Pacific Notes: Kuminga, Gillespie, Suns, Lakers
Prior to Monday’s game against Indiana, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Jonathan Kuminga‘s recent shot selection and decision-making had been “poor” and that he had spoken to both Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski about making better decisions, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays.
Kuminga responded with one of his best games of the season off the bench. In just under 30 minutes of action, he racked up 26 points, eight rebounds, and four assists while only turning the ball over once.
“This is the JK we want,” Kerr said after the game, per Youngmisuk. “Spent a lot of time in the paint, took care of the ball. Had a couple really nice passes. Found Buddy (Hield) for three on a beautiful play and really attacked. So this is a great example of how JK needs to play. I’m really proud of him for coming out, playing that way. … He’s getting better, and it’s fun to watch his development.”
Kuminga started six straight games earlier this month, but has come off the bench for the past three. Kerr has suggested the change isn’t necessarily permanent, but noted last week that the club sets a better defensive tone with Draymond Green starting alongside a center. Kuminga, whose role has fluctuated frequently since he entered the league in 2021, said he’s gotten used to the unpredictability and isn’t letting it faze him.
“From where I come from, you always got to be mentally tough,” Kuminga said. “A lot of people that are playing … if they were in my shoes, they’ll quit basketball. They’ll need a therapist. They’ll go through a lot of mental situations. But that thing don’t affect me. As long as I go out here every day and just play, be with my teammates, (they) keep encouraging me to be who I am every day.”
We have more from around the Pacific:
- Suns two-way guard Collin Gillespie, who was diagnosed last month with a right ankle fracture, is hoping he’ll be able to return to action shortly after the G League’s regular season begins next week, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I haven’t really talked to the coaches about it, but I’m sure that’ll be the plan of making sure I check off all the boxes here, individual workouts,” Gillespie said. “Play 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and just build it up until I’m ready to go 5-on-5. Then I’m sure once they get back from break (between the Winter Showcase and regular season), they’ll have some home games that I’ll be able to play. Hopefully get some reps there.” The Valley Suns, Phoenix’s NBAGL affiliate, will play their first regular season game next Monday.
- A year ago at this time, the Suns had a 14-14 record. This year, despite an 8-1 start, they’re 14-14 again. Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports explores why the team is being plagued by the same issues as last season and considers whether those issues are fixable.
- The Lakers‘ offense ranks 29th in the NBA over the past four weeks and head coach J.J. Redick believes the team’s shot selection is a big part of the reason why, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group writes. “Over the last 13 (games), we’re taking five more non-paint twos – we’re shooting 39% on those,” Redick said. “… Those five extra non-paint twos, if we shot them at the same rate as Phoenix – who shoots 49% on non-paint twos – our offense would go from 29th to 27th. … If we took those five middies and we shot league average on threes, our offense would go from 27th to 12th. In some ways, we need to shoot more threes and we need to make more threes. That doesn’t mean we come down and just, no pass, one dribble shot. We’ve got to generate the right ones and we’ve got to do it with the right process.”
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Miller, Smith, Christopher, Risacher
After getting off to a decent 4-5 start this season, the Hornets have plummeted down the standings over the past month-and-a-half. Monday’s loss to Houston, Charlotte’s 13th in its last 14 games, dropped the team to 7-22 on the season and inspired a players-only closed-door meeting after the game, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
“I feel like we established ourselves in the first 10 games as a team that plays physical,” forward Miles Bridges said. “At one point we were leading the league in offensive rebounding. We’ve just got to get back to that. We had a great conversation. Taj (Gibson) really got us together in the locker room — players only — and he talked to us. I talked to the team, Taj talked to us a lot. I feel like that really got to us, so I feel like these next couple games we’re going to see who really wants to play.”
Bridges is the longest-tenured Hornet, having been with the organization since 2018. Gibson is a newcomer, but he was brought in to be a “meaningful voice in the locker room,” Boone writes. The veteran big man played that role in Monday’s meeting.
“I think them talking to us, I think they both said what everybody is thinking,” center Mark Williams said. “I think it just starts with us. We’ve got to be tougher, got to play harder. Just do all the things it takes to win. Just got to have some pride out there. I think we just lacked that tonight.”
