Month: May 2024

Mavs Notes: McGee, Brunson, Wood, Chandler

September 28th, 2022 at 7:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent addition JaVale McGee is excited to show fans what he can really do in a healthy second stint with the Mavericks, writes Dwain Price of Mavs.com. The 7’0″ center suffered a stress fracture in his left tibia back in 2015/16 and struggled upon his return, leading him to eventually be waived by Dallas.

“Health-wise I’ve grown to know how to take care of myself now and I know how to do preventative things that I didn’t know how to do the last time I was here,” McGee said. “The last time I was here I was recovering from an injury – trying to give 100 percent — so just being here 100 percent healthy is beautiful.”

McGee said competing against Luka Doncic during last season’s playoffs with Phoenix was key to his return to Dallas, Price notes.

“Seeing seven straight games of Luka definitely helped with the decision of knowing that he’s a player who gets everybody involved, and I like being around players like that,” McGee said. “The LeBrons, Chris Pauls and players who get their teammates involved, especially big men. So that was definitely a selling point for me.

“All the attention that (Doncic) draws and the way that this system is set up to have all the shooters around, it really opens up the lanes for players like me who are dynamic at the rim.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

The Mavs hope to replace Jalen Brunson‘s production by having multiple players step up their play-making and ball-handling, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Both head coach Jason Kidd and guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who will be starting in place of Brunson, noted having Tim Hardaway Jr. back and healthy helps — Hardaway has averaged 15.7 PPG over his four season with Dallas, and Brunson averaged 16.3 PPG last season. Brunson inked a four-year, $104MM deal with the Knicks in free agency.
In a mailbag Q&A for Mavs.com, Eddie Sefko predicts that Christian Wood will wind up starting more games than not, despite opening the season as a reserve. McGee is set to start at center, with Dorian Finney-Smith joining him in the frontcourt. According to Sefko, “Wood was brought in to be a starter,” but as long as he’s getting enough minutes, coming off the bench should be fine. If the team struggles with McGee starting, Wood could replace him sooner rather than later, Sefko adds.
Kidd told reporters, including Townsend (Twitter link), that Tyson Chandler will have an expanded role working with the team’s big men this season. Chandler will also work with the frontcourt members of the team’s G League affiliate, the Texas Legends. The former Defensive Player of the Year won a title with Dallas in 2011 and last played with Houston two years ago.

Spurs Notes: Point Guard, B. Brown, C. Brown, Bill

September 28th, 2022 at 5:49pm CST by Rory Maher

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t know who the team’s starting point guard will be yet after trading All-Star Dejounte Murray to Atlanta this offseason, but he knows that making up for Murray’s production will be very difficult, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

“We have to find somebody who is going to score those points and make those assists,” Popovich said. “He was also a heck of a rebounder at his position. So there is a lot we have to fill in with him not being here.”

According to McDonald, third-year guard Tre Jones, a more traditional point guard, could be one option. Jones’ $1.8MM contract is only partially guaranteed for $500K at the moment, but becomes fully guaranteed on October 18. He realizes there’s a “big opportunity,” but he’s focused on doing what he does best — leading and distributing.

“We’ll just have to see how camp goes,” said Jones. “I am going to try to take on that role of being a leader for this group, continue to do everything I was doing – set up our team, set up guys in the right spot and let the rest take care of itself.”

Another option could be Joshua Primo, last year’s lottery pick. Primo doesn’t think he’s set in any one position, per McDonald.

“Honestly, I still feel like a position-less player,” Primo said. “I have always been a position-less player … I don’t think I am ever going to stop that, but whatever Pop needs me to do out there, I am going to do.”

