And-Ones: Grant, Abu Dhabi, Regular Season, Adaway
Veteran point guard Jerian Grant, who appeared in 279 NBA games from 2016-20, has been named the MVP of the 2022/23 EuroCup, the league announced in a press release. Like the EuroLeague, the EuroCup brings together several of the top teams from various leagues in Europe. Grant’s current club, Turk Telekom, is among the competitors.
In 18 regular season EuroCup games, Grant averaged 14.6 points per game on 57.1% shooting and also contributed 6.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest. He helped lead Turk Telekom to a 13-5 record and a deep playoff run — the Turkish team will square off against Gran Canaria in Wednesday’s EuroCup final.
Grant, the older brother of Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, was the 19th overall pick in the 2015 draft and played for the Knicks, Bulls, Magic, and Wizards during five NBA seasons. He put up modest averages of 6.1 PPG and 2.9 APG during his time in the NBA, but perhaps his strong showing overseas will earn him another shot stateside.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA has confirmed in a press release that the Mavericks and Timberwolves will take part in a pair of preseason games at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi this fall. The contests will be played on October 5 and 7.
- It has already been an unusual postseason in 2023, which has become the first year in which a No. 7 seed (the Lakers) and No. 8 seed (the Heat) both advanced to the second round. Additionally, a No. 6 team (the Warriors) won a series for just the second time since 2016. Given the strength of the lower-seeded clubs in this year’s playoffs, John Hollinger of The Athletic explores the apparent decline in the regular season’s meaningfulness, considering why it’s happening and whether it will continue.
- Former St. Bonaventure guard Jalen Adaway, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract with San Antonio last summer and played for the Austin Spurs in 2022/23, has been dismissed and disqualified from the NBA G League for a violation of the league’s anti-drug program, per a press release. He’ll be eligible to apply for reinstatement in one year.
Chris Paul’s Status Uncertain Following Groin Injury
Suns point guard Chris Paul exited Monday’s Game 2 loss to the Nuggets in the second half due to left groin tightness and didn’t return, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. It’s unclear whether the future Hall of Famer will miss additional time or if he’ll be able to return for Game 3 in Phoenix on Friday with his team facing a 2-0 deficit.
The injury appeared to occur with just under five minutes left in the third quarter when Paul attempted to box out Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and grabbed at his left groin afterward (NBA.com video link). Paul, who checked out a couple possessions later, didn’t speak to reporters after the game, but head coach Monty Williams said the veteran “couldn’t push off” his injured leg, according to MacMahon.
“We’re not quite sure what it is right now, but it seems to be something in the groin area,” Williams said. “We’ll find out more (on Tuesday).”
“All we can do is hope he has a speedy recovery,” Paul’s backcourt partner Devin Booker said during his postgame media session. “We’re going to be behind him. We’re going to hold it down while he is out — or if he’s out — and just take it from there.”
Backup point guard Cameron Payne, who was dealing with a lower back injury when the postseason began, played nearly 17 minutes on Tuesday after logging just eight minutes in the Suns’ first six playoff games. As long as he remains healthy, Payne figures to take on a larger role if Paul has to miss any time.
As Doug Haller of The Athletic observes, Phoenix may also have to lean even more on Booker to initiate the offense if CP3 is unavailable, though Williams is wary of asking Booker to do more than he already has.
“I think it’s a lot,” the Suns’ head coach said after Booker played nearly 45 minutes on Tuesday. “He was probably more tired than he would admit, but with Chris off the floor, it puts a lot of pressure on him. So I got to figure that out.”
Paul has a history of bad injury luck in the postseason. As MacMahon details, the 37-year-old has missed eight career playoff games due to health issues. Paul’s most memorable absence occurred in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, when a hamstring strain cost him the final two games of the Rockets’ 4-3 loss to Golden State.
Randle, Brunson, Butler All Questionable For Game 2
Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson are both listed as questionable to play on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Knicks’ second-round series against the Heat, the Knicks’ PR department tweets.
It’s a mixed bag for New York, which trails 1-0 in the series. Randle, who is nursing a sprained left ankle, missed Game 1. His status give the Knicks hope he’ll return to action sooner rather than later. Randle only played 16 minutes in the closeout game against Cleveland on April 26 when the ankle flared up.
The Brunson prognosis, a sore right ankle, is a little more troubling. He played 40 minutes on Sunday and scored 25 points but missed all seven of his 3-point attempts and committed five turnovers. Brunson blamed himself for the loss, calling his performance “terrible.” The Knicks’ offense will be greatly impacted if their floor leader can’t go.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler is also listed as questionable for Game 2 due to a sprained right ankle, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Butler scored 25 points in 43 minutes but only attempted one shot after rolling the ankle with just over five minutes remaining.
Miami has already lost third-leading scorer Tyler Herro for the remainder of the postseason due to a broken right hand suffered in Game 1 of the first-round series against Milwaukee.
Nets Coach Jacque Vaughn Won’t Retain Three Assistants
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn is shaking up his coaching staff, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Igor Kokoskov, Brian Keefe and Tiago Splitter will not be retained. Kokoskov, the former Suns head coach, is the most notable name in that group. He joined the staff last offseason after a stint with the Mavericks.
