Langston Galloway Signs With G League Team
Veteran guard Langston Galloway has joined the G League’s College Park Skyhawks, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Galloway, 30, was in training camp with the Pacers, but was waived before the start of the regular season. He has been playing for Team USA in World Cup qualifying games and scored 23 points Monday in a victory over Colombia.
Galloway has spent eight years in the NBA, including seven combined games last season with the Nets and Bucks after signing 10-day contracts with both teams. He has also played for the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons and Suns and holds career averages of 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 452 career games.
College Park is the Hawks‘ G League affiliate.
Warriors Notes: Young Players, J. Green, DiVincenzo, Thompson
The Warriors‘ two-timeline plan of mixing young players with their established stars isn’t working, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. The latest example came Sunday against the Kings when coach Steve Kerr had to pull his reserves midway through the fourth quarter and reinsert Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
“We’re not a team right now where we can afford to let guys make mistakes,” Kerr said after the loss, which dropped Golden State to 0-7 on the road. “We’re not good enough to withstand a lot of mistakes.”
Third-year center James Wiseman, whom the Warriors valued highly enough to take with the second pick in the 2020 draft, has already fallen out of the rotation. Moses Moody hasn’t played at all the past two games, and his fellow 2021 lottery pick, Jonathan Kuminga, is seeing minimal time, usually early in the game. Even Jordan Poole, who received a lucrative long-term contract extension last month, sat out nearly the entire fourth quarter against Sacramento.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Another problem for Golden State is that offseason additions JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo haven’t replaced the production lost when Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II and Nemanja Bjelica all departed, Thompson adds. Green has lost his rotation spot, while DiVincenzo is coming off an injury and hasn’t been as productive as the front office was hoping. Thompson notes that Damion Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson would both be seeing regular playing time if they hadn’t also left in free agency.
- Draymond Green believes the Warriors are still adjusting to their reserves (video link from Anthony Slater of The Athletic). The second unit used to present opponents with a different look on offense, Green said, but now the first man off the bench is usually Poole, who is similar to Stephen Curry in his style of play.
- Klay Thompson has been struggling with his shot so far, but he promises things are going to change, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. After Sunday’s loss, Thompson posted a message on Instagram that read, “My belief is stronger than your doubt. I PROMISE you it’s coming. And when it does, the floodgates will open.” His shooting percentage currently sits at a career-low 35.1%.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Durant, Simmons, Trent
“Joel Embiid is very good at basketball” is how teammate Tyrese Maxey summed up the unprecedented stat line the Sixers center posted Sunday night, writes Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. In addition to scoring a career-high 59 points, Embiid narrowly missed a quadruple-double with 11 rebounds, eight assists and seven blocks in a win over Utah.
“I’ve seen a guy score a lot of points. I haven’t seen a guy score a lot of points, rebound, and then the blocked shots. That was impressive. He was getting everything,” coach Doc Rivers said. “No, is the answer. I have never seen a more dominating performance when you combine defense and offense.”
Embiid has been forced to take on a greater share of the scoring with James Harden out for a month with a strained tendon in his left foot. He’s also the centerpiece of a defense that has improved to fifth in the league. Most importantly, according to Neubeck, he provides hope every night for a team that has often seemed in danger of fracturing amid its 7-7 start.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers reached out to the Nets about Kevin Durant after his trade demand this summer and they’re likely to try again before the deadline, an Eastern Conference executive tells Sean Deveney of Heavy. However, the results of the last deal between the teams could make Brooklyn reluctant to consider Philadelphia as a trading partner. “There is no doubt the Sixers have asked on Durant, they did in the summer, and will keep asking about him,” the executive said. “But the Nets are going to be a little put off by them already because of the Ben Simmons thing because they feel like they were set up to give away James Harden all along. So the Sixers burned them once, do the Nets want to go back and say, OK, sure, we’ll do a KD deal, too.” The executive adds that Maxey would likely have to be included in the offer to get Brooklyn to consider it.
- Simmons didn’t play Sunday night because of knee soreness, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. It hasn’t been determined if he will need another MRI, but Simmons sounded confident that it’s not a long-term issue, Friedell adds.
- Gary Trent Jr. will miss tonight’s game with a sore right hip, leaving the Raptors without three starters, tweets Josh Lewenburg of TSN Sports. Pascal Siakam is sidelined with an adductor strain, and Fred VanVleet is recovering from a non-COVID illness.
Knicks Notes: Barrett, Brunson, Grimes, Robinson, Fournier
As the Knicks were being torched for 145 points by the Thunder Sunday afternoon, two players they heavily invested in this summer were kept on the bench for most of the second half, writes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post.
