Bulls Notes: Offseason, LaVine, DeRozan, Thompson
The Bulls‘ prolonged slump could affect offseason decisions if they can’t turn things around in time for the playoffs, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago was one of the league’s early-season surprises with new additions DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso meshing immediately and leading the team to the top of the Eastern Conference. But the Bulls have struggled amid a rash of injuries and are currently just one game away from the play-in tournament.
Cowley suggests an early playoff exit would make the front office more willing to part with one of its core pieces, such as center Nikola Vucevic, who will have an expiring $22MM contract next season. Cowley believes Chicago would have interest in Rudy Gobert if the Jazz make him available or Suns center Deandre Ayton, who is headed toward restricted free agency.
Another possibility is parting with free agent guard Zach LaVine, who will be a free agent this summer and is eligible to re-sign for five years at roughly $210MM. LaVine has experienced lingering pain in his left knee through much of the season, and Cowley thinks the Bulls might be open to a sign-and-trade if they decide to break up their core.
There’s more from Chicago:
- LaVine is determined to stay in the lineup as he nears the first playoff appearance of his eight-year career, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. LaVine visited a knee specialist just before the All-Star break, and the Bulls are managing his playing time to help him remain productive. “I’m doing everything I can,” he said. “People know I play through injury. I hate missing basketball games. I’m a team-first guy. Even when I’m not 100%, I’m helping the team. Obviously, I have to watch out for myself and do due diligence on my rehab and how I feel. I just have to maintain it and I will.”
- It looks like DeRozan will miss just one game with the left adductor strain he suffered Tuesday. DeRozan sat out Thursday’s loss to the Pelicans, but he’s listed as probable for tonight’s contest in Cleveland, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
- Tristan Thompson received a $20K fine for “directing profane language toward a game official,” the league announced (via Twitter). Thompson was ejected after receiving two technical fouls in the closing seconds of Thursday’s game.
Lakers Notes: Anthony, Davis, Nunn, LeBron
Whenever Carmelo Anthony decides to retire, he’s determined that no one else is going to break the news, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Anthony discussed the topic after Friday’s practice, but gave no indication that he’s thinking about ending his career. At age 37, he remains a valuable weapon off the Lakers‘ bench, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 38.7% from three-point range.
“I’m going to tell you that right now: You ain’t going to hear no whispers,” Anthony said when asked about retirement. “You’re going to hear it straight from me.”
Anthony, who along with teammate LeBron James are the only active players from the 2003 draft, wants to keep his career going as long as possible after finding himself out of the league nearly three years ago when it seemed nobody wanted him. He has remained durable despite his age, appearing in 64 games so far this season and missing only 15 combined over the past three years. Anthony credits that to his mental approach to each season.
“If coming into it you’re thinking, ‘Oh I want to play 70 games or 72 games,’ you’re not going to be really locked into that,” he said. “You’ll be worried about something going wrong or this happening.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Anthony Davis didn’t take part in contact during Friday’s practice, but his workload has been increasing and the team remains hopeful that he’ll be available before the end of the regular season, Goon states in the same piece. Davis hasn’t played since spraining his right foot in a February 16 game.
- There’s less optimism surrounding Kendrick Nunn, an offseason free agent addition who hasn’t played all season, Goon adds. Nunn still isn’t able to practice, and coach Frank Vogel acknowledged that it’s “a good question” why he hasn’t been ruled out for the season. “I haven’t circled back with a recent update on that other than to know that’s he’s trying to (come back),” Vogel said. “I’m not sure when the next MRI is. But the intent is for him to continue to ramp up activity to where his imaging is coming back clean. I think there’s been some improvements, but not enough to see him back in practice.”
- Vogel is touting James for MVP honors, but admits the Lakers’ poor record will affect his chances, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James is the league’s top scorer at 30.0 PPG, but L.A. is fighting to hold onto a spot in the play-in tournament. “He is as deserving for MVP consideration as anybody in the league,” Vogel said. “I know how the voting goes — the team with the best record or top couple of records usually gets most of those considerations, so the win-loss record definitely would probably hurt him. But you can’t tell me that anybody has played a better season than LeBron James has this year.”
Gerald Green Signs In Puerto Rico
Free agent guard Gerald Green has signed in Puerto Rico with Gigantes de Carolina, the team announced on social media today. Green, a 12-year veteran, will head overseas for the first time since 2011.
