Pacific Notes: Johnson, Leonard, Huerter, Green
New starting Suns power forward Cameron Johnson is undergoing a positive on-court evolution in accordance with his new gig, reports Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports.
“Getting more used to that on a night-in, night-out basis, and also finishing the game, man, that’s something that I love doing,” Johnson said of his adjustment to the new responsibilities of the role. “Being in there and being part of that critical thinking on top of high-level basketball portion of the game, it’s a lot of fun.”
Through seven contests for the West’s top-seeded 6-1 Suns, the 6’8″ Phoenix forward is averaging a career-best 14.9 PPG on .457/.440/.727 shooting splits, along with 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.3 SPG.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard only lasted two regular season games before knee issues flared up. L.A. head coach Tyronn Lue has provided a minor update on the state of the five-time All-Star’s health, noting that Leonard is “doing better and moving in a positive direction,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). Youngmisuk adds that Leonard will sit out the team’s upcoming two Texas road games. In his two healthy games for the Clippers, Leonard has played limited minutes as a reserve, averaging just 21 MPG.
- New Kings shooting guard Kevin Huerter has thus far managed to thrive with Sacramento following an offseason trade from Atlanta, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “My role has the potential to expand a little bit more here,” Huerter said. “Just the way we’re built, the personnel, a lot of that has to do with (Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis), playing through a five man.” The 6’7″ swingman is averaging 18.9 PPG, with a slash line of .506/.518/.789. He is also chipping in 3.9 APG, 2.9 RPG, and 0.6 SPG.
- While wondering whether Warriors star power forward Draymond Green would be as special in another team’s system as he has been in an 11-season partnership with Golden State that has yielded four NBA titles, Zach Lowe of ESPN reports that the team has yet to discuss any potential deals for the 32-year-old big man, and at present does not intend to explore trades that would send him out of town. Green, who has a $27.6MM player option for the 2023/24 season, punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a practice altercation, and had to spend a portion of the club’s preseason away from the other Warriors. The team opted to extend the contracts of Poole and starting small forward Andrew Wiggins ahead of the 2022/23 season, but did not do so with Green.
Nets Suspend Kyrie Irving At Least Five Games
The Nets have announced in a press statement (via Twitter) that they have suspended Kyrie Irving for at least five games, without pay.
After Brooklyn’s starting point guard promoted a film peddling a variety of falsehoods that has widely been criticized as antisemitic on his personal Twitter account last week, pushback was decidedly muted at first. The NBA and NBPA both issued statements denouncing antisemitism broadly, without mentioning Irving by name (Irving is a vice president on the NBPA). Nets majority owner Joe Tsai expressed his disappointment with Irving, noting he would like to “sit down” with Irving to discuss why amplifying hateful media can be hurtful.
Irving then had a combative exchange with reporters, specifically Nick Friedell of ESPN, during a Saturday postgame presser, having left the offending tweet online. Irving ultimately relented, deleting the post on Sunday. The Nets subsequently opted to withhold Irving from further media interactions for the next several days, with team president Sean Marks claiming he wanted to let the seven-time All-Star “simmer down” before speaking with reporters further.
The Nets and Irving issued a joint statement with the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday, in which both the point guard and his team pledged to donate $500K each to the ADL. Irving at no point in his comments issued a formal apology to the Jewish community. NBA commissioner Adam Silver criticized that statement today with a response of his own, like Tsai saying he intended to meet with Irving to discuss the hurtful content of the documentary and his lack of a full apology.
Today, during his first remarks to the press since the weekend, Irving still stopped short of actually formally apologizing, Friedell writes. “I take my responsibility for posting that,” Irving told gathered reporters. “Some things that were questionable in there, untrue. Like I said in the first time you guys asked me when I was sitting on that stage, I don’t believe everything that everybody posts — it’s a documentary.”
Regarding the film’s lie that the Holocaust did not transpire, Irving did make a point of acknowledging that was inaccurate.
