2024 February | Hoops Rumors

Damian Lillard Talks Adjustment To Milwaukee, Stotts, Giannis, More

February 28th, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Chris Mannix of SI.com, Damian Lillard acknowledged that his first season in Milwaukee has been a “real transition” and remains a “work in progress.” While his – and the Bucks‘ – performance on the court has been the focus of that adjustment period, the eight-time All-Star guard noted that the personal aspect of the move has been challenging too.

“Being away from my kids is tough,” said Lillard, who filed for divorce in October. “In Portland, my life was set up. My mom was down the street; my brother was the other way down the street. My sister was down the street. My kids in school. Just my whole life was set up perfectly right there. It was a great situation. So just leaving that behind alone is a lot. And then you add the basketball side to it and that is what it is.”

After spending the first 11 years of his NBA career with the Trail Blazers, Lillard doesn’t have the same sort of life outside of basketball in Milwaukee that he did in Portland, he admitted when Mannix asked him about his routine.

“Bro, go to practice, go home, watch boxing, play video games,” Lillard said. “Man, I type in (boxing website) FightHype on YouTube 100 times and be praying for something new to be on there. Seriously, I don’t have much of a life. But that’s what comes with making a big boy decision. You got to be down for that and figure it out.”

Here are a few more highlights from Lillard’s conversation with Mannix, which was conducted just before the All-Star break (and before the Bucks’ recent three-game winning streak):

Lillard said that the season hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as he might’ve envisioned after he made his preseason debut back in October, but that he believes the ups and downs the Bucks have experienced will ultimately be good for the team. “I thought we were going to be how Boston is right now,” he told Mannix. “But I think what I’ve learned is that some things take time, especially stuff that has reward in the end. You can’t come into it and think that it’s just going to be all peaches and cream. … We’ve had adversity hit our team two or three different times and we’ve managed to still be a top-three team in the East with a lot of games to go and still being far away from reaching what we could be and what we should be. And since Doc (Rivers) has gotten here, we’ve kind of shuffled some things around and set kind of a new foundation of things that’s really encouraging.”
Having Terry Stotts on the Bucks’ coaching staff created a level of comfort and familiarity for Lillard that went away when the former Trail Blazers head coach resigned from his assistant position before the regular season began. “Now I’m like, O.K., what’s this play?’ I was kind of in the figuring out stage,” Lillard said of the period following Stotts’ exit. “So when you don’t really know stuff like the back of your hand, it is hard to direct traffic and be telling people, ‘I want you right here or there.’ Point guards, especially veteran point guards, man, we play the game differently than a young talented point guard. We are just manipulating everything. And that’s hard to do for the team and for yourself when you’re just trying to learn.”
Citing the Nuggets duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic as an aspirational example, Lillard said that he and Giannis Antetokounmpo have a strong relationship and want to continue to improve their on-court chemistry to reach that championship level. “(Murray and Jokic) played together for six or seven years. They don’t even think about it no more,” Lillard said. “But in the beginning, they struggled. Jokic would have his moments and then Jamal Murray would struggle and then he would have his moments and then it would take away from him. And then once they figured it out, they went out there and won it.”
Lillard “absolutely” believes that the Bucks are capable of winning a title this spring: “I’d be the first to tell you it’s been a challenging year, but the kind of person I am, when stuff like this start happening, I start thinking there’s a reward coming. That’s how I think because I do s–t the right way. I don’t change. I don’t mistreat people. I don’t cheat my process. I still go to the gym at night. I do my stuff, my body, I do everything. I did think we’d be rolling a lot sooner than this. But I know we can get there.”

And-Ones: Holiday, Team USA, Galloway, Top 2024 FAs

February 28th, 2024 at 12:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is expected to be a part of the Team USA roster that competes in the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. According to The Athletic’s duo, there’s a belief that Holiday has made a commitment to USA Basketball officials in recent weeks.

Holiday is one of several players who are considered locks for the 12-man U.S. roster as long as they remain healthy and interested. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum also fall into that group, per Charania and Vardon.