Here’s more from San Antonio:

The Spurs are excited to have Brett Brown back on the coaching staff, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Brown won four championships with the organization in various roles prior to becoming Philadelphia’s head coach for seven years. “Since ’99, we have shared basketball thoughts,” Popovich said of his close friendship with Brown. “To have that back is very meaningful for me. It comes at the right time. As a friend, his personality, his sense of humor, he is just a fantastic human being. And so, when you can combine those personal traits with the basketball skills and knowledge he has, it’s wonderful to have him back.”
San Antonio’s G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, have acquired the returning player rights of Chaundee Brown from the South Bay Lakers (Twitter link). Austin gave up its 2023 NBAGL first-rounder and the returning rights to Galen Robinson Jr. in the deal. Brown was briefly signed to two-way deals with the Lakers and Hawks as a rookie last season, and inked a 10-day hardship deal with Atlanta last winter. He was waived by the Hawks a few weeks ago.
Congressman Tony Gonzales has introduced a bill to prevent the Spurs from moving amid future relocation concerns, per Benjamin Wermund of The Express-News. The Spurs are playing a couple of games in Austin this season and Austin-based billionaire Michael Dell bought a 10 percent stake in the franchise last year, notes Wermund. “No one would ever imagine the Spurs would leave San Antonio, but what if they do?” Gonzales said. “Sometimes when we say it takes an act of Congress, sometimes we have to take that seriously.”

Pacific Notes: Suns, Sarver, Lakers, Davis, J. Green, Ballmer

September 28th, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

After handing Robert Sarver a one-year suspension and a $10MM fine following the investigation into the Suns owner’s workplace misconduct, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told some concerned players that he considered having the league’s Board of Governors vote on Sarver’s fate, but had some legal concerns about the process, report Baxter Holmes and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Insider link). Instead, Silver repeatedly spoke directly to Sarver in an effort to encourage him to sell the franchise.

As Holmes and Shelburne outline, Sarver was upset by his punishment and questioned why it was more severe than the one Mark Cuban received following an investigation into the Mavericks’ front office in 2018. Silver explained that the differences stemmed from the fact that Cuban wasn’t accused of misconduct himself.

While persistent nudging from Silver may not have been enough on its own to convince Sarver to sell, the Suns were facing the prospect of losing several key sponsors if he remained on as the team’s owner. Sources tell Holmes and Shelburne that nearly 30 sponsors are up for renewal after the coming season, including PayPal, which issued a statement calling for Sarver’s removal. There were indications that many companies would follow PayPal’s lead and put out similar statements.

“The walls were closing in on (Sarver),” a source close to the process told ESPN. “A group of sponsors were all moving towards this common position.”

After Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reported last week that a “high-end estimate” for the sale price of the Suns could be $3 billion or more, ESPN’s duo is hearing the same thing. Multiple sources who spoke to Holmes and Shelburne, noting that the NBA has rebounded well from the impact of COVID-19 and has a new TV deal around the corner, predicted that the franchise could sell for more than $3 billion.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

As he preaches defensive effort and intensity to his new team, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said on Tuesday that he likes the fact that multiple starting lineup spots are for grabs in training camp, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are locked in as starters and Russell Westbrook will “absolutely” join them if he shows the effort Ham is looking for on defense, but that would still leave two spots open. “I think it adds a little spice to camp, and LeBron and AD, they are who they are, as well as Russ, those guys are going to go at them,” Ham said. “That’s only going to make everybody better. It’s a controlled competitive environment.”
Davis told reporters on Wednesday that he was affected last season by a wrist injury that he suffered in January, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The Lakers‘ big man added that it’s not an excuse for his poor three-point shooting (18.6%), but that it affected the follow-through on his shot.
According to head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors viewed JaMychal Green as a “critical” offseason addition because he adds some much-needed veteran experience to a young bench. Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area has the story.
Steve Ballmer of the Clippers remains the richest owner in sports, according to a report from Forbes, which estimates Ballmer’s net worth at $83 billion. Robert Pera of the Grizzlies ($17.6 billion) and Dan Gilbert of the Cavaliers ($17.3 billion) are the other NBA owners who rank in Forbes’ top 10.

Nets’ T.J. Warren Not Expected To Return Before November

September 28th, 2022 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

New Nets forward T.J. Warren, who continues to work his way back to full health after missing most of the last two seasons due to foot problems, won’t be available when the regular season begins next month, head coach Steve Nash said today (link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).

According to Nash, it didn’t come as a surprise to the Nets that Warren’s recovery timeline will extend into the season, and they’re encouraged by the progress he has made. The 29-year-old is expected to be out at least through October.

“I think we’re going to assess again in November, but he’s doing great,” Nash said. “He’s building up. We knew this going in. And we also don’t want to take big risks with T.J. because he’s been out for two years. So it’s a process that we want to be very confident in and make a firm organization not to rush him.”