“Those falsehoods are unfortunate,” Irving allowed. “And it’s not that I don’t believe in the Holocaust. I never said that. Never, ever have said it. It’s not come out of my mouth. I never tweeted it. I never liked anything like it. So the Holocaust in itself is an event that means something to a large group of people that suffered something that could have been avoided.”
Friedell notes that reporters then inquired as to whether Irving himself possessed any antisemitic beliefs, and he somewhat danced around a direct response.
“I don’t know how the label becomes justified because you guys ask me the same questions over and over again,” Irving said. “But this is not going to turn into a spin-around cycle — questions upon questions.. I told you guys how I felt. I respect all walks of life and embrace all walks of life. That’s where I sit. … I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.”
Despite Irving’s pledge to the ADL, sources inform Adam Zagoria of NJ.com that Irving has yet to actually meet with the ADL for a conversation. The ADL’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, responded to the Nets point guard’s Thursday remarks (Twitter links).
“The answer to the question ‘Do you have any antisemitic beliefs’ is always ‘NO’ without equivocation,” Greenblatt wrote in part. “We took @KyrieIrving at his word when he said he took responsibility, but today he did not make good on that promise. Kyrie clearly has a lot of work to do.”
That brings us to the present, and the Nets’ decision.
“Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate,” Brooklyn’s statement began. “We were dismayed today, when given an opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity – but failed – to clarify.
“Accordingly, we are of the view that he is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets. We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.”
Greenblatt, meanwhile, issued a statement saying that the ADL will not accept Irving’s $500K donation since it’s clear he feels “no accountability for his actions” (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv).
Irving is currently earning $36,503,300 for the 2022/23 season. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link), he will forfeit $251,747 for each game of his suspension — 1/145th of his total salary.
The open-ended nature of Brooklyn’s penalty suggests that the club may require some level of quantifiable contrition before Irving is allowed to return.
Gordon Hayward Suffers Left Shoulder Contusion
Hornets forward Gordon Hayward has sustained a left shoulder contusion and will miss at least the team’s next game, Charlotte has announced (Twitter link).
The 6’7″ combo forward suffered in the injury during the first of Charlotte’s 106-88 blowout loss to the Bulls Wednesday night. Charlotte has revealed that Hayward is going to be considered day-to-day after the Memphis contest.
The 32-year-old had previously started all eight of the 3-5 Hornets’ contests this season. He boasts averages of 17.4 PPG (on .472/.357/.784 shooting splits), 4.3 RPG, 4.1 APG and 0.8 SPG across 31 MPG.
Hayward, a former All-Star while with the Jazz, has been plagued by a litany of maladies ever since he departed Utah as a free agent, signing a maximum deal with the Celtics ahead of the 2017/18 NBA season. He played five minutes that year. Outside of the 2018/19 season, Hayward has missed at least 20 games every year since departing the franchise that drafted him ninth out of Butler in 2010.
Miles Bridges Takes Plea Deal, Will Avoid Jail Time
Restricted free agent Hornets forward Miles Bridges and his representatives have worked out a plea deal with prosecutors regarding his felony domestic violence case, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Bridges pleaded no contest, meaning he’s accepting a punishment and conviction without admitting guilt.
Bridges was arrested and charged following a Los Angeles incident this spring in which he was accused of physical violence against his partner in front of their two young children. She required medical attention following the incident, per TMZ Sports.
In July, Bridges pleaded not guilty to the three charges initially levied at him: one count of injuring a parent to a minor, and two counts of child abuse in situations that could cause significant injury or death. As Holmes notes, the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon indicated that Bridges’ kids were present to witness the abuse, but would not otherwise elaborate on the two child abuse charges.
On Thursday, Bridges’ lawyer finalized a plea deal with Gascon’s office, in which Bridges would plead no contest to one charge of felony domestic violence while the two child abuse counts were dismissed. Bridges will accept three years of probation while avoiding jail time.
According to Holmes, Bridges has been ordered to attend a year’s worth of domestic violence counseling sessions and a year of parenting classes. Another element of his three-year probation is 100 hours of community service.
