Eastern Notes: Giannis, Dragic, LaVine, Celtics
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo did some weight training and is expected to practice on Sunday with Greece, according to EuroHoops. Antetokounmpo recently suffered a minor ankle sprain, but he seems to be proceeding without any issues.
“We decided to do just an optional training session,” Greek national team assistant coach Sotiris Manolopoulos said. “We left it up to the players to come and make some shots. Giannis did his own training at the hotel and tomorrow will practice without any issues. He is healthy.”
Antetokounmpo sustained the injury on Thursday. With the NBA season around the corner, this is good news for Bucks fans, as they’re hoping to see Milwaukee start the season without any interruptions and win a second championship in three years.
There’s more out of the Eastern Conference today:
- Bulls guard Goran Dragic recently came to the defense of Antetokoummpo in light of Gilbert Arenas‘ negative comments, EuroHoops relays. “Giannis is the MVP. Gilbert Arenas is not,” Dragic said as part of a larger quote. “Was he ever the MVP? I don’t think so. So he can’t talk about Giannis. Giannis won the championship, won the MVP award. He has been the defensive player of the year.” Arenas previously stated that Antetokounmpo “doesn’t understand basketball yet” and downplayed the Bucks star’s 2021 championship.
- Zach LaVine‘s lucrative new contract will created added pressure on the Bulls star this season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. LaVine signed a five-year, $215MM deal with the team in July, cementing his future in Chicago. He averaged 24.4 points per game last season, shooting 48% from the floor and 39% from three-point range. The Bulls will be looking to contend once again this season.
- Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com examines a number of Celtics topics in his latest mailbag. Among the subjects Bulpett discusses is whether Payton Pritchard should play more. With Boston adding Malcolm Brogdon this offseason, Pritchard’s role is arguably more unclear, but he remains an effective option off the bench.
Western Notes: Westbrook, Rockets, Jones, Durant, Saric
While Lakers star Russell Westbrook hasn’t asked for a trade, he remains open to the possibility, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on The Lowe Post podcast. Training camps open later this month, so Los Angeles is running out of time if it wants to deal Westbrook before the season officially starts up.
In 78 games last year, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per night, shooting a respectable 44% from the floor. He played more games than any other player on the Lakers and had a better season than most fans give him credit for.
Of course, film and advanced metrics certainly wouldn’t reveal the player that was once a league MVP, nor would it reveal a player worth the $47MM he’s owed next season. However, it’s still possible Westbrook doesn’t finish — or even start — the 2022/23 season with the Lakers.
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Rio Grande Valley Vipers — G League affiliate of the Rockets — have hired Kevin Burleson as head coach, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). Burleson replaces Mahmoud Abdelfattah, who was promoted to become a Rockets assistant coach. Burleson was most recently an assistant coach with the Timberwolves.
- The Suns didn’t have in-depth discussions with the Nets about a potential Kevin Durant trade, general manager James Jones said, as relayed by Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (subscription required). Phoenix re-signed starting center Deandre Ayton, while Durant ultimately returned to the Nets last month. The Suns were reportedly one of Durant’s preferred destinations when he requested a trade in June.
- In a separate article for the Arizona Republic, Rankin explores five takeaways from Dario Saric‘s EuroBasket play. Saric, who was traded to the Suns in 2019, suffered a torn ACL in 2021 and missed all of last season, but he plans to be ready for the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Jazz Notes: Bogdanovic, Clarkson, Beasley, Sexton, Conley
The Jazz believe Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley are each worth first-round picks in a potential trade, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on his podcast, The Lowe Post (hat tip to HoopsHype). Utah acquired Beasley as part of this offseason’s Rudy Gobert trade, while Bogdanovic and Clarkson have spent multiple seasons with the team.
While all three players have value, it’s unclear if Utah will be able to net first-round picks for each. It also remains to be seen whether the Jazz will make another trade before the season starts, but since the team has moved Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, other veterans may eventually be dealt. Utah also has Mike Conley and Rudy Gay under contract.
Here are some other notes from Utah today:
- Speaking of a potential Jazz fire sale, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines which players may be traded next. As mentioned, Utah has a group of veterans that could be acquired for a slightly cheaper price now that the team is rebuilding, though it’s unknown who may be dealt and when.