Green most recently played for the Rockets’ G League team. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 20 games this season, playing 28.9 minutes per contest. He also shot 43% from the floor and 37% from deep during those outings.
Green retired as a player in October and joined the Rockets’ coaching staff as an assistant. He then resumed playing in January, choosing to join Houston’s NBAGL affiliate with hopes of returning to the NBA.
At 36 years old, time is running out for the former Slam Dunk Contest winner, but a successful overseas stint could help attract NBA interest. Along with Houston, he’s made stops with Boston, Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey, Indiana, Phoenix and Miami in his career.
Kyrie Irving Says He Plans To Re-Sign With Nets
Nets star Kyrie Irving holds a player option worth $36.5MM for next season, but the 30-year-old says he plans to re-sign with Brooklyn if he declines the option, as relayed by Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com. Turning down the option would allow Irving to become an unrestricted free agent.
“For me, it has always been about being comfortable and loving where I’m at. I love it here,” Irving said. “Once that summertime hits, I know we’ll have some conversations but there’s no way I could leave my man 7 [Kevin Durant] anywhere.”
Irving and Durant signed with the Nets in 2019, joining forces for the first time in their careers. Irving has only played in 20 games this season due to New York City’s vaccine mandates, but he’s averaged a career-high 28.5 points on 49% shooting from the floor.
The mandates have since been lifted, allowing Irving to play at home against Charlotte on Sunday. The seven-time All-Star will be seeking his second NBA championship this season. Should Irving return next season, Brooklyn will have most its core under contract, including Durant, Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Joe Harris.
Of course, Irving also publicly committed to re-signing with Boston back in 2018, then reversed course by the time he eventually reached free agency in 2019, opting instead to join Brooklyn. He seems focused on taking a long-term approach with the team though, which should be viewed as good news for Nets fans.
“To be honest, I signed up for this for the long run,” Irving explained. “I love this year. I’m grateful. It has not been the prototypical year. But when I look at my teammates and I look at what we have as an organization. I’m looking for the long run and what we can do, legacy talk.”
Clippers Waive Ojeleye, Convert Coffey, Sign Moon
The Clippers have called up guard Xavier Moon from their G League affiliate, signing him to a two-way contract, agent Stacey Leawood told Hoops Rumors. To create roster space, the team has promoted two-way player Amir Coffey to the 15-man roster and has waived veteran wing Semi Ojeleye, who was acquired in a trade last month.
Coffey, 24, earns a rest-of-season deal after playing 62 games with the club this season. He most recently finished with 21 points in a loss to the Sixers on Friday, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor. Converting Coffey to a standard contract will allow the Clippers to have him available during the playoffs.
Moon, a 6’2″ point guard, signed three 10-day contracts with Los Angeles earlier this season. The club was quickly impressed by his production and maturity, as the 27-year-old averaged 5.5 points and 1.7 assists in 13.8 minutes per contest.
Moon, the nephew of former NBA player Jamario Moon, has also been impressive in the G League. He has averaged 18.8 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game with Agua Caliente, shooting 46% from the floor and 38% from three-point range.
Ojeleye was traded from Milwaukee to Los Angeles in the four-team deadline deal that sent Serge Ibaka to the Bucks. The Clippers’ primary motive in that trade was to reduce their tax bill — Ojeleye appeared in 10 games for L.A. following his arrival, but mostly saw garbage-time minutes. He’ll clear waivers on Monday, assuming he goes unclaimed, but wouldn’t be playoff-eligible for a new team.
The Clippers currently rank eighth in the Western Conference standings at 36-39. The team has seven games left on its schedule, which includes outings against the Jazz (45-29) on Tuesday and Bulls (42-31) on Thursday.
Knicks Notes: Fournier, Future, Randle, Robinson, Rose
Evan Fournier said it took him a little time to figure out his role with the Knicks, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays.
“I feel like it really took me a couple of months to figure out how I would be able to help this team,” Fournier said Wednesday night in Charlotte after breaking John Starks’ single-season record of 217 three-pointers. “I want to thank Thibs (coach Tom Thibodeau) for putting me in that position. That’s what he expected from me. It took me a couple of months to understand that.”
Fournier has been durable this season, appearing in 72 of the team’s 74 games. He’s started all 72 of those contests, averaging 14.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.0 SPG on .419/.394/.696 shooting.