RJ Barrett, who signed a four-year extension in September, picked up his fourth foul about two minutes into the half and never returned. Jalen Brunson, the team’s top target in free agency, checked out with 4:46 left in the third quarter and spent the rest of the game on the bench. Both players said they accepted the decision by coach Tom Thibodeau.
“I think it’s time (to sit) when you’re fouling enough,” Barrett said. “It falls on me for sure because I was guarding Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), and he got me into some foul trouble. And that’s not good. I got to do a better job of not fouling.”
“I wouldn’t have played myself either, the way I was playing defensively,” Brunson added.
Immanuel Quickley and Cam Reddish sparked a late rally that ultimately fell short, and they played most of the fourth quarter alongside Julius Randle, Evan Fournier and Jericho Sims.
“We just got behind by so much,” Thibodeau explained when asked about Barrett’s benching. “We were looking for life, and that group that was in there gave us a little bit of a spark, and so that’s what we went with.”
There’s more from New York:
- Quentin Grimes logged just eight minutes Sunday in his third game since returning from soreness in his left foot, Sanchez notes in the same story. Thibodeau has called Grimes a “situational” player for now because the injury forced him to miss so much time since the start of training camp.
- Mitchell Robinson has begun on-court workouts as he recovers from a sprained knee, but hasn’t resumed contact drills, Sanchez adds.
- Being removed from the starting lineup hasn’t helped Fournier with his shooting slump, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Fournier misfired on all five of his shots from the field Sunday and has made just 6-of-31 over his last seven games. “I’m not gonna lie; I’m getting stiff on the bench now because I’m a little bit older. My knees can’t take it anymore,” Fournier joked. “But yeah, it’s not an excuse at all. I just have to figure it out myself so I can help the team. That’s all I can say, really.”
Scotto’s Latest: C. Johnson, Washington, G. Williams, Reddish, White
The Suns discussed a rookie scale extension with Cameron Johnson that would have been worth about $66-72MM over four years, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype said on his latest podcast. Scotto points out that those figures are in line with recent contracts for shooters such as Davis Bertans, Joe Harris and Duncan Robinson, but there’s a belief that Johnson can earn more considering the expected rise in the salary cap and his role on a contending team.
Johnson was off to a great start, averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 43.1% from three-point range, before undergoing meniscus surgery that could sideline him for up to two months. Scotto notes that Phoenix gave Mikal Bridges a four-year, $90MM extension and cites league sources who have told him the team doesn’t want to approach that number to keep Johnson.
On the same podcast, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype said Johnson will be in demand as a restricted free agent, even if he doesn’t make a full recovery during the season. He notes that Collin Sexton received $72MM over four years after missing nearly an entire season with a meniscus tear and suggests that Johnson will get at least that much. Gozlan adds that Johnson is much easier to trade without an extension and wonders if that was the Suns’ plan all along.
The duo discussed several other players who are headed to restricted free agency:
- The Hornets were offering P.J. Washington a four-year extension in the $50-52MM range, but he’s hoping for an annual salary closer to $20MM, sources tell Scotto. Washington has become a full-time starter with the loss of Miles Bridges and is averaging a career-high 14.6 points and 1.1 blocks per game. Gozlan believes Washington made the right decision, noting that the mid-level exception will soon be in the range of Charlotte’s offer.
- The Celtics never offered Grant Williams more than $50MM in guaranteed money over four seasons, according to Scotto, who adds that Williams would have accepted a deal that paid him at least $14MM a year. Williams’ hot start puts him in line for a much bigger contract, and some sources tell Scotto he’ll get an offer starting in the $18MM range, which might be too high for Boston to match.
- The Knicks didn’t have serious extension talks with Cam Reddish, but he has a chance to change his outlook after moving into the starting lineup, Scotto notes. Gozlan expects Reddish to get full MLE offers next summer if he keeps producing.
- Coby White has become a trade candidate for the Bulls, NBA executives tell Scotto. White’s production continues to fall and he doesn’t appear to have a future in Chicago’s backcourt.
Lakers Notes: Davis, Injuries, Beverley, Christie
Off to a 2-10 start in his first season as a head coach, Darvin Ham got some support from Lakers star Anthony Davis after the team’s most recent loss, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Davis, who has been criticized for poor second-half production in recent games, responded with 37 points and 18 rebounds Sunday in a much-needed win over the Nets.
“Had a real good conversation with [Davis] after our last game, our last loss,” Ham said. “And he just said, ‘I got your back, Coach.’ And that was huge for me being a first-time head coach and having a player of that magnitude just constantly try and do everything you ask him to do.”
The Lakers hope Sunday’s performance will help turn their season around after a disastrous start. It was their first victory without LeBron James, who is sidelined with a left adductor strain, and it provides a chance to refocus with four off days coming up.