- Sarah Todd of the Deseret News explores why fans should be excited about Collin Sexton. The 23-year-old agreed to a four-year, $71MM deal as part of a sign-and-trade with the Jazz, who added him to a young nucleus of players and draft picks.
- In a separate article for the Deseret News, Sarah Todd takes a look at whether the team could move forward with Conley remaining on the roster. Conley will turn 35 years old next month and appeared in 72 games last season, averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 assists per outing.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 9/10/2022
The transcript of our Saturday live chat can be found here.
Please join Luke Adams for our next live chat on Tuesday at noon CT.
Mavericks Notes: Doncic, Trademarks, EuroBasket, Ntilikina
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is in a legal battle with a family member regarding trademarks, Marc Stein reports in a Substack article.
On Tuesday, Doncic filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel the registration of the trademark “LUKA DONCIC 7” currently owned by his mother, according to his representative, the firm Brown Rudnick.
Doncic faced a Tuesday deadline with the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to file the petition. He’s been trying to regain full control of trademarks that bear his name, including several owned by his mother, Mirjam Poterbin.
We have more on Doncic and the Mavericks:
- Doncic led Slovenia past Belgium in EuroBasket 88-72 on Saturday with a game-high 35 points. Slovenia advanced to the quarterfinals. As noted by Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), Doncic has played 197 minutes in the tournament and produced 168 points and 39 assists.
- Not everyone is impressed with Doncic’s scoring rampage. Belgium center Kevin Tumba complained to Donatas Urbonas of Basketnews.com that Doncic has benefited from favorable treatment by referees. “We tried to be focused on ourselves. But sometimes referees need to be fair with everybody,” Tumba said. “It’s not because he is Luka and can talk to the referees like he wants. When the other guy tries to talk with the referee very calmly, he responds, “Don’t talk to me.”
- Despite the big output, Doncic was asked about his weight during the postgame press conference, Eurohoops.net relays. Doncic responded, “If I cared about what people I don’t hang out with say, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t mind at all.”
- Frank Ntilikina could benefit from Jalen Brunson‘s departure but only if he can hold his own offensively, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com writes. Ntilikina is a skilled defender but has been a liability offensively during his career. He averaged under 12 minutes per game last season and even fewer minutes during the postseason.
New York Notes: Nets, Sumner, Lustgarten, Barkley, Wesley
A fast start to the regular season would release a lot of the tension and uneasiness surrounding the Nets as they head into training camp, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.
Media day will be much anticipated, as Kevin Durant will be asked why he wanted Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks fired, and the latter duo will have to discuss how they plan to coexist with the player who tried to oust them. They did already meet in Los Angeles to discuss the situation.
However, if things don’t go well during a rugged early schedule, issues created by Durant’s previous trade request and others regarding Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons could resurface, as Lewis observes.
We have more on the New York teams:
- The Nets’ Edmond Sumner is excited about his progress from a ruptured Achilles that sidelined him last season when he was with the Pacers. He has apparently gone full speed in five-on-five scrimmages. He feels he can provide versatility to the club, as he told Chris Carrino on a podcast (hat tip to NetsDaily). “I feel I can do a lot of stuff, play off the ball, if you want me to play multiple positions. guard multiple positions,” he said. “I feel I can be a jack of all trades.” Sumner signed a two-year contract that is partially guaranteed in the first year and non-guaranteed in the second year.
- Andrew Lustgarten is stepping down as CEO and president of MSG Sports, the parent of the Knicks and Rangers, according to Sportico.com. Lustgarten will stay on as MSG Sports CEO through the end of the year, when he will transition to the board. David Hopkinson, an executive vice president at MSG Sports, has been promoted to president and COO.
- TNT analyst Charles Barkley said in Sirius XM interview (hat tip to Ian Begley of SNY.TV) that he spoke with Knicks executive William Wesley about why they didn’t complete a deal for Donovan Mitchell. Wesley told Barkley that the Jazz asked for too much.“They wanted my wife, my kids…. We wanted the deal, obviously,” Wesley told Barkley. “But he said they wanted my wife, they wanted my kids, they wanted my grandkids. They were just trying to rip somebody off.”