Holiday holds a player option for the 2024/25 season, but he’ll become eligible to sign a long-term extension with the Celtics on April 1 (he’s technically extension-eligible already, but can only currently sign a short-term deal). Getting an extension done this spring would put the veteran guard in position to compete with Team USA this summer without having to worry about an unresolved contract situation.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jaylin Galloway, a 21-year-old forward who played for the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League this season, is generating NBA interest and is a candidate to sign with a team before the end of the 2023/24 season, Marc Stein writes in his latest article at Substack. Galloway played in last July’s Las Vegas Summer League with the Timberwolves, who are one of many teams around the NBA with an open roster spot.
LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George sit atop a list of the top 25 free agents of 2024 compiled by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. James and George are considered likely to remain with their respective teams in Los Angeles, while Maxey will be a restricted free agent and will almost certainly sign a lucrative long-term deal with Philadelphia.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a look at the NBA’s new rule requiring players to appear in at least 65 games for award consideration, noting that it was a priority for the league ahead of negotiations for its next media rights deal. As Vorkunov writes, before the rule was implemented, at least one the NBA’s major television partners had expressed frustration to the NBA about star players sitting out marquee broadcasts.

Timberwolves’ Lloyd Among Hornets’ Front Office Candidates

February 28th, 2024 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves executive Matt Lloyd is among the “prime names” to watch as the Hornets seek a new head of basketball operations, Marc Stein reports in his latest article at Substack.

Lloyd is the senior vice president of basketball operations under Tim Connelly in Minnesota. He was one of Connelly’s first hires back in 2022 after having previously served in Orlando’s front office as an assistant general manager, interim GM, and VP of basketball operations. Lloyd also had a lengthy stint in the Bulls’ front office earlier in his career.

A report earlier this month indicated that Hornets president of basketball operations and general manager Mitch Kupchak would be moving into an advisory role with the franchise. While Kupchak continues to serve as the head of basketball operations while the team searches for his replacement, the expectations is that Charlotte will make a hire by the end of the regular season.

Stein also names Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon and Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson as “prime” contenders for the Hornets job. Both Langdon and Peterson were identified as candidates in multiple previous reports, with Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer referring to Langdon as one of the potential frontrunners.

Langdon is the No. 2 executive in New Orleans’ front office under David Griffin and has been connected to other general manager jobs in the past. Langdon withdrew from the Kings’ front office search following some initial interest from Sacramento back in 2020 and interviewed for the Wizards’ top job in 2023.

According to Stein, the Nets are believed to have strong interest in retaining Peterson as a top lieutenant under Sean Marks and may offer him a promotion and/or a raise, which was previously reported. Peterson was in Atlanta’s front office when one of the new Hornets co-owners, Rick Schnall, was part of the Hawks’ ownership group.

Sixers general manager Elton Brand was named as another possible frontrunner for the Hornets’ position, but a report two weeks ago indicated that he would remain in Philadelphia rather than pursuing the top job in Charlotte.

Hornets Sign Aleksej Pokusevski

February 28th, 2024 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 28: The Hornets have officially signed Pokusevski, the team announced today in a press release. Charlotte terminated Bolden’s 10-day contract early in order to open up a roster spot (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 27: The Hornets are expected to sign forward Aleksej Pokusevski, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Pokusevski became a free agent after being cut by the Thunder last Friday and clearing waivers on Sunday.

The No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Pokusevski showed plenty of promise in his first three-and-a-half NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, but his development was hindered by health issues. He was limited to just 34 games (25 starts) in 2022/23 due largely to a leg fracture that sidelined him for about three months, then broke his arm during a workout in the spring of 2023 and sprained his ankle this past September.

Pokusevski got off to a strong start in ’22/23, averaging 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 20.6 minutes per game across his 34 appearances, with career-best shooting rates of 43.4% from the field and 36.5% from the three-point line. But those injuries ended the seven-footer’s season early and he only saw garbage-time action in 10 games this season for the Thunder, logging 60 total minutes.

While Pokusevski theoretically could’ve been included in the trade that sent Gordon Hayward to Oklahoma City earlier this month, the Hornets instead acquired Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and Davis Bertans in that deal. The Thunder subsequently waived the 22-year-old, who was on an expiring $5MM contract and was no longer part of their future plans.

Now the Hornets are in position to add Pokusevski at a lower cost, though the exact details of his new deal have yet to be reported, so it’s unclear if he’ll earn more than the minimum or if the team will get any control beyond this season.

