Frank Vogel Resisting Pressure To Pull Russell Westbrook From Starting Lineup
Several people in the Lakers’ organization want to see Russell Westbrook coming off the bench, but head coach Frank Vogel has resisted making the move, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Although Vogel is supporting Westbrook, tensions between them have been growing this week, sources tell Wojnarowski, including an incident at a film session on Friday. Westbrook and the coaching staff have “differing visions” on how he should be used, Woj adds.
Westbrook spoke out publicly about his frustrations on Thursday, saying his role with the team has changed “every single night.” A ball-dominant player throughout his career, Westbrook has been asked lately to spend more time off the ball and give up some of his play-making duties.
Vogel admitted to reporters on Friday that he has talked to the front office about moving Westbrook to a reserve role, but he downplayed the significance of those conversations.
“We have discussions, just like the front office has thousands of trade discussions every deadline, and they don’t discuss every one of those,” Vogel said. “Most of them don’t come to fruition. And that’s where we’re at with Russ. Is there a path where that’s the better option? We have talked about that. We’ve talked about everything we can do with our team. We’re not there.”
The dispute comes at a particularly bad time for the Lakers, who have dropped 11 of their past 14 games and are in danger of falling into the final play-in spot. Westbrook’s shooting struggles have played a significant role in the downturn, Wojnarowski adds, as he’s connecting at less than 30% from three-point range for the fourth time in five seasons and has gone 10 consecutive games without reaching 20 points for the first time since 2009.
Paul George Shoots With Right Hand During Practice
Paul George continues to make progress toward a possible return from a torn ligament in his right elbow, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. At today’s practice, George shot with his right hand for the first time since suffering the injury, offering some encouragement to the Clippers‘ coaching staff.
Murray cautions that George is still limited to a 17-foot shooting range, and his next MRI on the elbow hasn’t been scheduled. With five weeks left in the regular season and an appearance in the play-in tournament seeming likely, the Clippers are operating on a tight window to get George back.
After some prodding, coach Tyronn Lue said George is “doing better,” tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register, who also posted a video of George putting up shots.
George was posting All-Star numbers at 24.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per night before spraining the elbow in a December 6 game. He rested for two weeks, but was only able to play in two more games before the team announced on December 25 that he had a torn UCL.
The Clippers have managed to remain in the playoff race without George and Kawhi Leonard, who hasn’t played at all this season after having surgery on a partially torn ACL that he suffered during last year’s playoffs. L.A. is currently eighth in the West at 34-31.
The team hasn’t given any indication that George or Leonard will return this season, but they also haven’t officially been ruled out. If George is able to take the court again, it could provide incentive for Leonard, although a report on his progress last month sounded pessimistic.
Magic Notes: Rotation Changes, Ross, Fultz, M. Wagner
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley plans to experiment with different lineups for the rest of the season, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. The recent returns of R.J. Hampton and Markelle Fultz from injuries give Mosley more options to work with in juggling his rotations.
“These last [17] games are about finding different combinations that work together,” Mosley said. “We want to make sure these guys understand … different minutes and different opportunities for guys that haven’t played.”
One change that has taken place since the All-Star break, Price points out, is less reliance on the combination of Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris. Mosley had them on the court together frequently after Suggs returned from a fractured thumb in mid-January, and the team was outscored by 31.4 points per 100 possessions in those minutes. Price notes that the three players haven’t been used together at all in the four games since the break, with Hampton seeing more time in three-guard lineups.
There’s more from Orlando:
- Terrence Ross was a healthy scratch Friday night for the first time all season, Price adds. Ross was mentioned frequently in rumors ahead of last month’s trade deadline, but the Magic opted to keep him. “Terrence doesn’t get in the game because it gives another guy an opportunity,” Mosley said. “That’s one thing we’re going to continue to look at for the rest of these games: Different lineups, different rotations, certain guys will play, certain guys may not, but it’s a great way for our guys to learn and gain experiences. It’s finding out what it looks like from game to game. It’s a conversation game to game. These guys are willing and understand … they want their brothers to succeed, they want their brothers to get better. They’re very supportive in whichever way we go about it.”
- Even though Fultz is healthy, it appears the Magic don’t plan to use him in both nights of back-to-backs. Fultz sat out Friday’s game at Toronto, but is expected to be active tonight in Memphis, the team announced (via Twitter). He has played twice since returning Monday from an ACL injury that sidelined him for more than a year, averaging 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 15.5 minutes of action.