“I’ve always been an aggressive player, coming off curls and stuff,” Fournier said. “We have guys that do that already. My role was going to be different from the start. To find a reason and understand what’s expected of you when you’re new, sometime it takes a little bit. Since January, I feel a lot better and really understand my role and it’s been better since then.”
Berman thinks Fournier’s trade value has increased with his strong recent play. Since the start of January, Fournier is shooting 41.4% from deep on 8.7 attempts per game.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- New York got a glimpse of what the team could do without Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson in Wednesday’s 121-106 victory over Charlotte, Berman writes in a separate piece. After signing a long-term extension last summer, Randle’s erratic behavior and his dip in production has led to speculation that he might be traded this summer. Robinson, meanwhile, is an unrestricted free agent in 2022, and it’s not clear whether he wants to re-sign with the Knicks.
- Derrick Rose hasn’t given up hope of returning to the court this season despite missing the past 45 games after undergoing a pair of ankle surgeries. With eight games remaining on the schedule, time is running out, but he’s making progress. “He did some in practice today,” Thibodeau said, per Berman of The New York Post. “He’s in the next phase right now. He still hasn’t taken contact.”
- Within the same article, Berman writes that Randle is also inching closer to a return. He’s currently sidelined with a sore right quadriceps tendon, but was listed as a game-time decision before being held out of Friday’s game against Miami. He has missed three straight games with the injury.
Nets Notes: Simmons, KD, Irving, Claxton, Aldridge
Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show (Twitter link), Shams Charania of The Athletic said the Nets will be cautious with Ben Simmons, but there’s still an expectation that he’ll play this season.
Simmons received an epidural to treat the herniated disc in his back on March 15 and has been unable to do any basketball-related activities. However, he was able to travel with the team for the first time in a month during Brooklyn’s road trip this week and his back is starting to feel better, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“Yeah he’s feeling a lot less pain,” coach Steve Nash said of Simmons, who still has to be cleared to practice 1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 5-on-5 before he can even be considered for playing. “I don’t have any major updates. His symptoms are improving and I think he’s progressing, but he’s not on the floor yet.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Kevin Durant is relieved to have Kyrie Irving back for home games, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes. Irving was recently exempted from New York City’s vaccine mandate. “It’s a long time coming,” Durant said. “It’s an exciting time for Brooklyn Nets fans and New York fans to see one of our own back on the floor at home. It means a lot to our team, happy to have him back, and look forward to finishing the season strong. I’m glad this is all behind us.”
- Coach Steve Nash echoed a similar sentiment, Lewis writes in a separate article for The New York Post. “Yeah it’s great, we’re excited. Can’t wait to have him back for home games and for all our games,” Nash said. “We’ve missed him and it’s nice that we can not only have him back at home but also gain some reps and continuity together. We just are happy it’s over. We don’t have time to worry about anything other than we’ll have Kyrie at home now. … It’s positive in every sense of the word. We get to have him back, we don’t have to think about it, talk about it, worry about it. We’re moving forward, he’s able to play and it helps us in every way.”
- In a Sports+ article for the Post, Lewis explores how not getting traded helped Nic Claxton regain his form. Through 38 games this season (19 starts, 20.3 MPG), Claxton is averaging 8.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 1.1 BPG. The 22-year-old center will be a restricted free agent this summer.
- Coach Nash said LaMarcus Aldridge should be able to return to action next week, Lewis tweets. The veteran big man has missed Brooklyn’s last eight games with a right hip impingement.
Raptors Sign Armoni Brooks To Two-Year Deal
10:44am: Toronto has officially signed Brooks, the team announced in a press release.
9:12am: The Raptors intend to sign Armoni Brooks to two-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The deal will include a partial guarantee for 2022/23.
Brooks will receive more than the minimum salary for the remainder of this season because the Raptors still have part of their mid-level exception to spend, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link), who adds that Brooks’ partial guarantee for next season is $250K.
In a separate tweet, Murphy notes that Brooks likely moved ahead of Justin Champagnie for the 15th and final standard roster spot — Champagnie is currently on a two-way deal and won’t be eligible for the playoffs, barring another roster move.
Brooks was previously signed to a couple of 10-day contracts by Toronto, and the team clearly liked what it saw out of the young guard. His second 10-day deal expired overnight on Friday, so the Raptors had to either sign him for the rest of the season or let him walk, since players can’t sign more than two standard 10-day contracts with the same club in a single season.
Coach Nick Nurse had said on Friday that he expected Brooks to be brought back (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports).
