Pacific Notes: Leonard, Fox, M. Williams, Okogie
Kawhi Leonard has a reputation for being sparse with words, but he has been much more vocal at Clippers practices since training camp began, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Coach Tyronn Lue believes it’s because Leonard is excited to be back on the court after missing all of last season with a knee injury.
“Just having a voice and showing these guys, like in the scrimmage the other day at USC [on Thursday], [guys] started out messing around and he pulled the guys in and said, ‘Let’s play for real and let’s tighten it up,’ and guys started playing more serious,” Lue said. “I don’t think he would have done that two or three years ago. I think with him and PG [Paul George] just having the biggest voices on the team and knowing that this is their team, he’s definitely taken huge steps in that regard.”
The Clippers don’t want to be overly cautious with Leonard as they prepare him for the regular season. He played 16 minutes in Monday’s game, and Lue plans to use him again Sunday night against the Timberwolves.
“I know he wants to get a lot of reps in because he hasn’t played in 15 months,” Lue said. “So, he wants to get a lot of reps in, play as much as he can. So that’s why every day in practice, we’ve been scrimmaging a lot, just playing. Just trying to let him get his rhythm.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- In an interview with Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, De’Aaron Fox expressed confidence that the Kings have made the necessary changes to break their long playoff drought. After adding Domantas Sabonis at last season’s trade deadline, Sacramento brought in Mike Brown as head coach, signed Malik Monk and traded for Kevin Huerter over the offseason. “We’re going to be a team that can score the ball,” Fox said. “I don’t think that will be a problem. Even if we’re not shooting well, we have guys that can touch the paint, get open shots, get offensive rebounds. We have guys who are athletic enough to do those things, but at the end of the day we have to be able to stop people. I think we have the personnel that can do it, and we also have a coach who’s going to demand it, so I think that’s great for us.”
- Suns coach Monty Williams underwent lens replacement surgery after it was strongly suggested by Chris Paul‘s mother, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I was talking to my brother the other day, he was watching the game and said it was actually weird to see Monty not squinting,” Paul said. “It is crazy to see him not squinting, but we’ve been talking to him about that for years.”
- Suns guard Josh Okogie is dealing with a strained left hamstring, but he hasn’t given up hope of playing before the preseason ends, Rankin tweets.
Lakers Notes: Westbrook, Davis, Pelinka, Harrison
Russell Westbrook didn’t change teams this offseason, but he’s adjusting to a new coaching staff for the fourth year in a row, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has promised that his approach will unleash Westbrook’s talents, and the early returns have been encouraging.
“Definitely different – just the ability to be able to get in the open floor, attack with space, take my time,” Westbrook said. “Miss or make, shots will come as the season prolongs. But just get in that rhythm and know that I can get to any spot that I want to and get in-rhythm shots for sure, so far.”
Westbrook is coming off a difficult season that began with a trade from the Wizards to the Lakers, which meant far less time as the primary ball-handler. Westbrook is working to embrace Ham’s vision for him as a screener and a cutter and is hoping to cut down on turnovers after committing 295 last season.
“My speed sometimes speeds me up and lets me get to a place fast,” he said. “But my patience and understanding of my spacing and my spots are important to my efficiency and how I can improve in finishing around the rim, making shots and not rushing.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Anthony Davis was able to practice today after lower back tightness prevented him from playing in Wednesday’s game, Goon adds. The team hasn’t determined if Davis will try to play Sunday against the Warriors. After resolving a visa issue, Dennis Schröder is in Los Angeles and is expected to join the team Monday.
- The contract extension for general manager Rob Pelinka was worked out early this offseason, a source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic. Once the decision was made in April to fire head coach Frank Vogel, Lakers management decided to extend Pelinka so his contract would align with the new head coach’s.
- After the Lakers signed Shaquille Harrison earlier today, their G League affiliate completed a trade to obtain his returning rights, tweets Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. The South Bay Lakers sent the rights to Mac McClung and Jared Wilson-Frame to the Delaware Blue Coats (the Sixers‘ affiliate) in exchange for the rights to Harrison and Naz Mitrou-Long.
Latest On Draymond Green
The Warriors have plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Draymond Green despite the contrition he showed during today’s apology, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the punch that felled teammate Jordan Poole at Wednesday’s practice, Green apologized to Poole and his teammates, along with Poole’s family and his own family during a nearly 40-minute session with the media.