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Hornets forward Brandon Miller has missed the past three games due to a sprained ankle, but he was initially listed as questionable for Monday’s game before being downgraded to out and appears to be on the verge of a return, per Boone. “The last couple days he’s rejoined some group activities that we’ve had. I think he’s really making good progress,” head coach Charles Lee said. “After (Monday’s) game, we’ll continue to evaluate him and see where he is maybe after Christmas.”
- According to both Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald and Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Heat had been planning to promote guard Dru Smith from his two-way contract to a standard deal in the coming days in order to get back to the required 14-man minimum. That plan is now up in the air after Smith exited Monday’s game with a lower left leg injury. He’s undergoing an MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury, as Chiang relays. “Obviously, the air went out of the building seeing him fall like that,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It wasn’t a contact injury. I don’t know the extent fully right now. I don’t want to pontificate until we get the MRI. But, yeah, we were all messed up for a while.”
- Heat two-way guard Josh Christopher was the best player John Hollinger of The Athletic saw at the G League Winter Showcase in Orlando. As Hollinger writes, Christopher has improved his shooting and decision-making and is no longer simply getting by on his athleticism. While it remains to be seen whether or not there will be NBA minutes available going forward for the former No. 24 overall pick in the wake of Smith’s injury, Christopher did make his Heat regular season debut on Monday, logging a couple garbage-time minutes in a win over Brooklyn.
- Hawks rookie forward Zaccharie Risacher didn’t get to play for the French national team at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but this year’s No. 1 overall pick hopes to represent his home country in future international tournaments, starting next summer, as he tells Benjamin Moubeche of BasketSession (hat tip to BasketNews.com). “The French national team is a childhood dream,” Risacher said. “It’s always something special. Every competitor wants to win medals for their country, and for me, it would be an immense honor to represent France at the (2025) EuroBasket.”
Pistons Notes: Cap Room, Fontecchio, Klintman, Gores
Team executives who spoke to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) at the G League Winter Showcase over the weekend identified the Pistons as an important team to watch as the February 6 trade deadline approaches.
Detroit is the only NBA club currently operating under the cap, with about $14MM in room available. Many teams around the league are either prohibited from taking back extra salary due to their position relative to the tax aprons or will be unwilling to take back extra salary due to their proximity to the tax line. Those financial restrictions should put the Pistons in a great spot to be a third-team facilitator in one or more pre-deadline deals.
While $14MM is a nice chunk of room, it could disappear quickly depending on which player(s) the Pistons take back, so the front office will likely be careful about which deal(s) it makes, using that limited cap space as leverage to try to extract the best possible assets from its potential trade partners.
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Simone Fontecchio, who re-signed with the Pistons in July on a two-year, $16MM deal, has played a modest role off the bench this season, with his minutes declining to 18.2 MPG after he averaged 30.3 MPG down the stretch last season. However, the veteran wing had one of his best games of the year on Monday in Los Angeles, scoring 13 points on a perfect shooting night (4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line) as Detroit completed a series sweep over the Lakers, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. The Pistons, who won the game by three points, outscored L.A. by 19 in Fontecchio’s 19 minutes on the court.
- The 37th overall pick in this year’s draft, Bobi Klintman spent most of the fall recovering from a calf injury and was active for the first time of the season on Monday. Although Klintman didn’t play at all, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said it was good to have the rookie forward around the team and available to play. “It’s great for him to have an opportunity to be part of the team he was drafted by,” Bickerstaff said (Twitter link via Sankofa). “… He had an odd injury that held him back and it was a long road.”
- Roughly a year after he told reporters during a record-setting losing streak that changes were necessary, Pistons owner Tom Gores told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic and other media members at halftime on Monday that he’s “really proud” of what he’s seen from the team this season. Detroit has hired a new head coach (Bickerstaff) and head of basketball operations (Trajan Langdon) since last year and Gores praised both men for the jobs they’ve done so far. “He’s got a steady hand,” Gores said of Langdon. “He’s doing incredible work organizing us. Same as the way J.B. is, so I give him a lot of credit.”
- In case you missed it, Cade Cunningham won a Player of the Week award for the first time in his four-year career on Monday.
Nuggets’ Malone, Porter Address Trade Rumors
The Nuggets and forward Michael Porter Jr. have been at the center of one of the biggest trade rumors so far this season, with reports indicating that Denver is exploring the possibility of making a deal for Bulls guard Zach LaVine. Porter’s cap hit of nearly $36MM would be necessary for matching purposes in a trade for LaVine or any other trade target earning a significant salary.