Keefe was added to the Nets’ staff in the summer of 2021. He was recently under consideration for the Pistons’ head coaching opening. Splitter, a former NBA center, has been on the Nets’ staff since April 2018.
Brooklyn was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Philadelphia.
Vaughn took over as the Nets’ head coach following Steve Nash‘s dismissal in November and had his interim label removed about a week later. Vaughn inherited Nash’s assistants and will now surround himself with a staff of his choosing.
Vaughn agreed to a multi-year extension in February that is expected to keep him under team control through the 2026/27 season.
The three coaches that Vaughn is letting go will likely land on their feet soon. There are a number of teams undergoing coaching changes, which will open up more assistant jobs around the NBA as the new head coaches assemble their staffs.
Kings Notes: Sabonis, Fox, Barnes, Monk, Murray, Mitchell
Domantas Sabonis may need surgery for the avulsion fracture in his thumb, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets. The Kings center had an appointment with hand specialists on Monday to discuss whether the thumb needs to be repaired.
While he mends, Sabonis is open to hearing from the front office about potential moves. He said that if general manager Monte McNair and assistant GM Wes Wilcox have questions for him about roster construction, he will provide his input, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets.
We have more on the Kings:
- De’Aaron Fox will take lessons from his first playoff series, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes. Fox feels he and his teammates have to improve in order to become true contenders. “I know there’s another level I have to get to as a professional and our team has to get as well,” he said. “I’m grateful for this experience. The playoffs are everything that I expected it to be.”
- Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles are among the players headed to unrestricted free agency. Malik Monk hopes the front office can keep the core group intact, Ham tweets. “I would love to have the same guys here because we’re all like brothers,’ Monk said.
- Sabonis is eligible for an extension this offseason but it’s unlikely he’ll agree to one, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains. The big man could get an additional four years and $122MM without a renegotiation but the extension is $132MM less than the five-year deal he could sign with the Kings after becoming a free agent next summer. It would also be $65MM less than a four-year max with a rival team that has cap space.
- In order to acquire another high-level player, the Kings may have to deal Keegan Murray and/or Davion Mitchell, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype opines in his offseason primer.
Lakers Notes: James, Curry, Davis, Bamba, Russell, Roster
The playoff matchup between the LeBron James-led Lakers and Stephen Curry-led Warriors should be a thriller. James has great respect for what Curry, who scored 50 points on Sunday to close out the Kings, has accomplished, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.
“[Curry] puts in the work,” James said. “And when you put in the work, nine times out of 10 you’re going to see the results. And he’s done that throughout his whole, entire career. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Steph and everything he’s been able to accomplish, not only on the floor but also off the floor, too. It’s just great to have people like that in this league to set an example for the generation to come.”
James says that Curry presents an imposing defensive challenge for the entire team.
“You’ve seen some of the shots, the routine shots, that Steph was making in Game 7 that everybody was going crazy after,” James said. “That’s just Steph. When you’re that great, you make tough shots like that. So, we’ve got to be locked in and not hurt ourselves.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- The team comes into the second round in relatively good health. James (right foot soreness) and Anthony Davis (right foot stress injury) are listed as probable for Game 1 on Tuesday, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Mohamed Bamba (left ankle soreness) is listed as questionable.
- D’Angelo Russell, who will be a free agent after the season, poured in 31 points when the Lakers knocked out the second-seeded Grizzlies in Game 6. Performances like that could enhance Russell’s chances of re-signing with the team, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes. The Lakers are reportedly not interested in signing Kyrie Irving and reuniting him with James.
- Thanks to the changes made in-season, the new-look Lakers have all the pieces in place to win the championship, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines. The club now has shot creators who can provide a spark and take pressure off of James and Davis.
Western Notes: Murray, Brown, Gordon, Jokic, Suns
Jamal Murray‘s offensive skill was on full display in Game 1 of the Nuggets’ second-round series with the Suns, as he poured in 34 points. After missing last season due to a knee injury, Murray is all the way back, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. He’s a three-level scorer, which makes him extremely difficult to contain.
“My mindset wasn’t coming back to be the same player,” Murray said. “My mindset was coming back and being a better player than I was. The biggest thing I had to do was build my body back up, not necessarily the skill. It was a lot of work, almost every day. But, I just wanted to get back to playing the way I thought I could. I didn’t want to get too high or low.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- While Murray erupted offensively, Bruce Brown and Aaron Gordon were the stars on defense in Game 1, Mike Singer of The Denver Post notes. Gordon was the primary defender on Kevin Durant, while Brown made three steals and generally disrupted the Suns’ offensive flow.
- Nikola Jokic averaged a career-high 9.8 assists during the regular season. His teammates learn quickly they need to be prepared for Jokic’s distribution skills, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. “He sees the game a couple steps before it even happens,” Gordon said. “They are things that nobody else sees. So we know to be ready, and keep our hands ready, and he’s going to hit us in the oven.”
- Suns coach Monty Williams doesn’t expect his team to commit 16 turnovers again in Game 2 on Monday night, which led to 18 Denver points. “We’ve always been really good at making the right read right away,” Williams told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I thought we were delayed and hesitant in that. I think we’ll do a lot better (Monday).”