Pacific Notes: Johnson, Buss, James, Iguodala, Thompson
Suns GM James Jones said there have been talks with Cameron Johnson‘s reps regarding a possible rookie scale extension, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets.
“We’re having discussions. Cam is a big part of what we do,” Jones said. “Really excited for the progress he’s shown over the last few years, especially last year. He’s primed to take some steps forward.”
We broke down a potential extension for Johnson this week, including what the numbers might look like.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers owner Jeanie Buss told Howard Beck in a Clutch Points podcast that she wants LeBron James to retire as a Laker. “With LeBron we have a line of communication between the two of us, and he knows that he can reach me anytime and vice versa,” Buss said. “I think he feels appreciated. I know I appreciate that he signed an extension to stay here and continue to lead the Laker team. He’s a fantastic leader both on and off the court. I feel like we’re blessed to have him as a Laker. I want to see him retire as a Laker.”
- A decision on whether Andre Iguodala will retire or return to the Warriors will be made in the coming days, coach Steve Kerr said in an interview with 95.7 The Game (Twitter link). “We’ll touch base in the next couple days. (GM Bob Myers) and I are giving him the space to make whatever decision he wants. We’ll support him either way, but we hope he comes back.” Iguodala said on his podcast hasn’t yet decided what he wants to do, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
- Klay Thompson‘s brother Mychel Thompson has been named as video coordinator for the Warriors, according to a team press release. On the coaching staff, Hilton Armstrong and Anthony Vereen have been named player development coaches and Will Sheehey has been named player development analyst.
Community Shootaround: New York Knicks
After missing the playoffs for seven straight years, the Knicks had a surprising turnaround during the 2020/21 season under new head coach Tom Thibodeau, finishing with a 41-31 record, the No. 4 seed in the East. They ultimately fell to the Hawks in the first round, but it was still a successful season, particularly given the notable contributions from Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.
Randle was an All-Star for the first time, earned a berth on the All-NBA Second Team, and was voted Most Improved Player after averaging 24.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 6.0 APG on .456/.411/.811 shooting (.567 true shooting percentage). Barrett improved his numbers across the board, and his .441/.401/.746 (.535 true) shooting line was very encouraging for a player who had question marks about his jump shot.
New York had the NBA’s third-ranked defense in ’20/21, and its net rating was +2.4, ninth in the league. The team’s expected win total precisely matched its actual total, per Basketball-Reference.
Unfortunately, the Knicks had a disappointing follow-up season in ’21/22, finishing with a 37-45 record, the No. 11 seed in the East. Randle fell back to earth a bit and had several strange incidents both on and off the court, posting a disappointing .411/.308/.756 (.509 true) shooting line and lacking the same effort level defensively. Similarly, although his scoring average improved, Barrett’s efficiency got worse, posting a .408/.342/.714 (.511 true) shooting line.
The team’s offensive rating was nearly identical between the two seasons (110.6 vs. 110.4, both below average), but the defense fell to 11th in the league, with a -0.1 net rating. The Knicks’ actual win total was four less than expected, but even if they had won four more games, they still would’ve likely missed the play-in tournament (Atlanta and Charlotte both finished with 43 wins).
The Knicks’ front office recognized that they needed to make some changes and have had a busy offseason, trading away the No. 11 pick (Ousmane Dieng) to the Thunder to acquire three 2023 protected first-round picks, then flipping one (the Nuggets’ lottery-protected pick) and four second-rounders to the Hornets for the draft rights to No. 13 pick Jalen Duren.
New York then packaged Duren with Kemba Walker, receiving the Bucks’ 2025 top-four protected first-rounder from the Pistons in the deal. The Knicks also made a separate trade with Detroit, a salary dump move that sent Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, a second-rounder and $6MM in cash in exchange for a heavily-protected second-rounder.
All of those moves gave the Knicks the cap room to sign free agent guard Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104MM deal. They also signed center Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year, $16MM deal and re-signed center Mitchell Robinson to a four-year, $60MM contract.