- Moritz Wagner isn’t on tonight’s injury report, so he may play after missing the past nine games with a left rib contusion, Price tweets.
Pacific Notes: Payne, Booker, Covington, Augustin
With Chris Paul injured and Devin Booker in health and safety protocols, the Suns were happy to welcome Cameron Payne back tonight, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Payne, who injured his right wrist on January 22, was in the starting lineup as Phoenix hosted the Trail Blazers.
“Just his energy, his energy is contagious,” said Torrey Craig, who was still with the Pacers when Payne got hurt. “He likes to get the crowd into the game. He gets his teammates going. He plays with this level of confidence that teams need.”
After Paul hurt his thumb, coach Monty Williams replaced him in the starting lineup with Cameron Johnson and let Booker run the point. Williams is glad to have a true point guard back with the starters and to see Johnson return to providing instant offense with the second unit.
“It allows for the bench to have a bit more rhythm,” Williams said. “It puts Cam Johnson back into his role on the bench and now he could be the anchor out there as far as scoring. A guy who has been in our rotation and he knows what we’re doing.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The COVID-19 test that Booker took today was inconclusive, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. Booker will be permitted to play if he can produce negative tests two days in a row.
- After Tuesday’s game, Clippers forward Robert Covington talked extensively about mental health issues and revealed that he almost quit playing basketball in 2019, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. It happened while he was trying to recover from a knee injury, and Covington claims the Sixers traded him to Minnesota after assuring him that he wouldn’t be moved. Covington now uses his experiences to try to help other players who may be going through difficult times. “I take positives, I take negatives, and I just reevaluate,” he said. “I don’t let them drain my energy. I just assess it in a different manner, to where it helps me. And that’s what I’ll allow myself to get to, because before, I couldn’t do that.”
- D.J. Augustin didn’t have much time to prepare after finding out Monday that the Lakers wanted to sign him, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Augustin said he “threw anything in a bag” and caught a flight to L.A. the next day.
Pistons Notes: Hayes, Livers, Casey, Grant
Coach Dwane Casey‘s experiment of moving Killian Hayes to the bench is working exactly as expected, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. The second-year point guard is a natural ball-handler, but he often wound up in a secondary role when the Pistons started him alongside Cade Cunningham.
Casey made the move on January 23 and Hayes’ all-around game has benefited, Sankofa observes. He’s running the offense with the second unit and is getting to the basket more often. He has been on the court at the end of games lately, and Casey is happy with the way he has responded.
“Him going to the bench was never anything about mistrust,” Casey said after Tuesday’s game vs. Washington. “It was about him fitting in with the second unit. He’s still going to be a part of our core. I think his decisions were good tonight. His defense was decent. Keeping (Wizards guard) Ish Smith in front of him is not easy. This is what this is about for him, growing.”
There’s more from Detroit:
- The opportunity that Isaiah Livers has been waiting all season for has finally arrived, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The 2021 second-round pick had foot surgery last April and was sidelined through the preseason. He made his NBA debut on December 16, but only played five minutes before the foot started hurting again. He and the Pistons agreed that more rehab was necessary, but now he says he’s fully healthy and ready to contribute. Casey was hoping to see him in action before the season ended and believes he has a bright future. “I think Isaiah’s going to be a player,” Casey said. “He’s a shooter, and you can’t get enough of those guys to stretch the floor. He has size, he’s smart. He’s the full package.”
- Casey deserves credit for keeping his team focused and competitive even though wins have been rare, several players tell Edwards in a separate story. The coach has respect from his players for all that he has accomplished in his NBA career, and he gives them the freedom to talk openly about issues that affect the team.
- Finally having a healthy roster is giving the Pistons a chance to enjoy a little late-season success, notes Lauren Williams of MLive. Detroit has won three of its last six games and was competitive in the three losses. “I think it just shows our progression as a team,” said Jerami Grant, who missed significant time with a thumb injury. “Earlier in the season we (would) win a game and then we lose a game by 20 or something like that. But I think it’s showing how much better we got it the team. Right now, we just got to pull out these wins and just keep moving forward.”
Jamal Murray Won’t Speculate On When He Might Return
There has been widespread speculation that Nuggets guard Jamal Murray will be able to return in time for the playoffs, but Murray tells Adam Caparell of Complex Sports that he’s not sure of his own status.