Charlotte currently has a full 15-man standard roster. However, one of the team’s 15 players – Marques Bolden – is on a 10-day contract that will expire this Thursday night. Pokusevski figures to take Bolden’s roster spot, either after that 10-day deal expires or perhaps earlier, if the Hornets terminate it before the 10-day mark.

Despite a recent hot streak, the Hornets remain well out of the Eastern Conference play-in picture at 15-42, so they’ll be able to use the final month-and-a-half of the season to get a look at Pokusevski in relatively low-stakes games.

Suns Notes: Beal, Bol, O’Neale, Gordon, Durant

February 28th, 2024 at 10:24am CST by Luke Adams

Injured Suns guard Bradley Beal is “making progress” with the left hamstring issue that has kept him on the shelf for the team’s past four games, head coach Frank Vogel said on Tuesday, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Beal missed Phoenix’s final contest before the All-Star break due to what the team has referred to as hamstring “tightness.” Vogel suggested at the time that the injury didn’t appear significant, and the star guard was originally listed as questionable for last Thursday’s game vs. Dallas. However, he was ruled out for that one and two more since then. According to Vogel, Beal still isn’t fully comfortable with “high-intensity” work.

“He did some of the non-contact stuff,” Vogel said after Tuesday’s practice. “More sprint work. There’s quick twitch stuff, which is shell defense, half court, and then there’s the full-court sprinting where you’re stretching out your legs and your stride. So that’s where he was having some discomfort still, but he’s making progress.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

Bol Bol has worked his way into Phoenix’s rotation this month, playing a season-high 27 minutes on Friday and 24 more on Sunday. Bol’s ascension has been well-earned, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (subscription required), who says a regular role feels sustainable for the big man as long as he remains healthy.
In a story for his newsletter, Bourguet identifies five Suns lineups that he’d like to see more of, including four groups that feature relative newcomer Royce O’Neale.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic spoke to both O’Neale and Eric Gordon about their experiences in Phoenix this season, as well as their time with their former teams in Brooklyn and Houston, respectively. O’Neale, who was acquired by the Suns at the trade deadline, said he has enjoyed joining a team that was prioritizing defensive help. “It’s been good. That’s what kind of made my name in the league, defense,” O’Neale said. “Just coming in, being one of the guys that brings that defensive intensity, leadership, trying to help these guys and they’re helping me out. So it’s been good, I feel welcomed back to playing good basketball.”
While Kevin Durant has been as effective as ever on offense this season, advanced stats suggest he’s also taking his game to new heights defensively, as Jake Fischer details in a story for Yahoo Sports. “Sometimes you have to hide top scorers just to manage their workload or whatever. But he wants that challenge each night,” Vogel said. “He’s more engaged when he’s guarding a top guy. And his seven-foot length and wingspan, and ability to slide his feet, he can guard most guys in this league, big and small.”

Warriors Notes: Paul, Wiggins, Moody, Rotation, Curry, Kerr

February 28th, 2024 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Playing on Tuesday for the first time since January 5 after recovering from a left hand fracture, Chris Paul helped lead the Warriors to a victory in Washington, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. In 22 minutes off the bench, Paul contributed nine points, six assists, four rebounds, and four steals. The Warriors, who won the game by 11 points, outscored the Wizards by 17 during Paul’s time on the floor.

“All season long, he’s been such a high performer,” head coach Steve Kerr said after the win. “All of our best lineups, he’s in.”

As Slater notes, the Warriors initially expected to finally have their full rotation available on Tuesday, but Andrew Wiggins missed the game for personal reasons. Kerr, who didn’t offer any specifics on when Wiggins might rejoin the team, inserted Moses Moody into the starting lineup in his place. Although Moody had been out of the rotation, Kerr didn’t want to alter his new second unit, which now features Paul playing alongside Klay Thompson.

When Wiggins returns, Golden State will have no shortage of rotation options, with Moody and Lester Quinones likely among those on the outside looking in. Slater suggests that Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, Gary Payton II, Wiggins, Paul, and Thompson will all be candidates for closing lineups, with Dario Saric, Kevon Looney, and Trayce Jackson-Davis vying for minutes too.