Addressing that rumor – along with one from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer suggesting the Nuggets are considering the idea of trading Porter – head coach Michael Malone said prior to Monday’s game vs. Phoenix that there’s more smoke than fire on the rumor mill, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
“A lot of it is noise. I mean, I don’t know where it comes from,” Malone said. “You see different things that are out there, and you never want that stuff getting out there. But I’ve talked to (general manager) Calvin (Booth), and Calvin’s had a good pulse on that stuff. And whenever that stuff is happening, he’s in touch with the guys and their agents to let them know what is real and what is not real. And as of right now as we are 25 games into the season, there’s nothing to that.”
Malone added that he wants his players focusing on what they can control rather than “worrying about the wrong thing.” He also lauded the Nuggets’ front office for the job it has done over the years communicating with the players and making sure they’re not caught off guard during trade season.
Speaking to reporters after Monday’s game, Porter – who scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting in a 27-point blowout win over the Suns – agreed that the front office has been good about touching base with him as trade rumors have swirled.
“They’ve reached out to me and said it’s all noise,” Porter said (Twitter video link via DNVR Sports). “There’s nothing serious going on, and if there was, they’d let me know. They’ve said they love how I’m playing and to keep being aggressive, and they have no desire to move me right now.
“But I also know that they wouldn’t tell me if they wanted to move me,” Porter added with a laugh. “But they have reached out, yeah.”
Porter is averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game through his first 27 games this season. He’s also contributing 6.9 rebounds and a career-best 2.8 assists per night, with impressive shooting percentages of 51.8% from the field and 38.8% on three-pointers.
However, the 26-year-old has never been considered a defensive asset, and his maximum-salary contract – which includes two more years and $79MM+ in guaranteed money beyond this season – makes him Denver’s most logical big-money trade chip.
Asked if being the subject of trade rumors is stressful, Porter downplayed his concern, noting that he understands it’s part of the business and pointing out that he’s been “blessed” not only to spend his entire career so far with one team, but to win a championship with that club.
“When stuff like this comes up, I don’t think I take it personally,” the veteran forward said, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette. “You have those moments where you’re like, ‘Man, I want to be here,’ or whatever the thoughts (are) that go through your head.
“But I think for me, I’ve overcome so much in my life. I’ve gone through so much with my family. I’ve gone through so much personally that little stuff like a trade rumor, I kind of leave that stuff up to God. I kind of have zero stress about it, because I know wherever I end up, it will be meant to be. I love where I’m at, and I love playing with these dudes. I think we have a chance to get rolling and do something special, but to answer your question, it’s not stressful for me.”
Magic Notes: Comebacks, Anthony, Queen, M. Wagner, Banchero
On Saturday vs. Miami, the Magic were playing without their top three scorers (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, the latter of whom returned on Monday following a one-game absence with a right ankle sprain). A rotation regular, Gary Harris, missed another game as he continues to deal with a hamstring strain.
Their fourth-leading scorer, Moritz Wagner, suffered a torn left ACL in the first quarter. And big man Wendell Carter was ejected in the second quarter after a pair of technical fouls.
As Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes, Orlando trailed by 22 points entering the fourth quarter, then proceeded to outscore the Heat 37-8 in the final frame, completing one of the biggest comebacks in NBA history. According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), it had been five years since a team had lost when leading by at least 22 points entering the final period.
“You can’t really explain that,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s something I haven’t seen. I have not seen that ever in my years in the league: the ability to stay with it despite all of the circumstances that started in the beginning of the game.”
Backup guard Cole Anthony, who has struggled to find a rhythm for much of the season (entering Monday, he’s averaging a career-low 11.7 minutes per game), erupted for season highs of 35 points (27 in the second half), eight rebounds and nine assists, with Orlando outscoring Miami by 17 points in his 28 minutes on the court. The 24-year-old was emotional during his post-game interview, as he’s been frustrated by his performances but loves playing for the Magic. A close-knit group, three of his teammates were waiting to congratulate him after the game, per Robbins.