Murray is recovering from surgery after tearing his ACL last April. The rehab process has been more difficult than he anticipated and he’s not trying to meet a set timeline. His only goal is to “feel normal” whenever he does start playing again.
“I’m too far to tell,” Murray responded when asked if he has an approximate date in mind. “I’m obviously progressing every week. But I have my bad weeks where I can’t do the simple stuff and then I’ll have weeks where I feel like I can jump out of the gym. It’s just getting the stress pain down. Adding tolerance right now and trying to ramp it up. I don’t know. I’m in a good spot, I just don’t know the exact time right now.”
Murray was in the middle of his best season when the injury struck, averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game, along with 4.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He was also shooting career-best marks from the field (47.7%) and three-point range (40.8%) and was coming off a spectacular performance in the 2020 postseason.
If Murray is able to return at anywhere near top form, he could be an X-factor in the Western Conference playoffs, especially if Denver also has Michael Porter Jr., who is working to overcome a back injury. With Nikola Jokic bidding for a second straight MVP award, the Nuggets have managed to stay in the middle of the race at 36-25 without two of their stars.
But Murray is trying not to let that prospect influence his decision as he focuses on what he needs to do to resume playing.
“I’m trending steadily, yeah. It’s different when you’re in it. You can’t really tell,” he said. “You don’t really know how much time has passed. But I know I have a couple of months before the playoffs. I’m just trying to gear up as much as I can, and if not, I’ll just sit out. Taking it slowly, not really thinking about the months ahead, just taking it day by day. Months ahead from now I can say I put in the work.”
After he suffered the injury, Murray reached out to several players who had been through the ACL experience, and he said some called him as well to let him know what to expect. He added that he was encouraged to see Dejounte Murray and Zach LaVine, who have both recovered from ACL injuries, earn spots in the All-Star Game this year.
Murray describes the rehab process as “tedious” and said there are mental challenges along with the physical ones.
“It’s not just me sitting out for a year—it’s the work, the continuous work you’re putting in to get back, or to get back to that level,” he said. “And you’re always thinking you’re going into the abyss, you’re going into the unknown and you’re just trying to figure it out as you go. And that’s the toughest part. Not knowing when I’m going to come back. Not knowing how I’m going to feel. Not having the reps. Not having the confidence yet to do what I do. It’s just building all that back up right now and that’s been the toughest part up until this point. Now I’m just blessed to be back on the court doing what I can and it’s about feeling better every day.”
Rival Teams Expect Tobias Harris To Be Available This Summer
The Sixers explored potential trades involving Tobias Harris last month in case they had to clear cap room to sign James Harden in free agency, and those talks could result in a deal during the offseason, Brian Windhorst of ESPN says on his latest podcast.
“I’ve talked to league executives because I’m asking league executives a lot about Philly and everyone’s seen them for just a brief period of time,” Windhorst said. “But they’re already speculating what Tobias Harris trades they might look at this summer.”
Now that he has acquired Harden, there has been speculation that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey might pursue another star to pair with him and Joel Embiid. He’d likely have to unload a lot of salary to make that happen, and a logical starting point is Harris, who will make $37.6MM next season and $39.3MM in 2023/24.
The Sixers reportedly talked to the Hawks and Kings about possibly dealing for Harris, and there was speculation that the Thunder might be willing to take on his salary if enough assets are attached. Philadelphia may find even more options this summer when teams have more room below the cap or tax.
Harris has been one of the mainstays of Philadelphia’s offense since being acquired in a trade with the Clippers three years ago. However, his scoring average and shots per game have both declined slightly this season and he appears to be looking at a further reduced role now that Harden has arrived.
Knicks Notes: McBride, Roster Flexibility, Randle, Barrett, Rose
Injuries have left the Knicks thin at point guard, but they’ve been reluctant to turn to second-round pick Miles McBride, who has been putting up big numbers in the G League, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. McBride is averaging 29.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game for the team’s Westchester affiliate. He seems like a natural alternative with Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose both sidelined, but has only played 22 NBA games so far, logging 7.0 minutes per night.
“It’s definitely been challenging,” McBride said. “Obviously growing up, never had to deal with sitting a lot. But it’s the NBA. It should be challenging. The task they’re giving me, being able to play in the G League and being able to come back to the team, it’s been fun. So just trying to enjoy every day and taking the challenge head on.”