“We wanted to win tonight, for sure. Let us feel good going into this off week before Friday’s game,” Davis said. “It gives a chance for guys to kind of get away from the game for a couple days and reset and come back with a mentality that we got to run off some [wins] in a row.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- The break in the schedule gives L.A. a chance to have a fully healthy roster for the first time this season, McMenamin adds. James was listed as doubtful last night, but has a chance to play Friday after a few more days of rest. Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant, who are both recovering from thumb surgery, may be ready for their season debuts. They will be reevaluated on Thursday.
- Patrick Beverley welcomed the challenge of starting Sunday’s game by guarding Kevin Durant, tweets Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. The Lakers traded for Beverley this offseason to handle their toughest defensive assignments. “That’s how I made my name in the NBA, those matchups,” Beverley said.
- Rookie guard Max Christie saw rotation minutes for the fourth straight game, notes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. The second-round pick is mainly in the lineup to handle three-and-D duties while some of his older teammates are injured. “If I have an off game, it’s not the biggest deal because nobody really expected me to contribute anyway,” he said. “So it’s just sort of icing on the cake for me to keep going as hard as I can, but at the same time there’s no pressure on me.”
Pacific Notes: Leonard, LeBron, Monk, Wiseman
The Clippers are just a game above .500, but they’re willing to give Kawhi Leonard all the time he needs to start playing again, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Leonard participated in a five-on-five workout Friday for the first time since experiencing right knee soreness on October 23. Although that’s an encouraging sign, his teammates don’t want to rush him back into the lineup.
“I’m excited to get him back whenever he’s ready,” Paul George said. “Nobody here wants to put added pressure on his return. His return is his return. Like I’ve been saying, we got a job to do and that’s to continue to play ball, win games, compete. When he’s ready, he’s ready, but that’s his timetable, not ours.”
Leonard, who missed all of 2021/22 while recovering from a torn ACL, has only been able to play in two games this season. Kevin Durant, whose Nets won in L.A. this afternoon, said Leonard understands what he needs to do to get healthy.
“He knows how to deal with his body,” Durant said. “He knows his body better than anybody. The league is better though, when Kawhi Leonard is playing.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- After missing Friday’s game with a left adductor strain, Lakers star LeBron James has been upgraded slightly for Sunday but still remains doubtful, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. With James sidelined, coach Darvin Ham said “self-inflicted mistakes” cost L.A. in a loss to the Kings, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The Lakers committed numerous turnovers and defensive mistakes in the closing minutes of both halves. “We’ve just got to get some wins, especially in the West,” Anthony Davis said. “Every team is good. Got a lot of basketball left but we dug ourselves a hole. So we’ve got to put some wins together, got to start winning — ASAP. Try to stay positive, obviously. The energy around our locker room feels like 2-10, as it should. But we’ve got to start putting wins together immediately.”
- Malik Monk, who left the Lakers for the Kings in free agency, has been a good fit in Sacramento, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. L.A. wasn’t able to offer Monk more than the taxpayer mid-level exception, so he signed with the Kings for $9.5MM. “People probably may not look at him like this because he’s so young, and he’s bounced around as a young guy, but he knows how to lead,” coach Mike Brown said. “He uplifts the group. He’s fun-loving. He’s always messing with somebody, and guys really, really enjoy that, and you need that when you’re together as much as we are.”
- The Warriors should consider trading third-year center James Wiseman, who doesn’t fit the team’s style of play and isn’t ready to be part of a championship contender, argues Nekias Duncan of Basketball News.
Southeast Notes: Harris, Banchero, Martin, Herro, Beal
Magic guard Gary Harris feels like he’s close to playing again following arthroscopic surgery during the offseason to repair a torn meniscus, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. Harris has been participating in full-court games with coaches and taking part in pre-game shootarounds as he prepares to make his season debut.
“I’m moving around a little bit right now,” he said. “I’m really trying to get my timing back. Get back in basketball shape. I’m testing stuff out each day. I get more comfortable around the court.”
Harris who signed a two-year, $26MM extension with Orlando before the start of free agency, has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. But the meniscus tear was the first one that required him to undergo surgery.
“It’s just different,” Harris said. “Different movements. It’s something I have to get back comfortable and familiar with after my first one. Just seeing how my body responds.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Magic coach Jamahl Mosley gave a medical update on top draft pick Paolo Banchero at today’s practice, Price adds. Banchero was able to participate in drills, but he remains day-to-day with a sprained left ankle and will be a game-time decision Monday.
- Caleb Martin was looking forward to facing his twin brother as the Heat and Hornets met twice in three days in Miami, but an injury changed those plans, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Cody Martin has played just one minute this season because of a knee injury, and Charlotte announced Friday that he had an arthroscopic procedure. He’ll reportedly miss approximately six weeks. “It’s tough on him, man,” Caleb said. “He’s obviously like me in terms of competing and wanting to be out there and contributing. It’s hard for him to need to sit out and watch other guys play.”