“Just to feel that same love back and know I’m always going to get that same love, it’s something that I don’t think is appreciated as much, especially around the league,” Anthony said later. “You don’t get this many good people in one organization. You don’t get this many high-character people in one organization. So, I’m just blessed to be a part of this.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- They followed up their impressive comeback against Miami with another come-from-behind victory on Monday against the reigning champion Celtics, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. According to the team’s PR department (Twitter link), it was the first time Orlando has registered comebacks of at least 15 points in consecutive games since Feb. 7-9, 2014. Trevelin Queen, who provided a major energy boost vs. Miami, started the first game of his career on Monday and tied a career-high with 17 points, Beede notes, while first-rounder Tristan Da Silva notched a team-high 18 points, including a clutch three-pointer late to seal the victory. Carter moved to the bench so the Magic would have more size in the absence of Moe Wagner, Beede adds.
- Moe Wagner was understandably upset that he’ll miss the rest of the season with a major knee injury, but also said he was “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support he’s received throughout the organization, according to Robbins. “(Keeping an even keel is) part of what (I) try to ask our guys to do in those moments, but the reality is we’re all human beings, and it broke me a little bit,” Mosley said Monday. “I teared up as I watched Moe go down because you watched the work that he’s put in, you watched the tear he was on. I mean, he was in the running probably, in my mind, for Sixth Man of the Year, (with) the energy that he brings to this team, the toughness he brings to this team. It shook me a little bit.”
- Banchero continues to recover from a torn oblique he sustained on Oct. 30, the same injury Franz Wagner suffered on Dec. 6. The former No. 1 overall pick was doing some light shooting and ball-handling work prior to Saturday’s game, and Suggs says he’s eager to have the 22-year-old back in the lineup. “Just having his presence back amongst us is going to be amazing,” Suggs said, per Beede. “He’s used his voice throughout the time he’s been out. I know it’s been hard for him. It always is when you’re not playing to speak up at times and things like that. But to see how mentally locked in he’s been throughout this process, it’s been really cool.”
Heat’s Dru Smith Exits With Lower Left Leg Injury
Heat guard Dru Smith experienced a lower left leg injury in Monday’s contest vs. Brooklyn and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced (via Twitter).
While the severity of the injury has yet to be determined, it didn’t look good in real time, according to a couple of local reporters (Twitter links via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald).
Smith went straight back to the locker room after the injury, with his wife joining him, per Winderman and Chiang. For what it’s worth, several fans replying in the comments seem to think Smith may have suffered an Achilles injury.
As Chiang observes (via Twitter), the third-year guard is on a two-way contract and he appeared to be the frontrunner to be promoted to a standard deal, with the Heat having to fill their 14th standard spot by Dec. 29 after trading Thomas Bryant. A major injury would be a devastating outcome for both parties, but especially for Smith, who missed most of last season with a torn right ACL.
Smith, who turns 27 years old next week, has been a rotation fixture for Miami of late, partly due to his impressive defense. Over the past eight games, he had averaged 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.3 steals in 26.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .532/.560/.769.
Injury Notes: Doncic, R. Williams, Leonard, Jones, Heat, Wade
After missing the past two games with a left heel contusion, Luka Doncic was upgraded to available for Monday’s contest vs. Portland, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter). The perennial All-NBA guard had previously been listed as questionable.
For the same game, big man Robert Williams was ruled out due to a left ankle sprain, per the Trail Blazers (Twitter link). Williams was questionable this afternoon, so his latest injury doesn’t appear to be anything significant.
Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:
- A Clippers source tells Law Murray of The Athletic that Kawhi Leonard (right knee) will not suit up for Friday’s contest vs. Golden State (Twitter link). Murray predicted last week that Leonard, who has been going through contact practices and recently traveled on a three-game road trip, would play on Friday, but his season debut will be delayed by at least one more game.
- Although they won’t have Leonard back yet, the Clippers did receive some good injury news last week, as Derrick Jones returned early from a right hamstring strain, Murray writes for The Athletic. The 27-year-old forward made an immediate impact against his former team, helping Los Angeles defeat Dallas on Thursday. “Derrick was a big part of our success last year,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said. “He was the last to sign with us … he made us a little bit more athletic. He could guard one through five. He shot the three well for us. And he’s a pro. He comes to work every day to do his job. We’re happy for his new contract. Unfortunately, he’s on the other side. But the Clippers got a pro.”
- The Heat were shorthanded on Monday vs. Brooklyn, with Jimmy Butler (stomach illness) missing his second straight game and Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation) missing his fifth, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays. Terry Rozier was a late addition to Monday’s injury report after experiencing left knee inflammation, his first absence with that injury, Chiang adds.