McBride appeared to have a breakthrough game December 16 in Houston when he started the second half after Rose was injured and wound up with 15 points, nine assists and four steals. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 the next day and has barely played since. He said the coaching staff is urging him to be patient.
“The feedback is, ‘you’re young, you’re a rookie, the opportunities you get, take them,’” McBride said. “And some things happen along with it.”
There’s more from New York:
- Despite their troubles this season, the Knicks may have hope for the future because they’ve prioritized roster flexibility and stockpiled draft picks, notes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Five of the six contracts they handed out last summer included a team option, and although they sent a protected Hornets’ pick to the Hawks in exchange for Cam Reddish, they still have a generous supply of draft choices remaining. Even so, rival executives are skeptical that the Knicks can turn things around quickly because they don’t have a star player already on the roster. “If they are going to give up their picks and swaps to get someone, it doesn’t matter who they are trading,” a Western Conference executive said. “But if their hope was to turn these guys into good players by themselves, I’d be hard-pressed to see a team thinking they’ll take that for a star.”
- Among the Knicks’ concerns for the future is that their two best players, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, haven’t played well together, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. In the 1,418 minutes they’ve shared the court this season, New York has a minus-6.8 net rating, and that number has fallen to minus-9.9 over the past 11 games, Bondy states.
- It could be more than a week before the Knicks have an update on Rose, who had a surgical procedure last week for a skin infection on his right ankle, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Green, Thompson, Moody
When the Warriors were tearing through the league earlier this season, they benefited from a strong performance by Andrew Wiggins, who played well enough to a starting spot in the All-Star Game. But Golden State has slumped recently, dropping three of its last four games and barely holding off Memphis for second place in the West, and Wiggins’ downturn has been a huge reason why, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Injuries have affected the Warriors, who have been without Draymond Green for seven weeks and Andre Iguodala for three weeks. Klay Thompson sat out the past two games with an illness, leaving Stephen Curry surrounded by a collection of young talent and role players. The team needed Wiggins to fill the void, and he hasn’t been doing it, Poole observes.
Wiggins just completed his least productive month since his rookie season in 2014, Poole adds, and his first game of March wasn’t encouraging. After scoring eight early points Tuesday night, Wiggins spent much of the game “floating around” and “standing in space,” according to Poole, who states that it brings back memories of the underachiever reputation that Wiggins had when he played in Minnesota.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- The organization plans to have Green around his teammates more often as he works his way back into playing shape following a lower back injury, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Green has been doing most of his rehab work on his own, but players and coaches believe he raises the spirits of the team and demands accountability from others. Coach Steve Kerr says Green continues to “make strides” toward a return and recently competed in a 3-on-3 scrimmage, Slater tweets.
- Thompson had a “raging headache” after last Thursday’s game and felt sick for several days, but he traveled to Dallas with the team and plans to play tomorrow night (video link from Slater).“I’m playing,” he told reporters. “I didn’t come all the way to Dallas to watch.”
- Rookie guard Moses Moody made his sixth start of the season Tuesday, but he had to leave the game with a left eye contusion, the Warriors announced on Twitter. “He got poked in the eye,” Kerr said after the game, per Cody Taylor of Yahoo Sports. “I think he got elbowed by (Karl-Anthony) Towns on a drive. He went up to go vertical and he got elbowed in the eye and it is pretty bad. His eye is swollen shut.”
Isaiah Thomas Signs 10-Day Deal With Hornets
MARCH 2: The Hornets have officially signed Thomas to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
MARCH 1: The Hornets will sign free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Charlotte will be the third team of the season for Thomas, who inked a 10-day deal with the Lakers on December 17 and another 10-day agreement with the Mavericks on December 29. He played five total games under those contracts, averaging 8.6 PPG in 22.8 minutes per night.
Thomas, 33, has been tearing up the G League since rejoining Denver’s affiliate in Grand Rapids after the All-Star break. He averaged 41.3 PPG in three games over the past week and earned NBAGL Player of The Week honors, as our JD Shaw reported (via Twitter).
The Hornets have a roster opening, so they won’t need to make a move before signing Thomas. As an 11-year veteran, he will earn $151,821 over the 10-day deal. The team will take on a cap hit of $95,930.
If Charlotte makes the contract official on Wednesday, Thomas will be able to play in five games before it expires. He would then be eligible for a second 10-day offer or he could be signed for the rest of the season.