Green called himself “a flawed human being” and pledged to work on his shortcomings. He will spend some time away from the team, and it hasn’t been decided if he’ll return for the regular season opener October 18.
“You apologize with words,” he said. “But, ultimately, your actions show your apologies. I’ve apologized with my words to my team and to Jordan. And now I will allow my actions to show my apology.”
Although Green said all the right things, Monte Poole notes that it’s the latest in a string of troubling incidents. Green tried to attack coach Steve Kerr during halftime of a 2016 game at Oklahoma City, he got suspended for Game 6 of that year’s NBA Finals after hitting LeBron James and he had a heated on-court argument with Kevin Durant while they were teammates in 2018.
Kerr, who has witnessed all of Green’s bad behavior, seemed to express doubt over the apology, Poole adds. When asked whether Green had compromised his trust with the team, Kerr responded, “no comment,” and when a follow-up question addressed whether Green would be ready to rejoin the lineup after missing most of the preseason, Kerr only said, “speculation.”
There’s more on the Green situation:
- Kerr was angry that video of Green’s punch was leaked to TMZ, telling reporters that he’s seen similar incidents during his three decades in the NBA and it’s best if they’re handled internally, Poole tweets. “It’s just so much cleaner and smoother and you can move forward,” Kerr said. “As soon as things are leaked, you know, now all hell breaks loose and that affects every single player, coach, but especially the players and because of that, because everything is out there, the players are now having to deal with all of this stuff.”
- Kerr explained that it was a “mutual” decision to keep Green away from the team for a while and it was made after discussions involving Green and team leaders, Marc Stein tweets.
- Making things right with Jordan Poole should be the Warriors’ priority moving forward, argues Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. The 23-year-old guard is a vital part of the organization’s future, and through October 17 he’s eligible for a rookie scale extension that could pay him upward of $30MM per season. If Poole no longer feels comfortable after what happened Wednesday, that could force Golden State to start exploring the trade market for Green, Kawakami adds.
- Rival executives and agents don’t expect the Warriors to try to move Green in response to the punch, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Pincus also talked to sources close to Green, who believe that he and the team will be able to move past the incident.
Celtics Notes: Griffin, J. Jackson, Hauser, Kabengele
Blake Griffin had to shake off some rust in his debut with the Celtics Friday night, but he showed several ways that he can help the team, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. After some early turnovers and missed shots, Griffin sparked a comeback that erased a 15-point deficit in a win over the Hornets. He finished with seven points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes and displayed an unselfishness that could make him an important part of Boston’s offense.
Griffin, 33, saw his role with the Nets diminish as last season wore on, and he spent nearly the entire offseason as a free agent before signing with the Celtics on Monday. He appeared to take a subtle swipe at his former team after the game while talking about coming to Boston, Robb adds.
“I think the intensity and maturity level of this group is off the charts,” Griffin said. “Every day when we get to work it’s intense. It’s not that we’re going forever but these guys are locked in and no one has to tell us to be locked in. It’s refreshing.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Justin Jackson‘s bid to earn a roster spot got off to a rocky start, but a second-half scoring explosion Friday improved his chances, Robb adds in a separate story. Jackson poured in 16 points in 23 minutes and hit four of eight shots from three-point range. Robb expects the Celtics to start the season with a full 15-man roster because of injuries to Robert Williams and Danilo Gallinari, and he sees Jake Layman and Brodric Thomas as Jackson’s main competition for the final spot.
- Sam Hauser has been a pleasant surprise since the start of training camp, Robb states in a mailbag column. The second-year forward has emerged as a reliable long-distance shooter who can contribute on defense as well. Robb believes Hauser might be able to provide what the Celtics were hoping for when they signed Gallinari.
- Mfiondu Kabengele has been getting a lot of personalized instruction from Jaylen Brown since joining the Celtics on a two-way contract, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Kabengele played briefly for the Clippers and Cavaliers after being selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, and he’s determined to learn as much as possible to help him stay in the league. “I’m not the same person I was in my rookie year, or even last year when I was in the G League,” he said. “A lot of times, I would come into games and practices and think, ‘All right, I have a skill set.’ It was a little bit of arrogance I had. It wasn’t laziness, but I had a good sense of what I needed, then every time I fail and go through these things, I’m like, ‘Why are things not working?’ Then I did some self-reflection.”
