t want to skip any steps. We don’t want to shortcut anything.”
- Jerami Grant was among the most sought-after players on the market, but Detroit opted to hold onto its leading scorer. Grant was informed of that decision well before the deadline, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News (Twitter link).“I’m a Piston,” Grant said. “It’s what I want to do.”
- Cade Cunningham is still trying to get comfortable after missing five games with a hip pointer, Sankofa writes in a full story. Cunningham was able to return Friday, but he’s on a minutes restriction and is still dealing with pain in the hip. “Certain movements cause some discomfort, more than anything,” he said. “But I’m just trying to work through it, get back right and get better.”
Wizards Notes: Bertans, Sheppard, Porzingis, Draft Pick
Davis Bertans, who was traded to the Mavericks this week along with Spencer Dinwiddie, offered some insight into the dysfunctional situation he left behind with the Wizards, writes Jack Maloney of CBS Sports. During his introductory news conference Saturday in Dallas, Bertans described an atmosphere where each player seemed to have his own agenda.
“It’s tough to have team chemistry when every single day, the team is basically fighting with each other about ‘I want to get more minutes’ and ‘I want a bigger role.'” Bertans said. “That was probably the biggest part of struggles for most guys during the season. That kinda early on doesn’t show up because everybody’s trying to figure out what’s going on. Once it starts going downhill, it’s really hard to turn around and start going up again.”
Bertans’ comments seem to confirm a recent statement from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that “egos and agendas” sank the Wizards’ season after a 10-3 start. Last weekend, Montrezl Harrell, who has since been traded to Charlotte, lamented the mood in the locker room, and he and Caldwell-Pope reportedly got into a physical altercation during halftime of a game this season.
There’s more from Washington, D.C.:
- When Thomas Bryant and Rui Hachimura returned from injuries, it created a logjam of minutes that made it impossible to keep everyone happy, notes Andrew Gillis of NBC Sports Washington. General manager Tommy Sheppard admits that factored into his decisions this week, but he believes a COVID-19 outbreak contributed to the team’s decline as well. “I do know we were 15-11 and COVID hit this team, and we really have been struggling ever since then to get our legs back under us,” Sheppard said. “Just when we thought it was behind us, then [center Daniel Gafford] gets hit the other day. That’s not an excuse, but those are facts. We’ve missed a lot of players during that time.”
- Kristaps Porzingis, who missed Saturday’s game with a bone bruise in his right knee, hopes his long battle with injuries will end now that he’s with the Wizards, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “One is staying on the floor consistently. Now that I’m healthy and I’m moving well, that’s the thing I have to prove,” Porzingis said in his first session with the D.C. media. “I truly believe that my luck hasn’t been the best luck in terms of injuries. A lot of them, if not all of them have been contact injuries. Those you can’t really avoid, 100 percent. I do my part with being in the weight room, making sure my body is right to stay healthy. But you have to have a little bit of luck.”
- The 2022 second-round pick that the Wizards received from Dallas in the Porzingis trade is top-45 protected, according to Real GM. Washington won’t receive the pick if it doesn’t convey this year.
Zach LaVine Will See Knee Specialist
Bulls guard Zach LaVine will visit a knee specialist in Los Angeles this week, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. LaVine wants to get a more in-depth evaluation of his left knee, which has been causing him recurring pain. He still expects to take part in All-Star Weekend, Wojnarowski adds.
LaVine underwent an MRI last month that showed no structural damage in the knee, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). However, he has been dealing with soreness in the knee since early January. LaVine will miss Chicago’s final two games before the All-Star break, Johnson states.
LaVine sat out Saturday’s contest against the Thunder after playing nearly 37 minutes Friday night. He was in obvious discomfort during that game, observes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago, and has been dealing with back spasms as well as pain in the knee.
“I’m sure he’s not quite where he wants to be physically,” coach Billy Donovan said Friday. “I give him a lot of credit. He’s going out there and competing and trying to do what he can to help the team.”
LaVine, who missed five games in January because of the knee, is scheduled to take part in both the three-point contest on Saturday and the All-Star Game next Sunday. Donovan said the team will trust his judgment about participating in both events, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Donovan added that he has talked to LaVine about resting him in back-to-back situations for the remainder of the regular season.
‘‘More often than not, he wants to play,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘But if it’s a situation that he’s dealing with something that will cause longer-term issues or problems, I would say that he’s very smart and knows his body well. At the heart of him? Yeah, he wants to play. [But] he understands where his knee is at, he understands the plan, he understands what we’ve got to do to manage him and he’s part of that. He obviously signed off on it and agrees with it.’’