And-Ones: EuroLeague, Cuban, All-NBA Voting, DPOY
The EuroLeague is considering a future with no Russian teams in the wake of the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, according to EuroHoops. League CEO Jordi Bertomeu said in a radio interview with Serbia’s “Maxbet” that the topic will be addressed after the season ends.
“It is too early to talk about that, we need to see what the situation will be like,” Bertomeu said. “It will be clearer after the Final Four. We see what the circumstances will be like. If it stays as it is now, it will be very difficult for Russian clubs to return. We will suggest some things to the club.”
Last month, the league suspended its three Russian squads — CSKA Moscow, Zenit Saint Petersburg, UNICS Kazan — for the remainder of the season. They were also banned from all European competitions and the games they have already played won’t count in the league’s final standings. Zenit St. Petersburg and UNICS Kazan have single-season EuroLeague licenses, but the situation may be more complex with CSKA Moscow, which has a longer commitment with a multi-year A license.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to see Team USA go back to using college players in international competitions, per Steve Bulpett of Heavy. Some NBA players have said that playing for the national team requires too much of a commitment because it involves the Olympics and the World Cup as well as qualifying tournaments for both events. “I would start our own World Cup and get us out of the Olympics for players over 21,” Cuban said.
- Players and media members are both uncomfortable with having contract values affected by All-NBA voting, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. A provision in the 2017 CBA makes players who sign max contracts eligible for a larger share of the salary cap if they’re on two all-NBA teams in the final three years of their rookie contracts or if they just earn a spot in their fourth season. That means the voting can be worth millions of dollars. “There’s no criteria set for the media, for the voters, who they should vote for,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said on J.J. Redick’s podcast earlier this year. “It’s all opinion-based. There’s no ‘he should have to play this many games or make the playoffs or average this many points.’ It’s all like, ‘Well, I like this guy a little bit more,’ or certain things like that. There’s just too much on the line for that.”
- Perimeter players such as Marcus Smart and Mikal Bridges want more consideration in Defensive Player of the Year voting, states Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Centers have won the award in 25 of its 39 years.
Nuggets Notes: Hyland, Murray, Rivers, Green
It’s common for NBA veterans to take rookies under their wing, but Nuggets guard Bones Hyland has a mentor who isn’t even on his team, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. A few months ago, team president Tim Connelly and assistant coach Charles Klask asked Isaiah Thomas to reach out to Hyland, and Thomas has played a role in the first-year guard’s development.
Thomas, who is currently with the Hornets, spent some time with the Nuggets during the 2018/19 season. He invited Hyland to contact him any time he had questions, and now they’re in contact at least once a week.
“He’s a great kid, he takes information in really well, he asks questions all the time,” Thomas said of Hyland, who has become Denver’s third-leading scorer. “That’s the biggest thing probably with the younger guys, them (being) scared to ask questions. He’s a guy, he’ll text me in the middle of the night about some stuff that happened in the game and what he should do. I’m in his corner. I’m a big fan of his game. I’m a big fan of the person he is.”
There’s more on the Nuggets:
- The team’s repeated teases about Jamal Murray‘s status is frustrating for fans, contends Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. There have been several reports about Murray’s chances to return from ACL surgery, but very little solid information on whether to expect him in the playoffs or even in the final week of the regular season. Nikola Jokic advised his teammate not to risk a comeback unless he’s certain that he’s fully healed. “I told Jamal, if you’re not 100% ready, don’t come back. It’s stupid,” Jokic said. “You risk (getting re-injured) if you’re not 100% ready to go. Especially in the playoffs.”
- Coach Michael Malone said Connelly talked to the NBA about Austin Rivers‘ ejection this week, but there’s no reason to expect the technical foul or accompanying fine to be rescinded, Singer tweets. Rivers was thrown out of Wednesday’s game against the Pacers for elbowing Lance Stephenson, but replays showed that very little contact was made. Rivers tweeted his disbelief following the game, writing, “Never in my life have I been thrown out of Game for something so ridiculous. Seriously…never. League gotta look at this one.”