Magic Sign Morales, Scrubb; Waive Ford, Simpson
The Magic have added guards Alex Morales and Jay Scrubb, the team announced (via Twitter). Training camp invitees Aleem Ford and Zavier Simpson were waived to create room on the roster.
The Morales deal becomes official after first being reported in mid-August. The 24-year-old was voted NEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year last season with Wagner and took part in Summer League with the Warriors. Morales has an Exhibit 10 clause in his contract and could wind up with Orlando’s G League affiliate in Lakeland.
Scrubb spent the past two years with the Clippers after being selected with the 55th pick in the 2020 draft. He got into 18 games last season and averaged 2.7 PPG in limited minutes.
Ford and Simpson both had Exhibit 10 deals, so they may also be headed to Lakeland. They signed with Orlando in late September, shortly before the start of training camp. Both players saw action in the preseason, with Ford appearing in three games and Simpson getting into two.
Jaxson Hayes To Miss At Least Two Weeks With Elbow Injury
Jaxson Hayes suffered a torn UCL in his left elbow during Friday’s preseason game, the Pelicans announced in a press release.
Hayes will go through a rehab program, and his condition will be reevaluated in two weeks. That means he’ll miss at least the first two games of the regular season, Oct. 19 at Brooklyn and Oct. 21 at Charlotte.
The 22-year-old center appeared in 70 games last season and averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20 minutes per night. He’s had a steady role as a backup big man since being selected with the eighth pick in the 2019 draft.
Hayes is among 18 players eligible to receive rookie scale extensions before the October 17 deadline. If he and the team don’t come to an agreement, Hayes will be a restricted free agent next summer.
Rob Pelinka Gets Extension Through 2026
The Lakers have reached an agreement on a multiyear extension with general manager and VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
The extension will take Pelinka through the 2025/26 season, Haynes adds, and it means his contract will expire at the same time as new head coach Darvin Ham’s.
Pelinka has been the team’s general manager since 2017 and was promoted to the VP position in 2020. He was responsible for aggressive moves in the early part of his tenure, including the signing of LeBron James in 2018 and the trade for Anthony Davis a year later. Those additions led to a championship in 2020.
Pelinka is trying to bring about a quick turnaround in L.A. after two straight disappointing years, including an 11th-place finish in the West last season. Pelinka fired Frank Vogel as head coach in April, replacing him with Ham, and convinced James to sign a second extension with the team this summer.
Pistons Notes: Bogdanovic, Casey, Cunningham, Ivey
Bojan Bogdanovic is 33 years old and entering a contract year with the rebuilding Pistons, but he still may have a future with the team, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. After being acquired from the Jazz last month, Bogdanovic has made an immediate impact as both a player and a veteran leader, and coach Dwane Casey hopes he’ll be re-signed next summer.
“I’d love to have him back,” Casey replied. “He’s a free agent. Hopefully, he has a good experience with us and finds a good home with us. Everybody needs a guy like that who knows how to play and can shoot the ball. Hopefully, we can entice him to stay. If he doesn’t, he helps us, and we help him. He’s a pro. He’ll have a big role for us this year.”
Utah had serious trade talks with multiple teams before reaching a deal with Detroit. Sources tell Scotto that the Suns discussed offering Jae Crowder, Dario Saric and draft compensation, and the Lakers discussed a deal that involved Russell Westbrook and unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, along with several others that included Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley and a combination of Malik Beasley and Rudy Gay.
Bogdanovic wasn’t ready to answer questions about his future, but he told Scotto that the Pistons’ interest is flattering.
“I’m here only for a couple of days, but if they’re open for that, we’ll see what’s going to happen,” he said.
There’s more from Detroit:
- Casey wasn’t discouraged by the Pistons’ 21-point loss to the Knicks in Tuesday’s preseason opener, according to Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. With the regular season less than two weeks away, Casey is more concerned with player development than trying to win. “What exhibition season does, it tells us what we need to work on,” he said. “In exhibition, I don’t get caught up in losses. I get caught up in what you put on video. It gives us a lot of teaching points to look at on the video in exhibition.”
- An ankle injury forced Cade Cunningham to miss the preseason as a rookie, but he’s healthy and focused this time around, Curtis adds in a separate story.
- James L. Edwards III of The Athletic breaks down Jaden Ivey‘s 16-point performance in his first game. The No. 5 pick in this year’s draft was able to put constant pressure on New York’s defense and made good decisions with the ball, but he needs to improve defensively to stay in front of NBA guards, Edwards states.