Obviously, they were heavily involved in trade rumors for three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who landed in Cleveland, but ultimately didn’t make the deal and I’m not going to get into that much since it’s been written about ad nauseam.
Even though the Knicks have had an active summer, former Knicks head coach and current ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t think the team has moved the needle much with its roster moves, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.
“The Knicks have good players, but you line it up against the competition in the East, and this roster is not on the same level,” Van Gundy told Berman in a phone interview. “They could shock the world and be a playoff team, but I look at the East and I’d have to say eight to 13 is where they should be predicted. They’re not even close to a lock for the play-in. A lot has to go right.”
According to Van Gundy, the Knicks lack the top-end talent to be considered a real threat. He suggests that a turnaround and play-in berth might hinge upon a bounce-back season from Randle.
That leads us to our question of the day. Do you agree with Van Gundy’s assessment that “a lot has to go right” for the Knicks to make the play-in tournament? Head to the comments section and let us know what you think.
Kings’ Keegan Murray Cleared Following Wrist Surgery
Kings rookie Keegan Murray, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2022 draft, has been “cleared to resume all basketball activities” after undergoing right wrist surgery in July, a league source tells James Ham of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link).
Three weeks ago, Ham reported that Murray was progressing well in his recovery and was shooting again with both hands. Ham was also the first to report that Murray had surgery, characterizing it as a “minor” procedure and that Murray was expected to recovery quickly. Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL later stated that the team expected Murray to be ready for training camp, and that certainly appears to be the case.
It’s great news for both the Kings and Murray, as he flashed tantalizing two-way potential during Summer League action, winning MVP in Las Vegas. He averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .500/.400/.808 shooting in his four Vegas games.
Murray also had a great run at the California Classic Summer League in San Francisco. He averaged 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals on .511/.438/1.000 shooting in three games, per RealGM.
The 22-year-old had a relatively quiet freshman season for Iowa, averaging 7.2 points and 5.2 rebounds on .506/.296/.755 shooting in 31 games (18.0 minutes). However, Murray emerged as one of the best college players in the country during the 2021/22 season, winning numerous awards after averaging 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.9 blocks on .554/.398/.747 shooting.
The 6’8″ forward is expected to play a major role for a Kings team that badly wants to end its 16-year playoff drought. Sacramento finished last season with a 30-52 record, 12th in the Western Conference.
And-Ones: In-Season Tournament, Cole, Alatishe, 2023 FAs
More details have emerged about a possible in-season tournament. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the proposed tournament would run through November, with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination round in December. All of the games would be part of the regular season schedule, with one extra game for the two finalists.
The tournament has yet to be finalized, but it could be implemented as soon as the 2023/24 season if the NBA and the Players Association agree to it, per Charania. The eight teams that advance would receive to-be-determined prizes, Charania adds.
Charania previously reported that the “Final Four” of the tournament would be held at a neutral site; it’s unclear if that’s still part of the framework. Commissioner Adam Silver has long been a proponent of an in-season tournament.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA veteran Norris Cole hit a game-winning shot with 1.4 seconds left to lift Team USA past Puerto Rico at the AmeriCup on Thursday, according to an Associated Press report. “I just wanted to make a play for the team,” said Cole, who had the final eight points for the U.S. “The team trusted me, drew up a play for me to catch it and I was able to make a play. Moments like that, everybody dreams about, but I work hard at my individual game along with the team game, I was able to show my individual talent within the team concept, and it worked out.” The Americans won the quarterfinal by a score of 85-84, with Cole recording a game-high 20 points. Team USA will face Argentina in the semifinal on Saturday, with the medal-round games on Sunday, per the AP. The other semifinal features Brazil vs. Canada.
- Oregon State forward Warith Alatishe won’t return for a “super-senior” year in 2022/23 and plans to pursue a professional career instead, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Alatishe spent his first two seasons at Nicholls State prior to transferring to Oregon State. He averaged 9.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 1.1 BPG over the past two seasons with the Beavers.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac recently released his list of the top 50 potential 2023 free agents. No. 1 on his list? Sixers guard James Harden, followed by Nets guard Kyrie Irving. Rounding out Smith’s top 50 is Spurs wing Josh Richardson.