- Jeff Green, who left Friday’s game for personal reasons, isn’t on the team’s injury report for today, according to Singer (Twitter link).
Lakers Notes: Play-In Race, Davis, Vogel, LeBron
The Lakers still have a chance to reach the play-in tournament, but there was an air of defeat surrounding the team following Friday’s loss to the Pelicans, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. After falling in what LeBron James called “pretty much was a must-win for us,” L.A. trails New Orleans by three games and San Antonio by one game with five left to play and the Spurs holding the tiebreaker.
The Lakers may need to go 5-0 to qualify, which would be a tall order for a team that hasn’t won more than four straight games all season and hasn’t posted consecutive wins since early January. The stretch starts with a home game against the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon, followed by the Suns, Warriors, Thunder and Nuggets again to close out the season.
“I mean, I hate losing,” James said Friday. “This is not what none of us signed up for obviously. But it’s not the worst thing that has happened to me so far.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- Friday marked Anthony Davis‘ return after missing six weeks with a sprained right foot, but he admits the injury wasn’t fully healed, Goon states in the same piece. Davis played nearly 37 minutes, but scored only four points in the fourth quarter and missed two important shots down the stretch. “The urgency was always there to try and get back; the foot was just not participating,” he said. “And then after the road trip, it was just, ‘All right, let’s do it. Just go and see what happens.’ I’m not all the way where I want it to be and maybe that’s where the discomfort was in the fourth quarter.”
- Missing the play-in tournament would probably seal the fate of coach Frank Vogel, who is already rumored to be on the way out, Goon adds. Vogel used his 38th starting lineup of the season Friday, benching Austin Reaves and Talen Horton-Tucker and relying more on veterans such as Avery Bradley. “Put this one behind us, we competed, we fell short,” Vogel told reporters. “We have to beat Denver, start the recovery now.”
- At 30.3 PPG, James has a narrow lead in the scoring race over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, but he still must play in two more games to be eligible for the title, tweets Marc Stein. James missed two games this week with a sprained left ankle and is listed as questionable for Sunday, according to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Cavaliers Notes: Rubio, Allen, Mobley, Sexton
The Cavaliers‘ last two opponents are a reminder that success can be fleeting in the NBA, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Cleveland got a much-needed win in New York this afternoon to solidify its hold on seventh place, two days after getting blown out in Atlanta. The Knicks and Hawks have both fallen on hard times after surprising success last season, and the Cavs are hoping to avoid the same fate.
Cleveland has already experienced a prolonged slump after being tied for second in the East on February 10. Injuries to rotation players have been an issue, but the problems run much deeper, according to Vardon. The Cavaliers were regressing on defense before Jarrett Allen fractured a finger early in March, and coach J.B. Bickerstaff called out his team for complacency as it began to slide down the standings.
The team hasn’t really gotten over the loss of Ricky Rubio, who suffered a torn ACL in late December, Vardon adds. Cleveland’s defense was third in the league with Rubio, but it has since fallen to 12th.
“It was more his spirit, even, than it was just the stuff on the floor,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s hard to put into words. Like, he has a unique ability to raise the level of each individual that he’s playing with and impact them in a positive way. We missed the stuff that he did on the court, so I don’t want to minimize that. But like, to me, it was him as a human being and his personality that made us unique, the way we were, and as good as we were, to be honest with you.”
There’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavs are preparing for their first postseason since LeBron James left, and Kevin Love believes it will be a valuable experience for his young teammates, Vardon adds. “I think it’s not lost on us, and certainly not lost on me, how major and paramount an experience like this would be for this group, especially this young group in particular,” Love said. “Not going to next year saying ‘playoffs are the goal’ type of thing. Like, we want to see that this year and be able to make the next step.”