Warren appeared in just four games in 2020/21 and didn’t play at all in ’21/22 due to consecutive stress fractures in his left foot. He said on Media Day that his foot has fully healed, but that he still needs to do more rehab work to receive full clearance from team doctors.

Once Warren is ready to go, he’ll provide the Nets with another dynamic scorer in the frontcourt. In three seasons from 2017-20, Warren averaged 19.3 PPG on .509/.379/.791 shooting in 175 games (32.6 MPG) for the Suns and Pacers.

While the Nets are prepared not to have Warren in their opening night lineup, Nash shared a more positive update on Seth Curry, who is making his way back from ankle surgery. According to Friedell, Nash told reporters on Wednesday that Curry is expected to be ready for the regular season and might be able to suit up for the team’s final preseason contest.

Jazz Notes: Olynyk, Conley, Veterans, Fontecchio

September 28th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

New Jazz center Kelly Olynyk admitted that the trade sending him from Detroit to Utah caught him off guard, telling reporters this week that it felt as if it “came out of nowhere,” according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. However, Olynyk expressed excitement about his new NBA home and suggested the deal reminded him of the last time Danny Ainge traded for him, on draft night in 2013.

“It’s crazy because when I got drafted by Boston, we were almost in the exact same situation with Danny that they’re in here right now,” Olynyk said. “You have some older guys with experience, you have some young guys, you got a bunch of draft picks coming in for the next few years, and you’re just trying to get better every single day, whatever that is.

“And in Boston, we had a young first-year coach in Brad (Stevens), and now we have a first-time, young head coach in Will (Hardy). And I think it’s going to be great for us — everybody’s going to be pulling the rope in the same direction. And that’s how you move things.”

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Mike Conley and the other veterans who are still on the Jazz roster are preparing as if they’re going to be in Utah to open the season, but Conley pointed to the Donovan Mitchell trade in particular as a sign that no one is safe. “When Rudy (Gobert) got traded and Royce (O’Neale), you thought maybe that would be it,” Conley said, per Sarah Todd The Deseret News. “And then once Don got traded, the floodgates kind of opened up and now all of us are up in the air and didn’t really know what was going on.”
The Jazz will face a tricky balancing act this season as they attempt to find regular minutes for both their young players and their veterans, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Jones observes, developing the young core is the top priority in Utah, but the team also wants its veterans to boost their trade value and to show the youngsters the ropes.
Simone Fontecchio, who will be playing in the NBA for the first time after a decade in Europe, said during a media session this week that it felt like a “dream come true” to sign his first NBA contract with the Jazz. “It has been a long journey,” Fontecchio said, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. “Now I am 26, almost 27. Sometimes, this dream felt a little bit far, but right now I am so happy and excited to be here.” Fontecchio added that he believes he can bring shooting, defense, and athleticism to the Jazz.

Jamal Crawford Joining TNT As NBA Analyst

September 28th, 2022 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA guard Jamal Crawford has reached an agreement to join TNT as an NBA analyst, reports Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. According to Marchand, Crawford will replace Dwyane Wade on TNT’s Tuesday night studio show, working alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Candace Parker, and Adam Lefkoe.

Wade, who holds a minority stake in the Jazz, decided not to return to TNT for the 2022/23 season after spending three years in an analyst role with the network.

Selected out of Michigan with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, Crawford played in 1,327 regular season games and another 74 playoff contests across 20 seasons for the Bulls, Knicks, Warriors, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Nets. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2019/20 season, but didn’t announce his retirement as a player until this March.

As Marchand notes in his story, TNT NBA studio jobs are among the most sought-after roles among basketball analysts, so Crawford has a great opportunity to establish himself in the media world on this season’s Tuesday broadcasts as he transitions into the next stage of his career.

Jamal Crawford

Nets Notes: Nash, Durant, Morris, Watanabe

September 28th, 2022 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Monday about Kevin Durant‘s reported offseason ultimatum to the Nets to either trade him or fire GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash, Nash downplayed the issue, likening it to a family squabble. The two-time NBA MVP offered a more in-depth answer on Tuesday when asked again about his relationship with Durant, as Nick Friedell of ESPN details.

“We’re good,” Nash said. “Ever since we talked, it’s been like nothing’s changed. I have a long history with Kevin. I love the guy. Families have issues. We had a moment and it’s behind us. That’s what happens. It’s a common situation in the league.”