“Steve said he’ll try to figure it out,” Paul said of potentially playing a reduced role in a crowded rotation. “Said sometimes he might mess it up. But we got a really good group of guys on this team, and we’ll need different things every night. But one thing about me, though, is I know who I am and what I’m capable of. Ain’t no question about that. I’ll always be ready. I think he knows that.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

While Paul figures to spend a little time playing alongside Curry, the plan is to have him on the court for all of the non-Curry minutes, according to Slater. The two-time MVP has shot just 31.5% from the field over the past three games, including 21.6% on three-pointers, so CP3’s return should allow the team to reduce his workload and have him play off the ball a bit more. “Steph has looked tired to me the last couple games,” Kerr said after Sunday’s loss to Denver, per Slater. “It makes sense. He did the All-Star Game stuff, not getting much of a break — three games in four nights. He looks a little tired. These stretches happen.”
Kerr said on Tuesday after officially finalizing his two-year contract extension that he felt “very comfortable” signing a relatively short-term deal, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com. “We’re in a really unique situation where we have an era that’s winding down and another that’s coming,” Kerr said. “We’re trying to make them merge and make the most of that this year and next year … let’s keep it rolling for another couple of years and then reassess it.”
Asked during an appearance on the Club 520 podcast which of the Warriors’ four championship teams was his favorite, Green cited the 2021/22 squad, since it wasn’t viewed as a title favorite entering that postseason. “2022 wasn’t really a championship team (compared to) the championship teams I’ve been on,” Green said (hat tip to BasketNews.com). “After every series, me and Steph would be walking to do an interview after we won a series, and we’d walk and laugh like, ‘Yo, how are we winning these series right now?'”

Injury Notes: Embiid, Ayton, Thomas, George

February 28th, 2024 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers continue to believe that star center Joel Embiid, who underwent surgery on the meniscus in his left knee earlier this month, should be able to return to the court before the end of the regular season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Tuesday during an appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link).

“They still are optimistic that they can get him back,” Wojnarowski said. “I think there’s some hope that they can get him back on the court by sometime in late March, back starting to get into condition. The goal here isn’t necessarily to try to bring him back and see how many regular season games you might be able to win with him. The goal is to get him as healthy as he can be for the postseason.”

When the Sixers announced Embiid’s procedure on February 6, they said he would be reevaluated in four weeks. As Wojnarowski notes, that means we’re still about a week away from the team providing a more official update on the reigning MVP’s progress and possible timeline.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

X-rays on Deandre Ayton‘s sprained right hand came back negative, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said on Tuesday after Ayton left the team’s loss to Miami early (Twitter link via Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Portland center is in the clear. “I think there will be some further testing because he was in quite a bit of pain,” Billups said (link via ESPN).
Nets guard Cam Thomas underwent an MRI on his sprained right ankle on Tuesday, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. While the results haven’t yet been announced, Thomas said on Monday that he doesn’t believe this ankle injury is as severe as the one that cost him nine games in November.
The Clippers will be without star forward Paul George for a second straight game due to left knee soreness, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Head coach Tyronn Lue said that George didn’t practice on Tuesday and wouldn’t be available on Wednesday vs. the Lakers after having sat out Sunday’s loss to Sacramento.

Bulls’ Lonzo Ball Still Unable To Sprint

February 27th, 2024 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There is increasing concern about the progress of Lonzo Ball‘s rehab, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Ball was supposed to begin sprinting in January, but that still hasn’t happened, per Cowley. The Bulls point guard hasn’t played since January 2022. He has undergone three surgeries on his left knee since then, including a cartilage transplant last March.

“I don’t know if he’s stuck,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He is doing some shooting, some running, some jumping. He hasn’t done any sprinting yet, that I know.”

Donovan stopped short of calling it a setback.

“They talked about that, and (sprinting) was kind of a goal, a setpoint,” he said. “I do think the one thing that has been a priority right now so he does not get set back is he needs to develop more strength in his leg. Because of him having that surgery and being off his leg so long, before he’s really able to ramp up I think they want him to get to a place physically that relates to his quad strength, hamstring strength, before he starts to really do that. I don’t want to say it’s a holdup, but that’s where they want to get him to. In terms of what he’s doing, he feels better.”