- Allen and Evan Mobley remain sidelined, but there’s still hope that they might return before the regular season ends April 10, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Both have been ruled out for Sunday’s contest with the Sixers, which will mark the 15th straight missed game for Allen and the fourth for Mobley, who sprained his left ankle Monday. “I don’t know when that game may be, but we’re hopeful that maybe one or two of the final games we’ll have both those guys back,” Bickerstaff said.
- Collin Sexton, who had surgery in November for a torn meniscus in his left knee, went through a 15-minute workout before Friday’s game, Fedor states in a mailbag column. There’s no expectation that he’ll return for the playoffs, a source tells Fedor, but he continues to make progress.
Draft Notes: Champagnie, Duruji, J. Smith, Banchero
Julian Champagnie of St. John’s will give up his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Champagnie, who tested the draft waters last year before deciding to withdraw after injuring his wrist, called it “kind of a no-brainer” to try again this year.
He will retain agent Nick Blatchford of UNLTD Sports Group, who worked with him on NIL deals over the past year. Champagnie plans to head to Miami on Sunday to begin preparations for the draft. He is projected as a possible second-round pick and is listed at No. 59 on ESPN’s big board.
“I think last year was my time to be nervous,” said Champagnie, who averaged 19.2 PPG this season. “I’m happy, I’m ready for it. I came back last year and I’ve done enough. It’s my time to go. It’s an opportunity I have and an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. It’s a matter of taking your opportunity and seeing where it gets you.”
There’s more draft news to pass along:
- Florida’s Anthony Duruji has decided to skip his final year of eligibility and declare for the draft. In making the announcement on Twitter, Duruji stated that he will hire an agent and remain in the draft. Duruji, who averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Gators, is currently a long shot to be drafted and isn’t listed on the ESPN board.
- Auburn’s Jabari Smith has returned to the top spot in the latest mock draft by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Vecenie makes it clear that there’s not a consensus No. 1 choice this year, but Smith seems to carry the least risk. Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, who was the first choice in Vecenie’s last mock, drops to No. 2 as Vecenie calls him “more polarizing” than Smith among NBA talent evaluators. Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and Iowa’s Keegan Murray round out the top five.
- Banchero appears to have improved his draft stock during Duke’s NCAA Tournament run, per Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, who looks at draft-related stories to watch during the Final Four. Scouts have been impressed by Banchero’s abilities as an isolation scorer and a playmaker, according to Wasserman. Duke’s Mark Williams and AJ Griffin and Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji are also getting plenty of attention from scouts this weekend.
Rockets Notes: Green, Garuba, Draft, Porter
Jalen Green has been showing off the scoring ability that convinced the Rockets to take him with the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. When Houston decided this week to hold out its veterans, possibly for the rest of the season, Green began to focus on getting the shots he wanted. The result has been three straight 30-point games, including a career-best 33 Friday night.
“He’s a shot maker,” coach Stephen Silas said. “He can get to the rim. He can get to the free throw line. He can shoot the mid-range. Just kind of happy for him that the work he puts in translates and he can be further confirmed that he’s really good by working and producing and working more and producing more.”
Green became a starter right away, but it took him a while to adjust to the NBA, Feigen notes. He shot just 37.7% from the field and 28.4% from three-point range for the first part of the season, but since turning 20 on February 9 those numbers have improved to 46.5% and 40%. Green believes he benefited from participating in the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend.
“All-Star was just a confidence builder, being in that atmosphere, playing in that,” he said. “On top of that, me and (assistant coach John Lucas) being in the gym working, all the time. Just trusting my work.”
There’s more from Houston:
- Fellow rookie Usman Garuba had to wait much longer for his first NBA start, which happened Wednesday, Feigen adds in a separate story. The 23rd pick last year battled through a thigh bruise, a fractured wrist, an ankle injury and COVID-19, which have limited him to 20 total games. “It is very important for him to feel good about his position on this team, his worth for our group,” Silas said. “He’s talented and he hasn’t really gotten a chance this year. We have such high hopes for him and we’re so positive about him, but he needs to feel it as well. I think having the actual game experience will help him with that.”