Nash, who said he wasn’t “overly surprised” or “overly concerned” about the way the Durant saga played out, also pushed back on the idea that the star forward really wanted him fired.

“I never thought that was 100 percent,” Nash said, per Friedell. “There was a lot of things. It’s not black and white like that, so there was a lot of factors. A lot of things behind the scenes. A lot of things reported are not accurate. A lot of things that are reported are not 100 percent accurate. So you get fragmented bits of truth. You get things that are flat out not true. It happens. … So I never really get caught up in all that stuff.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

New Nets forward Markieff Morris said the perception around the NBA is that last year’s Brooklyn team was “soft,” per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Morris is hoping to bring grit and toughness to this year’s roster, and Nash believes the veteran will have an important voice in the locker room. “Markieff is a need for us, his presence, his personality,” Nash said. “He has a voice, he has an experience, he has an understanding of the game. That’s a need. We need guys that can speak to the group.”
Camp invitee Yuta Watanabe told Japanese reporters this week that he hopes to be able to play a three-and-D role for the Nets this season, as Jordan Greene of NetsDaily writes. Watanabe, who is on non-guaranteed contract, isn’t a lock to make Brooklyn’s regular season roster — assuming the team retains its 12 players on guaranteed salaries and Morris, Watanabe would have to either beat out Edmond Sumner for the 14th spot or hope the club carries a 15th man despite the additional luxury tax penalty.
In case you missed it, we passed along several of the most notable quotes from the Nets’ Media Day earlier this week.

Oldest, Youngest Players On NBA Rosters For 2022/23

September 28th, 2022 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

For a third consecutive year, veteran center Udonis Haslem is set to enter the NBA season as the oldest player on any of the league’s 30 rosters. Haslem, who turned 42 in June, was born three-and-a-half years before any other active NBA player and is the only active player in his 40s.

Haslem’s teammate Kyle Lowry is also one of the top 10 oldest players currently on an NBA roster, making the Heat the only team with two players in the top 10.

Lowry is one of several new additions to this list this year due to the fact that many of last year’s oldest players – including Carmelo Anthony, Paul Millsap, Trevor Ariza, and LaMarcus Aldridge – remain unsigned.

It’s possible that one or more of those free agents could sign before opening night or that one or more of the players on the list below could be waived when regular season rosters are set in mid-October, but here’s the current list of the oldest players in the NBA heading into the ’22/23 season:

Udonis Haslem, Heat (born 6/9/1980)
Andre Iguodala, Warriors (born 1/28/1984)
LeBron James, Lakers (born 12/30/1984)
P.J. Tucker, Sixers (born 5/5/1985)
Chris Paul, Suns (born 5/6/1985)
Taj Gibson, Wizards (born 6/24/1985)
Kyle Lowry, Heat (born 3/25/1986)
George Hill, Bucks (born 5/4/1986)
Goran Dragic, Bulls (born 5/6/1986)
Garrett Temple, Pelicans (born 5/8/1986)

Al Horford (Celtics), Rudy Gay (Jazz), and Jeff Green (Nuggets) are among the other NBA veterans who turned 36 years old this year but just missed the cut.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, all of this year’s youngest NBA players were either members of the 2022 draft class or signed as rookie free agents after going undrafted.

The only team with multiple players on the list of the NBA’s 10 youngest players is San Antonio — the Spurs actually have three players on the list and just missed a fourth, as rookie Blake Wesley is about two months too old to qualify for the top 10.

Here are the 10 youngest players currently on NBA rosters:

Jalen Duren, Pistons (born 11/18/2003)
Trevor Keels, Knicks (born 8/26/2003) *
AJ Griffin, Hawks (born 8/25/2003)
Nikola Jovic, Heat (born 6/9/2003)
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers (born 5/30/2003)
Dominick Barlow, Spurs (born 5/26/2003) *
Ousmane Dieng, Thunder (born 5/21/2003)
Jeremy Sochan, Spurs (born 5/20/2003)
Jabari Smith, Rockets (born 5/13/2003)
Malaki Branham, Spurs (born 5/12/2003)

Note: Players marked with an asterisk (*) are on two-way contracts.