Bridges will not be permitted to own any dangerous weapons, including guns or ammo. He was ordered to pay minimal fines and is also required to honor his former girlfriend’s 10-year restraining order, which mandates that he is to have no contact with her and must remain 100 yards or more away from her at all times. He will be permitted to keep shared custody of their children, with any visitation or exchange of the children occurring through a neutral third party, Holmes explains.
Though Bridges received a qualifying offer to enter restricted free agency just weeks before he was booked, Charlotte let the offer expire early last month. Thus, Bridges remains a restricted free agent, but he will no longer be able to accept the qualifying offer. He could negotiate a new deal with the Hornets or sign an offer sheet with another team.
If the 6’7″ combo forward does eventually sign a new contract with an NBA club, the league would have the ability to fine, suspend, or even disqualify Bridges due to his no-contest plea. The NBA wouldn’t have the jurisdiction to discipline Bridges if he had gone through the trial process and been found not guilty.
Pistons Sign Bojan Bogdanovic To Two-Year Extension
6:00pm: The deal is now official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
3:45pm: Veteran Pistons power forward Bojan Bogdanovic is signing a two-year, $39.1MM contract extension to remain in Detroit, his agency Wasserman informs Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
As Wojnarowski notes, Bogdanovic is earning $19.5MM in 2022/23, the last year of his current deal. This new agreement, which has virtually the same annual average value, will keep him under team control through 2024/25.
According to Wojnarowski, when Pistons GM Troy Weaver traded for Bogdanovic, he had his sights set on extending the sharpshooting ace long-term.
The 6’7″ power forward, a nine-year NBA veteran, has started all of his first six games with Detroit since being traded from the Jazz during the offseason. He is averaging 23.0 PPG on .517/.511/.923 shooting, while chipping in 3.5 RPG and 2.0 APG.
Though the Nets traded for his draft rights as the No. 31 pick in the 2011 draft, Bogdanovic did not make his NBA debut until the 2014/15 season. Prior to Utah and Detroit, the 33-year-old has enjoyed stints on solid playoff clubs in Brooklyn, Washington, and Indiana.
Bogdanovic has thus far served as a helpful stretch-four veteran presence for the rebuilding Pistons. Though Detroit is just 1-5, the team’s longer-term outlook is fairly rosy, given the development of exciting young lottery additions Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.
With the advent of this new agreement, Bogdanovic, a knockdown long-range shooter (he has made 39.4% of 5.4 three-pointers per game for his career), could remain in Detroit well into the team’s return to the postseason.
Because Bogdanovic’s extension doesn’t lock him up for more than three total seasons and his first-year raise won’t exceed 5%, he’ll remain trade-eligible going forward.
Southeast Notes: Wright, Carter, Hampton, Bogdanovic, Clifford
With veteran guard Delon Wright sidelined indefinitely due to a strained right hamstring, the Wizards missed his perimeter defense in a 127-117 loss to the Pacers Friday night, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.
Though the 6’5″ combo guard is averaging a modest 6.5 PPG, 3.3 APG and 2.5 RPG in his four games with Washington, he gives the team size as a reserve guard and wing toughness that it had lacked last season, Hughes opines.
“It’s tough,” shooting guard Bradley Beal said of life without Wright. “You could see it tonight because he’s a pest on defense, he gets us those deflections. He’s just everywhere. He’s a pest. He gets in on the bigs, he gets those reach-ins, a lot of those things. He gets into the ball. Really good defender.”
The 30-year-old out of Utah signed a two-year, $16MM deal with Washington during the offseason. He suffered a grade two hamstring strain, and is expected to be unavailable for six-to-eight weeks. Hughes thinks that Beal, Monte Morris, and Will Barton will need to step up on the defensive side of the ball in the absence of Wright, as will small forward Deni Avdija, who has emerged as a versatile defender thus far, capable of defending smaller backcourt players.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Magic starting center Wendell Carter Jr. has made a representation change. Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel tweets that the 6’10” big man has inked a new deal with LIFT Sports Management. Meanwhile, Price reports in a separate piece that Carter’s Orlando teammate R.J. Hampton is departing LIFT after the Magic opted not to exercise its team option on his fourth season.
- Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is gradually moving through his recovery process from a May knee surgery. Atlanta is excited about the progress Bogdanovic has managed to make through his rehabilitation thus far, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m back to the court activities, and I feel good, just a little out of basketball shape,” Bogdanovic told Williams. “You know, I need a rhythm back, you know, change of direction, explosive moves. But now I’m focusing on that.” Retired Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver, now the team’s director of player affairs and development, has made himself available to Bogdanovic so that the current Atlanta wing can tweak the mechanics of his shooting form post-surgery. “He helped me a lot, you know, especially through the challenging times, where I couldn’t, like, figure it out, how to make that transition, from use, to what I’m doing in the weightlifting room with the strength coaches, and everybody else, (physical therapy), how to translate it on the court,” Bogdanovic said.
- Hornets head coach Steve Clifford can be credited at least in part with the club’s solid 3-3 start to the 2022/23 season, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “I think Steve is one of the most underrated coaches in the league,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “His defensive schemes are really sharp. He always does some interesting things against us to make us think, to make us work for baskets. His teams tend to execute really well on the offensive side.” Clifford’s players appreciate the organization he is bringing to bear for the club during his second go-around running the show. “He communicates very well on what he wants from us, and if we don’t do that he holds us accountable,” Kelly Oubre said. “That’s everything in this league because obviously we have a young team, but at the end of the day we are trying to grow and learn and be the best in our profession.”
Zion Williamson Back For Pelicans On Sunday
Pelicans star power forward Zion Williamson will make his return to the floor for New Orleans on Sunday, the team has announced (via Twitter). New Orleans is facing off against the mighty Clippers on the road in an afternoon matinee today.
The Pelicans also revealed that standout second-year forward Herb Jones will remain sidelined with a hyperextended right knee. Forward Brandon Ingram is still in the league’s concussion protocols.
Across three healthy games this season, Williamson has averaged 22.0 PPG while connecting on 49.1% of his field goals and 71.4% of his free throws. He is also chipping in 6.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 SPG and 0.7 BPG for New Orleans.
The 6’6″ Duke alum was sidelined for the Pelicans’ prior two contests. He missed all of the 2021/22 NBA season due to a right foot fracture.
Northwest Notes: McDaniels, Timberwolves, Brown, Jokic
Timberwolves power forward Jaden McDaniels gets his offense by being in the right space in the right time. A high-scoring night for McDaniels is usually indicative of good ball movement from his Minnesota teammates, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.
“He’s a really good cutter,” head coach Chris Finch said. “Our offense relies on cutting a lot, and a lot of guys don’t have a great feel for that or are reluctant to cut, because they’re way more ball-dominant, but he’s such a good cutter, and the ball has to be moving in different spots that allows those cuts to open up to be there… He’s going to be the beneficiary of good offense, good flow.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- The Timberwolves are emphasizing a motion-heavy offense this season, per Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. All-Star center Rudy Gobert is excited to be sharing the floor, and the rock, with fellow All-Star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns. “I think this is where we can really punish teams,” Gobert said of Towns. “It’s really important that we keep working on it. The fact that he can pass and he’s willing to pass has made him even more of a threat.”
- New Nuggets shooting guard Bruce Brown has a fan in head coach Michael Malone, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). “I’m so thankful that we were able to sign Bruce Brown in free agency,” Malone told reporters after Wednesday’s win.
- Sean Keeler of The Denver Post writes that Brown, known primarily as an unorthodox roll man and defender during his time with the Nets, is looking more multifaceted in Denver, thanks to a solid shooting start. “[His] shooting, in Brooklyn, he really wasn’t known for it because of the way he had to play,” Nuggets power forward Jeff Green said. “He had to sacrifice a lot (there). So I think now, people are going have to respect what he can bring to the table.” The 6’5″ vet did connect on 40.4% of his three-pointers during his 2021/22 season with Brooklyn, albeit on a fairly low-volume 1.3 attempts a night. Thus far with Denver, Brown is shooting 50% on his 3.2 looks from long range.