- Tyler Herro missed his third straight game tonight with a sprained left ankle and he’ll need some more time to recover, Chiang tweets. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Herro is doing “everything he needs to do” to get back on the court.
- Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis are helping the Wizards remain competitive during Bradley Beal‘s latest stint in the health and safety protocols, notes Tyler Byrum of NBC Sports Washington. Beal cleared the protocols Friday, but he didn’t play tonight and coach Wes Unseld Jr. said he will likely be held out of Sunday’s game.
Knicks Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Brunson, Barrett, Walker
The Knicks weren’t willing to part with a major portion of their draft assets to land Donovan Mitchell, but Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might be worth the gamble, writes Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. New York fans will get to see the talented guard in person Sunday afternoon when Oklahoma City comes to Madison Square Garden.
Although SGA has often said that he prefers to remain with the Thunder — and repeated that sentiment Friday night — his trade value might be too tempting for a franchise that’s still in the rebuilding stage. Through 11 games, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks sixth in the league in scoring at 30.5 PPG and he’s averaging 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals as well.
Gilgeous-Alexander would fit the Knicks’ fascination with Kentucky players, and Sanchez states that team scouts saw plenty of him in college before New York took his teammate, Kevin Knox, with the No. 9 pick in 2018. SGA also has a connection with RJ Barrett as they’re set to join forces for Team Canada at the 2024 Olympics.
Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti has been willing to trade away stars in the past, and if he decides to move Gilgeous-Alexander in exchange for draft picks, New York is in a strong position to make the best offer, Sanchez contends.
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Jalen Brunson believes Barrett has All-Star potential, per Ian O’Connor of The New York Post. “I think he can be a very impactful player, I think he can lead a franchise, and that’s what he was picked here to do,” Brunson told reporters Friday after Barrett’s 30-point outburst in a win over the Pistons. “He can do it. I have the utmost faith in him. He works very hard. He has a great demeanor about how he plays. You never see when he’s frustrated, you never see when he’s having the game of his life. … It shows he’s not afraid of the moment, not afraid of anything. He’s capable of doing a lot of big things.”
- Former Knicks guard Kemba Walker is being patient as he waits for a chance to return to the NBA, relays Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Appearing this week on a podcast with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Walker explained what went wrong after he signed with New York last summer. “When the opportunity came about, I was über-excited,” he said. “But unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for me. Individually, I didn’t really fit the system and what those guys were trying to do over there. It just wasn’t for me.”
- Because the Knicks don’t have a true first option to lead their offense, they have to rely on effort and hard work more than other teams around the league, notes Steve Popper of Newsday. When that’s not present, like in Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Nets, the results can be embarrassing.
Nets Notes: Irving, Tsai, Vaughn, Durant
This afternoon’s game was the fifth that Kyrie Irving has missed since his suspension began, but Nets owner Joe Tsai told Brian Lewis of The New York Post that Irving “still has work to do” before he can resume playing. Irving is suspended indefinitely, but the team specified that he would miss at least five games when the penalty was announced. He has been given a list of six conditions that he must meet before reinstatement will be considered.
“He has to show people that he’s sorry,” Tsai said. “What’s important — and what people miss — is he only apologized after he was suspended.”
Head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters that he hasn’t been given an estimate of when Irving might return, other than saying that he won’t play in Sunday’s game against the Lakers. Irving has started to fulfill the requirements set by the Nets, including separate meetings this week with Tsai and with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
There’s more on the Nets:
- Brooklyn has won four of its five games with Irving suspended as Vaughn has instilled a more aggressive attitude in the team since replacing Steve Nash, Lewis adds. Vaughn compares his philosophy to a boxer throwing the first punch and believes it’s sustainable once Irving returns. “For this group, we have to be that way,” Vaughn said. “A big part of that is you see the different lineups. We play small at times. We’ve had Kevin (Durant), we’ve had Yuta (Watanabe), we’ve had Markieff (Morris) at center at times. So in order to do that you have to be scrappy and understand it won’t look pretty all the time. But the results are what matter.”
- Speaking to reporters after today’s game, Durant said Irving is handling the suspension well, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. “His spirits is high,” Durant said. “Looking forward to playing the game, you know Ky, he’s a gamer, he loves to play. So hopefully all this stuff is over with, we can move past it, and get him back on the floor soon.”
- The players are rallying around Vaughn after his official hiring was preceded by several days of rumors that Ime Udoka would be the next head coach, Lewis states in a separate story. “Yeah, you just never know in this business,” Nic Claxton said. “We all heard reports that we were supposed to be getting Ime within the next couple of days. But we’re excited that JV is our coach. He’s a really good coach. He’s inspiring and I’m ready to get things going.”