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Wolves Notes: Gobert, Russell, Edwards, Anderson, McDaniels

September 28th, 2022 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined for the start of the Timberwolves‘ training camp due to a non-COVID illness, center Rudy Gobert didn’t get a chance to work with his new frontcourt partner in his first formal practice with the team on Tuesday. But Gobert said he felt “great” energy on Tuesday and spoke specifically about developing chemistry with new pick-and-roll partner D’Angelo Russell.

“He can see it all,” Gobert said of Russell, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “There’s a few times when I didn’t know that he saw me, and he still saw me. It’s really impressive and it’s really exciting.”

As for his partnership with Towns, Gobert said the two big men have been in contact since he was traded to Minnesota in July and have talked about how they’ll be able to maximize each other’s talent.

“On both ends on the floor and even off the floor, just be a great friend, be a great support for him and then on the court, just let that relationship carry over,” Gobert said. “Help him be the best Karl he can be and I know, just by being himself, he’s going to help me be the best Rudy I can be.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Gobert’s friend and fellow Frenchman Nicolas Batum said he was glad to see the longtime Jazz center dealt to Minnesota and thinks Gobert will be better off for it, as Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times tweets. “I don’t think I will say I like it because (the Wolves) beat us in the play-in last year,” Batum said. “… But just for my friend, I am happy to see him with a good team, new spot, new everything, new life for him. He needed that.”
Anthony Edwards added 11 pounds of muscle this offseason without increasing his body fat, multiples sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I feel like I’m in better shape, more than anything,” Edwards said. “That’s going to take everything to the next level.”
Within the same story, Krawczynski examines a few takeaways from the Wolves’ Media Day, including why veteran forward Kyle Anderson signed with Minnesota as a free agent and what he’ll bring to the team. “Those guys in Minnesota really competed, one through 11, 12, those guys all played really hard,” Anderson said. “You could see the cohesiveness, they played hard for one another. So when it came down to this summer and which team I wanted to sign with, I think this was an easy call.”
After working hard to keep Jaden McDaniels out of the trade package for Gobert this summer, the Timberwolves are working just as hard to unlock the young forward’s full potential, Krawczynski writes in a separate article for The Athletic. Among the interesting details in Krawczynski’s story: Minnesota determined that McDaniels’ optimal shooting arc is 47 degrees and used an app during summer workouts to ensure that he was consistently releasing it at that angle.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, SGA, Porter, Sixers, Hartenstein

September 28th, 2022 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors were repeatedly tied to big-name trade candidates this offseason, rumored to be possible suitors for Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Kevin Durant. Toronto ended up having a relatively quiet summer, making only minor tweaks to its roster, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says the club is counting on internal growth from its own players, including Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.

Still, while the Raptors didn’t take a big swing in the last few months, that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to make a major trade at some point to move closer to title contention. A league source tells Lewenberg that one situation the Raptors are “closely monitoring” is in Oklahoma City, in case Thunder star and Toronto native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander eventually seeks a change of scenery.

The Thunder have only won a total of 46 games in the last two seasons and appear headed for another lottery finish in 2022/23, but there’s no indication Gilgeous-Alexander is seeking an exit ramp out of town. He said this week that he knew what he was getting into when he signed a five-year extension with OKC a year ago and that he doesn’t think the team will keep losing for much longer.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

When he became a free agent and was weighing his options this summer, Otto Porter Jr. got in touch with forward Thaddeus Young to seek his opinion on Toronto, tweets Lewenberg. Young helped convince his former Bulls teammate to sign with the Raptors. “He’s one of my better friends in the league,” Young said. “He asked me questions and I said, ‘Come on through, sign the deal and let’s go.'”
Head coach Doc Rivers is pleased with the moves the Sixers‘ front office made this offseason, telling reporters this week that the team addressed the holes it was hoping to fill. “We had a targeted summer, and we hit pretty much what we’re looking for,” Rivers said, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “… We have to learn how to become a team first, and if we do that, I love who we are.”
Center Isaiah Hartenstein explained on Tuesday that he signed with the Knicks as a free agent this summer because they made him feel “wanted” and because he believes his ability to shoot and make plays from the center position will add a new dimension to the team. “I felt like I can bring something that they didn’t have, to help them win,” Hartenstein said, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post.

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