Through eight games with the Raptors, Brooks has averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per night in a limited role. However, he’s been a regular part of the team’s rotation of late, averaging 6.7 points and a steal on 40% shooting from deep over the past three games.
Eric Koreen of The Athletic explored Brooks’ fit with the Raptors a few days ago, stating that while the young guard might not fit the mold of the rest of the team, Toronto can use his long-range shooting ability — as long as he’s hitting those shots.
“It’s just trusting your work. Your shots are not gonna fall every single night. Even the best shooters have slumps. It’s just part of the game. You can have good looks and they won’t fall, but you have just got to trust that you put in the work and eventually results will turn in your favor,” Brooks said.
Brooks, 23, signed with Houston as a two-way player last year and was converted to a standard contract in October of 2021. He had a nice run with the Rockets last season, averaging 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds on 38.2% from deep in 20 games. He was waived by Houston last month to accommodate a three-for-one deal with the Celtics at the trade deadline.
Mavericks Notes: Dinwiddie, Brown, THJ, Luka
Spencer Dinwiddie is making a major difference for the Mavericks and boosting their playoff prospects in the process, writes Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated.
Dinwiddie, who was acquired last month in the deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington, hit back-to-back game-winning threes at Boston and at Brooklyn earlier this month. The Mavs are 8-1 in clutch situations with Dinwiddie, and were just 12-15 in such situations prior to acquiring him, Herring writes.
Herring thinks there’s a case to be made that Dinwiddie might single-handedly offer Dallas its best opportunity to advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since Luka Doncic was drafted. Dinwiddie’s aggressive downhill drives force defenses to scramble, creating easier looks for teammates.
He’s also adept at getting to the free throw line (5.3 attempts per game with the Mavs), and does so at a higher rate per shot attempt than anyone on the team — including Doncic. Perhaps most importantly, Dallas has thrived with Dinwiddie on the court and Doncic off, outscoring opponents by 15.5 points per 100 possessions in 191 such minutes (prior to Friday’s loss to Minnesota).
As Herring details, the Mavs struggled mightily in the playoffs last season while Doncic was resting, but outscored the Clippers while he was on the court — Dinwiddie might be able to buoy those minutes if he can continue his strong play.
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Sterling Brown has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets. Brown tested positive for COVID-19, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), and coach Jason Kidd said the team hopes there won’t be an outbreak. “That’s just part of the league. That’s just part of the world is COVID now, right? So it happens. We move forward. Next guy up,” said Kidd. “We just hope that it doesn’t spread throughout the team here late in the season. But we have to be prepared that something like this could happen going forward.”
- Tim Hardaway Jr., who underwent foot surgery on February 1, has shed his walking boot and has been getting shots up prior to games, Townsend relays (via Twitter). Kidd said earlier this week that he doesn’t expect Hardaway to return for the playoffs, but the swingman previously stated that he hasn’t given up hope on a return this season. “I’ll say this: The further we go [in the playoffs], the better chance I have,” Hardaway told Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “That’s the answer I’ll give.”
- Doncic was whistled for his 15th technical foul in Friday’s 116-95 loss at Minnesota, as Townsend of The Dallas Morning News tweets. If he gets another technical, Doncic will receive an automatic one-game suspension. However, that total will reset to zero when the playoffs roll around in a few weeks. At 45-29, the Mavs are currently the No. 5 seed in the West.
Buckeyes Forward E.J. Liddell Declares For NBA Draft
Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell will be hiring an agent and entering the 2022 NBA Draft, the junior announced (via Twitter). He’s currently No. 18 on ESPN’s top 100 prospects list.
The 6’7″ forward averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.6 blocks on .490/.374/.765 shooting this season for the Buckeyes (32 games, 33.2 minutes per contest). He helped lead OSU to a 20-12 record and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they were toppled in the second round by Villanova.
Liddell tested the draft waters last season after a breakout sophomore campaign, but ultimately decided to go back to school. The decision paid off, as he improved his numbers in nearly every statistical category and boosted his draft stock in the process — he could be a first-round pick this time around.
In his latest big board for The Ringer, Kevin O’Connor states that Lidell went back to school to improve his shooting and perimeter defense, and succeeded on both counts. He’s strong at 240 pounds and is able to switch across multiple positions defensively.
On offense, Lidell is a skilled post player, good passer, and solid spot-up shooter, but needs to improve his ball-handling and decision-making for the NBA, according to O’Connor.