- Auburn’s Jabari Smith would be the best fit for the Rockets in the draft, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Iko sees Smith’s size, shooting and defensive abilities as a perfect fit for Houston’s current roster and says questions about his playmaking won’t be a concern with Green and Kevin Porter Jr. handling those duties.
- Iko expects Porter to remain the team’s point guard unless the Rockets land the fourth or fifth pick and draft Purdue’s Jaden Ivey. Porter will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Atlantic Notes: Harden, Simmons, Dragic, R. Williams
The Sixers scored 144 points in beating the Hornets this afternoon, easing concerns that the offense has stagnated since James Harden arrived. Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak as Harden reverted to the playmaker role he adopted after being acquired from the Nets in February, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He took just 10 shots from the field and handed out 13 assists while playing three quarters in the blowout.
“Like I said, it’s possession by possession, game by game,” Harden said. “Some games I need to be a little more aggressive. But with all that said, I think when all of us are playing well together and on the same page, we got a very, very good chance to win.”
Coach Doc Rivers compared Harden’s situation to what Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen experienced when they joined the Celtics. It’s harder to put up impressive stats on teams with multiple scoring options.
“His numbers are not going to be like his numbers in Houston, because he’s playing with a pretty good player [Joel Embiid],” Rivers said. “So those types of numbers I would never compare him to or anybody to.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Rivers was relieved the Sixers were able to work out a deal for Ben Simmons at the deadline, saying his standoff with the team was becoming too much of a distraction, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “The guys were just over it,” Rivers said. “We were winning games, and, every town we went to, we were talking about Ben. I don’t know if we could have gotten through the second half of the season with that hanging over our heads. I was praying something happened.”
- Simmons traveled with the Nets for tonight’s showdown in Atlanta, but he was limited to “light shooting” before the game and didn’t move around much, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Coach Steve Nash said nothing has changed with Simmons’ status, adds Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link).
- Nets guard Goran Dragic, who has entered health and safety protocols, is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, Nash said in a pregame meeting with reporters (Twitter link from Lewis). Nash added that Bruce Brown has the flu and hopefully will return soon. Seth Curry will miss tonight’s game because of soreness in his left ankle (Twitter link).
- Celtics center Robert Williams was happy with the results of his meniscus surgery, tweets NBA writer A. Sherrod Blakely. “Everything went as well as we wanted to (with the surgery),” Williams said. “We have to take our time, make sure I’m healthy … everyone here cares about me long-term.”
Raptors Notes: Lowry, Nurse, Playoff Rotation, VanVleet
Before returning to Toronto for the first time since signing with the Heat during the offseason, Kyle Lowry wrote a piece for The Players Tribune expressing gratitude to the fans who cheered him during his nine seasons with the Raptors. Sunday night’s game will mark Lowry’s first time in Scotiabank Arena since February 28, 2020, as that season concluded at Disney World and the Raptors played their home games in Tampa, Florida, last year.
In his article, Lowry details the phone call he made to team president Masai Ujiri to break the news that he was leaving and tells Toronto fans that he’s “excited as hell” to play in front of them again.
“I’m excited to be on a court with (Fred VanVleet) and Pascal (Siakam) and OG (Anunoby) again — if Masai is big bro, then those are my little bros, and they’re the guys now, they’re taking over,” Lowry wrote. “And I’m excited to experience that energy of Toronto basketball again. But I also think it might just be a normal night in some ways, you know what I mean? Because regardless of the jersey I’m wearing, a lot still hasn’t changed … and won’t ever change. It’s never going to be a wrap between me and this city. With family, it’s never goodbye.”
There’s more from Toronto:
- Lowry played a vital role in reviving the franchise, but the Raptors couldn’t have taken the next step in their development without him leaving, argues Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Lowry’s departure provided an opportunity for Siakam to become the primary ball-handler and it created a full-time role for rookie Scottie Barnes, who is seeing some of his 35 minutes per night at point guard. “We knew we were going to be losing a big leader,” coach Nick Nurse said, “… but for some of the guys that have been around here long enough, we needed them to understand they are the leaders of the team, and it’s up to them to perform and act like that.”