Joel Embiid Out For Game 1; “Optimism” For Game 2
5:10pm: Embiid won’t play in Game 1 on Monday. The team has ruled him out, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
2:47pm: Joel Embiid is likely to be sidelined for Monday’s Game 1 in Boston, but the Sixers are optimistic about their best player’s chances of a possible return for Wednesday’s Game 2, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
The star center is officially listed as doubtful for tonight’s game. He has done some light on-court work in the past couple days, but he still hasn’t been able to run much.
Embiid had a PRP injection last week to promote healing in the sprained LCL in his right knee. He sustained the injury during Game 3 of the Sixers’ first-round series against the Nets on April 20; Philadelphia went on to win the series 4-0.
A previous report indicated there was optimism the MVP finalist would be able to return at some point during the series. Embiid averaged a league-high 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.7 BPG on .548/.330/.857 shooting in 66 games (34.6 MPG) during the 2022/23 regular season.
Lakers Reportedly Don’t Plan To Pursue Kyrie Irving
The Lakers have long been linked to guard Kyrie Irving, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The eight-time All-Star sat courtside for Game 6 on Friday as the Lakers advanced to the second round and congratulated former teammate LeBron James in the arena tunnel after the game, writes Tim Cato of The Athletic (it’s worth noting Irving also sat courtside for Sunday’s Game 7 between Golden State and Sacramento).
Despite his obvious ties to James and Los Angeles’ previously rumored interest in Irving, the team doesn’t plan to pursue him in free agency, sources tell Cato. As Cato notes, the Lakers would have to shed several salaries — including multiple players they traded for that helped turn their season around — to create enough cap room to try and sign Irving.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, are still optimistic about their chances of re-signing Irving, and rival teams believe that’s the most likely outcome as well, according to Cato’s sources.
As Cato details, it was, by all accounts, an unpleasant season for Dallas. After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021/22, the Mavs regressed and went 38-44, missing the playoffs (and the play-in tournament). “I’m glad it’s over,” an unnamed player said before the final game of the season.
Cato points to the Mavericks’ inability to retain Jalen Brunson as the pivot point in their decline. Brunson has said multiple times he hoped to remain with Dallas, while owner Mark Cuban blamed Brunson’s father Rick for the guard’s departure.
Cuban recently claimed Brunson’s side never gave the Mavs an offer he would accept in free agency, but a team source tells Cato that Brunson’s agents did reach out to the Mavs to inquire about a potential offer, only to be told that it would be revealed at a meeting, which was ultimately cancelled.
Either way, it’s clear that the Mavs didn’t value Brunson as much as the Knicks did, and the Mavericks were left to pick up the pieces.
One acquisition Dallas seemed to sour on throughout the season was big man Christian Wood, another unrestricted free agent who is not expected to be brought back, according to Cato.
Cato’s story features several more details on the Mavericks’ “season of misery” and their potential offseason plans, and is worth checking out in full for readers who subscribe to The Athletic.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Fernandez, Bridges, Knicks
Scottie Barnes is the least likely Raptors player to be on the move this summer, Eric Koreen of The Athletic states in his latest mailbag. That’s hardly surprising, considering Barnes is still just 21 years old and has two years left on his rookie scale contract.
The 2021/22 Rookie of the Year had a somewhat uneven sophomore season in ’22/23, with both his two-point percentage (50.5%) and three-point percentage (28.1%) declining (from 54.3% and 30.1%, respectively). In order for Barnes to become a more well-rounded offensive player, he needs to improve his shooting and ball-handling, according to Koreen, who says the former No. 4 overall pick’s passing is ahead of those two other skills at the moment.
Koreen would like to see the Raptors hire a head coach who can find the difficult balance of being “fiery” while able to present as “calm in the heat of things” when dealing with officials, as the team became “dangerously whiny” under Nick Nurse in recent seasons.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez interviewed (via Zoom) for the Raptors‘ head coaching vacancy on Friday morning, reports Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). Known as a defensive-minded coach, Fernandez just completed his first season with Sacramento after six years on Michael Malone‘s staff in Denver. Fernandez was one of several coaching candidates listed for the job last week.
- Mikal Bridges was outstanding for the Nets after being acquired at the trade deadline, increasing his scoring average and efficiency. In order for him to take the next step and become an All-Star, he’ll need to improve his play-making and ability to punish double teams, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (member-only link). “It’s just continuing to get better and work on things,” Bridges said. “…The thing about me is I’m just always trying to get better every year. I mean, that’s the biggest thing, and trying to be the best player I can be when it’s all said and done. There’s always room to grow, and this summer just learning things and adding more things to that routine.” Bridges hasn’t missed a game since his junior year of high school, Lewis notes, a welcome departure from the injury-plagued teams of the past few years.
- One of the keys for the Knicks in their first-round victory over the Cavs was their incredible offensive rebounding, but they were unable to replicate that success in Sunday’s Game 1 loss to Miami, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. The Knicks averaged 18.2 second-chance points per game in five games against Cleveland, but only managed 11 yesterday, per Botte.