NBA Buzz Over Victor Wembanyama Continues To Grow
After wowing NBA scouts and fans with his performance in Tuesday’s exhibition game against G League Ignite, Victor Wembanyama was equally impressive on Thursday afternoon, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
The 7’3″ French center dominated nearly every aspect of the game, delivering 36 points and 11 rebounds along with highlight blocks and outrageous long-distance shots. In the two-game series, the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s draft posted 73 points, 15 rebounds and nine blocked shots while making nine three-pointers.
There was already tremendous anticipation surrounding Wembanyama, who was pegged as a future star three years ago with a dominant showing at the FIBA European Under-16 Championship. Watching him stand out against G League competition has added to his legend, including among a pair of former MVPs.
“Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, but he’s more like an alien,” LeBron James said. “No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is out on the floor. … He’s, for sure, a generational talent.”
“He’s like the (NBA) 2K create-a-player, every point guard that wants to be 7-foot,” Stephen Curry added. “Cheat-code type vibes, man. He’s a solid talent. It’s great to watch.”
There’s more on Wembanyama:
- While Wembanyama’s presence gives Metropolitans 92 a chance to be one of the top teams in Europe, coach Vincent Collet said the focus will be on preparing the young big man for the NBA draft, Reynolds adds. Wembanyama is expected to play the entire season, which runs through mid-May, and the team will focus on building his strength and conditioning. “Just before we came in last Saturday, we had a meeting with our doctor and we are going to prepare to plan the next two months to increase what he is doing, besides the court, to strengthen the body,” Collet said. “We’re always careful also with how much time he is practicing, not to go too far. … We plan so that we limit the risk.”
- Wembanyama is “the singular greatest prospect in NBA draft history,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link). Woj says a team president told him that Wembanyama could increase the value of the franchise that drafts him by as much as $500MM.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic examines how the opportunity to land Wembanyama could affect strategy throughout the NBA this season. He explains that general managers don’t make the decision to tank without support from their ownership, and owners will be much more willing to take that gamble after watching Wembanyama this week. Hollinger identifies seven teams as currently “not interested in making the playoffs,” but he believes that number could grow sharply by February, which means many useful veterans will be available at the trade deadline.
Video Of Draymond Green Punching Jordan Poole Released
A video clip of Wednesday’s altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole at a Warriors practice has been obtained by TMZ Sports.
The incident begins with trash talk between the two players, which leads Green to walk over to Poole and confront him. Poole shoves Green in the chest to push him away, and Green responds with a punch to the face that knocks Poole to the ground. He then stands over Poole before teammates and coaches break them up.
General manager Bob Myers said Thursday that he doesn’t expect Green to be suspended for the punch, although sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic that a suspension was discussed. A fine appears likely, and Slater points out that $50K is the maximum permitted under NBA rules. The league hasn’t announced any disciplinary action against Green, though that could change with the release of the video.
The Warriors won’t practice today, as the team hopes a day off will help defuse the situation, Slater adds. Green is expected to return to practice Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Lakers. It hasn’t been determined if he will meet with the media following that practice.
Several members of the organization addressed the fight on Thursday, including Stephen Curry, who shot down rumors that Poole came to camp with a sense of entitlement after a breakout season.
“JP’s (attitude has) been great,” Curry said. “There’s nothing that warranted the situation yesterday. I want to make that clear. It’s also something we feel like will not derail our season and what we’re trying to build. That’s with Draymond a part of that.”
Coach Steve Kerr echoed those sentiments about Poole, although Slater states that he was clearly upset over the fight and the fact that it become public. Golden State began the preseason with a trip to Tokyo, and Kerr didn’t want another distraction to deal with.
Hanging over the altercation are the contract situations for Green and Poole, who are both eligible for extensions. At 23, Poole could be a valuable part of Golden State’s future, and Slater hears that he’s willing to accept a long-term offer to stay with the organization. Myers addressed that possibility on Thursday, saying the team has been talking to Poole’s representatives about reaching a deal before the October 17 deadline and “(the incident) doesn’t change our feelings on it.”
Green, 32, has a $27.6MM player option for 2023/24, but he could decide to test the free agent market next summer. He has four championship rings and has been an important part of the Warriors’ success, but he has stated publicly that he doesn’t expect the team to give him an extension this fall.