- The Raptors’ recent hot streak gives Nurse the freedom to experiment with his rotation ahead of the playoffs, Grange adds in a separate story. In Wednesday’s victory over Minnesota, Precious Achiuwa, who’s shooting over 40% from three-point range since the All-Star break, started the second half in place of Barnes and provided a lot more spacing for the offense.
- Lowry may be on hand to watch VanVleet break one of his franchise records, per Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun. With 236 three-pointers, VanVleet is only three behind Lowry’s single-season mark.
Cavaliers Promote RJ Nembhard To Standard Deal, Sign Moses Brown To Two-Way Contract
MARCH 31: The Cavs have officially promoted Nembhard to a standard deal and signed Brown to a two-way contract, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
MARCH 30: The Cavaliers will convert guard RJ Nembhard to a standard contract and give his two-way spot to Moses Brown, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Nembhard, 23, signed with Cleveland last summer after going undrafted out of TCU and was given a two-way deal before the start of the season. He has played in just 12 NBA games, averaging 4.8 minutes per night, and spent much of his time in the G League, where he put up 22.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 13 games.
Brown, 22, was on the last night of his second 10-day contract with the Cavs, so the team had to make a roster move to keep him. He made his first start for Cleveland tonight, posting 12 points and nine rebounds in a loss to Dallas.
Brown, who was traded twice last summer, started the season with the Mavericks and averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 26 games before being waived at the trade deadline in February. He has also spent time with the Trail Blazers and Thunder.
The Cavaliers will have a roster opening with Brown’s 10-day contract expiring, so no other moves will be necessary to complete the signings.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Theis, Horford, White
Celtics coach Ime Udoka wasn’t happy with his team’s level of composure during Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Amid a playoff-level atmosphere and with first place in the East on the line, Udoka thought his team got too distracted by the officiating.
“We talked about it at halftime. We were complaining a little bit too much, being down one as poorly as we played early and not playing our best basketball,” Udoka said. “We got caught up in that early in the game as some calls late that didn’t go our way and we got caught up in that. We still have to transfer down to the other end and continue to guard, play through it. It’s a physical team that felt like a playoff atmosphere tonight as far as that. We could do a better job with our composure for sure.”
Marcus Smart was ejected after picking up two technical fouls late in the fourth quarter, but a bigger concern is Jayson Tatum, who was called for his 13th technical of the season in the first half. If he gets three more, Tatum will receive an automatic one-game suspension.
“I do not want to have to sit out a game,” he said. “The previous 12 techs, I’ve looked at all of them. I agree with probably 10 of them I deserved, but tonight, I don’t know. That’s the one I got to think about and watch. That was a tough one. I was trying to have a conversation. I was asking questions. It’s unfortunate that I got that tech, but just something that we got to move on from and continue to keep playing.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Wednesday marked the Celtics’ first game with a regular rotation since Robert Williams‘ meniscus injury, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Grant Williams moved into the starting lineup, but didn’t make an impact, so Daniel Theis played 17 minutes and scored 15 points while making all six of his shots from the field. “Daniel is capable,” Udoka said. “He’s not jumping like Rob, but he’s a lob threat. We know that. However, we got to deliver it. We missed some opportunities, had some turnovers trying to force some passes tonight but Daniel had a great game overall. You can see his growth, what he’s doing the past few games.”
- After a report Wednesday questioning whether the Celtics are fully vaccinated so that all their players would be eligible for a potential playoff series with the Raptors, Al Horford indicated that it won’t be an issue for him, according to Matt Vautour of MassLive. Horford was held out of Monday’s game at Toronto for personal reasons. “We’re clear on that. I’ll be ready to play wherever,” Horford said.
- Derrick White played his 70th game of the season Wednesday night, triggering a $500K bonus, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. White’s cap hit will be adjusted to $16,892,857 for next season, and Boston is now $1.75MM away from the luxury tax for this season.