- Forward Dean Wade experienced some soreness after taking knee-to-knee contact in Saturday’s contest vs. Philadelphia and the Cavaliers decided to be cautious and keep him out of Monday’s contest against Utah, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Wade is expected to return for Friday’s contest vs. Denver, Cleveland’s next game, sources tell Fedor. Sam Merrill started in place of Wade, who himself was an injury replacement for Isaac Okoro (shoulder sprain).
Central Notes: Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Smart, Beasley, Cunningham
The Bucks have ruled out both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard for Monday’s game vs. Chicago due to a non-COVID illness, as Jamal Collier of ESPN relays.
According to Collier, several of Milwaukee’s players and staff members have been feeling sick since winning the NBA Cup final last Tuesday. Lillard missed a pair of games over the weekend due to a right calf injury and was previously doubtful heading into Monday’s game with that ailment, while Antetokounmpo was out for Saturday’s back-to-back and was questionable prior to Monday’s contest with back spasms.
In an unrelated story, Antetokounmpo acknowledged he’s at a loss as to why the Bucks aren’t playing on Christmas for the first time in seven seasons, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The former Finals MVP said he was “little bit upset or kind of questioning it” in part because 10 other teams received the invitation, while Milwaukee did not.
“There’s gotta be an algorithm because if it’s — how can I say — like a popularity contest, I can give you facts,” Antetokounmpo said. “You want me to? Two of the NBA All-Star starters, Dame and Giannis, and the All-Star MVP, right? And the No. 1 vote-getter — not in the East, in the whole NBA — is not in the Christmas game? What? No, it’s a fact.
“The votes came out last year. I was the No. 1. Dame was a starter. I was a starter. Dame won the MVP. Dame won the three-point contest. Maybe that has nothing to do with it. I believe we were one of the best teams in the East last year. Maybe not this year, OK. We don’t get a Christmas game. Why? Because we got a small market? Maybe that’s the case. Or I want to believe what I tell you, I think there’s an algorithm within the NBA that they choose which team will get the most attention, the most viewership that day.”
While Antetokounmpo said he was “pissed” he wouldn’t be competing on a marquee day, he and many other Bucks also said they’re happy they get to spend the holiday with their families, according to Nehm.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers dominated the Kings in Sacramento on Sunday en route to their fourth straight victory, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Veteran point guard T.J. McConnell said the team never splintered in the face of adversity — Indiana has had to a sluggish start to the season and is still just 14-15. “I really like how everyone in here didn’t hit the panic button while everyone else was,” McConnell said. “I feel like people don’t realize last year, at one point we were 14-14. Long season. Obviously, we didn’t start the way we wanted to. We went on a couple losing streaks, but we’re well coached. That’s kept us together and we have a really together group. Everyone is for everyone in here. In the NBA, that’s all you can ask for.” According to Dopirak, many Pacers, including McConnell, noted that injuries to Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard and Aaron Nesmith have hurt the team. Nembhard and Sheppard have returned, improving the perimeter defense and offensive spacing, while Nesmith continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury. Although it’s obviously a positive that the Pacers have rebounded, they’ll be challenged by a difficult schedule — including a home-road back-to-back against Oklahoma City and Boston — over their next four games, Dopirak observes.
- The Bulls have been better than expected to this point, currently holding a 13-16 record. Star guard Zach LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan have made it clear the players and coaches have no plan of tanking. That means the front office will play an important role if the team hopes to retain its top-10 protected first-round pick, and a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley still have “full autonomy” to change the roster ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Based on his wording, it’s unclear whom the Grizzlies might be interested in out of LaVine or Nikola Vucevic, but Cowley says Memphis “would love” to shed Marcus Smart‘s salary, noting the former Defensive Player of the Year has played sporadic minutes of late. However, Cowley states that Chicago doesn’t want to take on multiyear contracts unless it receives draft compensation in return — Smart makes $20.2MM in 2024/25, followed by $21.6MM in ’25/26. For what it’s worth, Vucevic is a near-perfect salary match ($20MM in ’24/25, $21.5MM in ’25/26).