Most of Ball’s rehab work this season has been done in Los Angeles, though he has spent some time in Chicago. The veteran guard expressed optimism last summer that his latest procedure would eventually get him back in action.

Ball holds a player option of approximately $21.4MM on the final year of his contract. It’s a virtual certainty he’ll opt it, given how long he’s been sidelined. It’s too soon to know how his body will respond once he progresses to sprinting and basketball-related drills, but there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll return to action next season.

Chicago has lost Ball’s former backcourt partner Zach LaVine to a season-ending foot injury this season. Power forward Patrick Williams has also been lost for the season with his own foot issues.

And-Ones: LeBron, Bronny, Draft, Stephenson, Cap Space

February 27th, 2024 at 9:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LeBron James was unhappy that son Bronny James was removed from ESPN’s 2024 draft projections and instead placed in a 2025 mock draft, according to Alex Andrejev and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. The ESPN story had the younger James going in the second round in 2025.

“Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” LeBron wrote in since-deleted posts on social media, adding, “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!”

LeBron has often stated he wanted to stay in the league long enough to play with his son. Bronny, a freshman at USC, is averaging a modest 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game through 19 contests and is no longer considered a lock to be a one-and-done prospect.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Speaking of this year’s draft class, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo address a number of topics, including the potential of UConn’s Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan, Houston’s Jamal Shead and Weber State’s Dillon Jones.
Lance Stephenson, 10-year NBA veteran, is currently playing for the NBA G League’s Iowa Wolves. Stephenson feels he could help an NBA team in numerous ways if given a chance to play in the league again. “Leadership. Definitely, helping young guys. Winning mentality, just that edge on the defensive end,” Stephenson told Sam Yip of Hoops Hype. “A lot of teams need help with defense, especially during the playoffs. Tough guys that can play defense and lock down and win games. I can bring any edge that a coach needs.”
Several teams could have major cap space this summer, with the Sixers, Pistons, Raptors and Magic well-positioned to do some major spending. Hoops Hype’s Mark Deeks breaks down what every team’s cap situation will look like when the offseason arrives.

Heat Notes: Rozier, Herro, Wright, Suspensions, Jovic, Jaquez

February 27th, 2024 at 7:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Terry Rozier will suit up for the Heat at Portland on Tuesday night after missing the previous four games with a sprained right knee, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports. Rozier is averaging 12.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per contest since being acquired from Charlotte.

Miami will also have Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jovic back after they served one-game league suspensions on Monday. Tyler Herro (left knee hyperextension) will sit out once again. Herro was injured on Friday against New Orleans.

Herro underwent an MRI on his injured knee on Monday that showed no structural damage, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

We have more on the Heat:

Delon Wright played a major role in the shorthanded team’s 121-110 victory over Sacramento on Monday night during his Heat debut, Chiang writes in a separate story. He contributed 13 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 35 minutes. Wright signed with Miami after being bought out by Washington. “The player of the game for us in the locker room was Delon,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I don’t think his stat line was spectacular by people probably on the outside. But, man, he plays winning basketball.”
Wright adds depth at the guard spots but it will be tough for him to get consistent minutes when everyone’s healthy, Chiang notes in his latest mailbag. With eight other players locked into the rotation, Wright will have to fight for playing time with Josh Richardson, Haywood Highsmith and Jovic.
Going back to the altercation with the Pelicans, Spoelstra was grateful that more players weren’t suspended for leaving the bench area. He praised the NBA’s head of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, for not penalizing players who stayed out of the scuffle. “[Dumars] understands it from a player’s perspective and I think that’s really important,” Spoelstra told Chiang. “That it’s not letter of the law, it’s observing it, looking at it, seeing all the context of it and then making the best decision based on everybody’s parties. The league, No. 1, the players and teams.”
Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were mentioned prominently in trade rumors last summer when the Heat pursued Damian Lillard before the Trail Blazers dealt the perennial All-Star to Milwaukee. Both players spoke to Winderman about what might have been if a trade had gone through. “Me and Jaime were not the biggest pieces in the trade, but of course you think if you’re going to be in a package,” Jovic said.

Month: May 2024