- Though Nuggets All-NBA center Nikola Jokic is not an elite rim protector, his court sense on defense allows him to remain underrated on that side of the floor, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post in a new mailbag. Singer also discusses the team’s apparent plan to employ a switch-heavy defense for every position beyond Jokic, the three-point shooting prowess of Michael Porter Jr., and Denver’s road-heavy early season schedule.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Randle, Robinson, Grimes
The emergence of new Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson as the team’s primary ball-handler has helped free up power forward Julius Randle from the pressures of the team’s lottery-bound 2021/22 season, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper notes that Randle has appeared to be more engaged with his teammates and a more active leader overall.
“I’m just trying to lose myself in the team,” Randle said. “Adding Jalen, our team another year starting playing together helps. But the big shot he hit in crunch time [Monday], typically they’re looking for me to go get a basket. For him to take that pressure off me is huge.”
There’s more out of Madison Square Garden:
- Brunson has already helped New York in late-game situations, winning the kinds of the games the team would lose last year, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. “We’re supposed to win game even when we’re not playing our best,” Brunson said. “That’s the sign of a good team.” Brunson’s arrival in New York reminds Vaccaro of the impact Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd had when he joined the then-New Jersey Nets in 2001. Though pundits were not particularly high on the Nets’ chances of title contention, Kidd promptly led the team to consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003.
- Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson has big goals now that he has signed his first big-money NBA contract, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The seven-foot big man inked a four-year, $60MM deal to remain in New York this summer. “Most people yell out, ‘When you get paid, you don’t want to work no more,'” Robinson said. “That’s the opposite of me… Even though I got a little bag, I’m still gonna work even harder now because I want another one. I want more. I’m hungry.” Robinson also indicated that he was hoping to eventually earn a Defensive Player of the Year award.
- Knicks reserve guard Quentin Grimes has been sidelined so far this season as he grapples with a sore foot. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reports that New York is holding Grimes out until he is pain-free. “They said it was kind of [an] overuse thing. Just being in the gym a lot [in the summer],” Grimes said. “Coming back at night, going back to Houston, working on it and working on it. Then [head coach Tom Thibodeau] had us in there for sure, working out.”
Raptors Notes: Young, Porter, Boucher
Raptors reserve forward Thaddeus Young has seen his role reduced in the early going this season, having been a DNP-CD for a couple games. Head coach Nick Nurse discussed how he saw the vet fitting into the club’s rotation, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports (Twitter link).
“He’s gotta stay ready,” Nurse said. “I talked to him immediately after the Miami game and he [said], ‘Coach, I’m ready and I’ll always be ready’ and totally with what we’re doing, all that kind of stuff. I wouldn’t say that I planned on not using him [in] Miami that night, it’s just kinda how it turned out… We’re gonna need him, there’s just no doubt about it… It’s kinda a night-to-night thing.”
There’s more out of Toronto:
- Nurse said that Raptors forward Otto Porter Jr. will be unavailable “for a bit” due to undisclosed personal reasons, according to Lewenberg (Twitter link). Nurse suggested that the 6’8″ vet, who signed a two-year, $12.4MM contract with Toronto after winning a title with the Warriors last season, will be part of the team’s rotation once he makes his debut, Lewenberg adds (via Twitter).
- Raptors reserve big man Chris Boucher has been a helpful change-of-pace figure for the club as a key backup, writes Lewenberg for TSN.ca. “It’s important for me to bring energy and I think that’s a way to show that I’m ready to the coach and also to myself,” Boucher said. Toronto point guard Fred VanVleet likes the new dimension that his teammate brings to the court: “He just plays with a little bit more energy than the rest of us at times. Fresh legs and just being able to fly around, throw some corner-threes in, [grab] offensive rebounds. He just finds creases that a guy like him is skinny enough to slip through. He’s just a great presence for us out there.”
- In case you missed it, the Raptors were projected by Forbes as the NBA’s 11th-most valuable franchise, with an estimated worth of $3.1 billion.