- Malik Beasley is on pace to break the Pistons‘ single-season record for three-pointers made and his outside shooting has opened up driving and passing lanes for reigning East Player of the Week Cade Cunningham, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. The Pistons have been very effective (+6.8) when the two players share the court together, Sankofa adds. “It’s really just understanding each other’s games, understanding where our spots are,” Cunningham said. “We play so well off of each other. He gives me an outlet so many times whenever guys send more at me, and for me, I think he loves playing with me because I throw it over to him. It’s just about building that relationship on and off the court and continuing to grow.” Beasley, 28, will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason after signing a one-year, $6MM deal with Detroit last summer.
Knicks Notes: Cap Situation, Starting Five, Hart, Anunoby
After waiving Matt Ryan and signing Landry Shamet, the Knicks are operating approximately $535K below their hard cap for the 2024/25 season.
Ryan will count toward the cap for $621,439 in dead money, while Shamet’s new cap hit is $1,343,690, though he’ll technically earn $1,682,008 if he remains under contract beyond January 7 on his minimum-salary deal (or if it’s already fully guaranteed, which has not been confirmed).
Due to that small gap between their team salary and the second tax apron, New York will be unable to fill their 15th roster spot until later in the season, once the prorated veteran’s minimum dips low enough to fit below the hard cap.
Their cap situation could change if they continue to swap players in and out of that 14th spot, if they sign anyone to a 10-day contract, or if they make an in-season trade. But based on their current team salary, the Knicks would be able to add a veteran as a 15th man as of March 1, when the cap hit for a prorated minimum deal would be $527,878.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Good injury luck – along with an aversion to load management – has allowed the Knicks to establish cohesion with their new-look starting lineup, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The team’s five starters have missed a total of just three games (two for Karl-Anthony Towns and one for Josh Hart) and the group has played a league-leading 459 minutes together, posting a +7.0 net rating. Only two other five-man lineups around the NBA have logged more than 250 minutes so far this season.
- While the Knicks were in New Orleans over the weekend for a game against the Pelicans, Hart credited his former head coach Willie Green for “changing the trajectory” of his career. Hart was a Pelican when Green took over as the team’s coach in 2021. “He was my third coach in three years,” Hart said, according to Bondy. “Coming off Stan (Van Gundy), where I probably had one of the worst years of my career. And Willie just kind of believed in me. I didn’t want to come back (to New Orleans), but I talked to him and we got on the same page at the beginning of that year. … He trusted in me as a player, but more so as a person. And that really gained my confidence. … He changed things for me.”
- The Knicks raised eyebrows over the offseason when they re-signed OG Anunoby to a five-year deal worth $212.5MM, the most total guaranteed money any team committed to a free agent in 2024. But Anunoby is rewarding the team’s belief in him so far — he hasn’t missed a game this season, has increased his scoring averaged to 16.6 points per game, and – as Steve Popper of Newsday writes – has continued to play his usual form of lock-down defense. “I know OG puts a lot of guys in jail,” Hart said on Saturday. “He’s someone we’re good with putting him on the island with whoever, big or small, and he’s going to change shots. I don’t understand how he does half of it. … He’s a monster to a defense all by himself and he should be a first-team or second-team All-Defense for sure. We’re comfortable with that matchup against him and anybody.”
Anthony Edwards Fined $75K By NBA
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been fined $75K by the NBA for public criticism of the officiating and using inappropriate and profane language, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Following Saturday’s loss to Golden State, Edwards dedicated his post-game media session to discussing the officiating, as Dane Moore of Blue Wire Pods relayed (Twitter video link).
“F—ing terrible. All of them, besides the woman. The other two dudes, terrible,” Edwards said. “Excuses (for) the reason they call a foul, the reason they don’t call a foul, the s–t was terrible. They don’t want to talk back to my coach. They don’t want to talk back to me. I said one thing to the ref and he gave me a tech. Motherf—er told one of my teammates if I would’ve said, ‘Y’all calling a bad foul,’ he wouldn’t have gave me a tech.
“… They’re just sensitive and they’re terrible. They penalize me and (Julius Randle) for being stronger than our opponent every night. We don’t get no calls.”
While Edwards said he has had issues with the officiating all season, he made it clear he felt it was worse than usual in Saturday’s game vs. the Warriors.
“Tonight was bad,” he said. “(Golden State) was getting ticky-tack fouls and we weren’t getting nothing.”
Edwards was fined $25K by the league two weeks ago for using profane language in a post-game interview. He was also hit with a $35K fine last month for giving a Kings fan in Sacramento the middle finger.