Pacers Notes: Brogdon, Sabonis, Oladipo, Warren
Malcolm Brogdon has taken on the closer’s role in his first season with the Pacers, at least until Victor Oladipo returns, writes Scott Agness of The Athletic. In training camp, it wasn’t clear who might get that designation with nine new players on the roster, but Brogdon, who was acquired from the Bucks in a sign-and-trade, feels comfortable making decisions that will win or lose games.
“It’s a privilege,” he said. “Being the closer, sometimes it’s about making the last shot, but sometimes it’s about making the right play, making the right pass. My teammates, this organization, my coach — they trust me with the ball, and I’m going to continue to make good decisions.”
Indiana is using Brogdon as a full-time point guard, Agness adds, instead of a floor spacer like he was in Milwaukee. As a result, he has eight double-doubles this season after just three in his first three years in the NBA.
“I was hoping for it,” he said of the point guard duties. “Especially with Vic being out, I was hoping I could be that guy, but I knew I had to prove myself. And now that I’ve proven myself, Coach and my teammates allow me to do that and empower me to do that.”
There’s more from Indiana:
- Doctors don’t believe Domantas Sabonis is risking further injury by playing with a bone bruise in his left knee, Agness relays in a separate story. After he was checked by the team doctor, his representatives had two other specialists examine the knee before any decision was made. “There’s swelling in the bone that all doctors say can’t get worse unless you get hit in that same spot,” he said. “It’s the same thing if I get hit in my healthy knee. There’s the same chance. It’s not a muscle or anything, so by doing more stuff, you can’t technically get it worse.”
- Oladipo remained in Indiana as the team left for a nine-day road trip, Agness adds in the same piece. He plans to practice with the team’s G League affiliate as he prepares for his season debut January 29.
- Picking up T.J. Warren in an offseason trade with the Suns has provided a boost for the Pacers’ offense, observes Mark Montieth of NBA.com. Warren is averaging 18.1 PPG and his versatility has made the team more difficult to defend. “He can score any way possible,” Jeremy Lamb said. “Off the dribble. Catch and shoot. Floaters. Threes. Pull-ups. Post-ups. However you want it, he’ll give it to you.”
Knicks Notes: Barrett, Ivey, LaMelo, Morris
Steve Nash didn’t get to watch his godson, RJ Barrett, play last night because of an injury, but he has faith that Barrett will develop into a franchise cornerstone for the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
“(Barrett’s) shown very much of what I thought he’d show. He’s an incredibly talented, well-rounded basketball player. He does a bit of everything. I think he will evolve into a great playmaker because that’s a natural ability for him that he doesn’t necessarily get to shine in at this stage of his career and on this stage of this team,” Nash said. “That’s exciting for Knicks fans that he still produces, he’s versatile, he can score. He’s growing defensively. And for me, he’s a natural playmaker and that hasn’t been a part of his upside yet that’s highlighted. So for the franchise, that’s exciting.”
Barrett was a primary ballhandler in college, but the Knicks quickly gave up on their experiment of using him at point guard, Bondy notes. Still, his usage rate is high at 23.2% and he is often utilized as a secondary initiator of the offense.
There’s more Knicks news to pass along:
- The Sixers expressed interest in hiring New York assistant Royal Ivey after the end of last season, but the Knicks blocked the move because they thought Ivey might help attract Kevin Durant in free agency, Bondy adds in a separate story. Ivey is a close friend with Durant and was a former teammate in Oklahoma City. A source tells Bondy that the Knicks refused to allow the Sixers to interview Ivey, but did give him a pay raise.
- The Knicks never made it to Australia to see LaMelo Ball in person before he was shut down for the season with a foot injury, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The front office was planning a trip this month, but Berman points out that it might not matter because president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry may not be with the team by draft time.
- The Knicks will be wasting an opportunity if they don’t trade Marcus Morris by the deadline, contends Tommy Beer of Forbes. Morris is enjoying his best statistical season, averaging 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 3-pointers per game, but may not be a long-term fit at age 30. Not only would the Knicks be better off with whatever assets they can obtain in return, Beer adds, trading Morris takes away any chance they will overpay to re-sign him this summer.
Kevin Durant “Progressing” In Rehab Work
The Nets are happy with Kevin Durant‘s progress in rehabbing his surgically repaired Achilles, even though there are still no plans for him to play this season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Durant went through a 25-minute workout this afternoon at Barclays Center and told Lewis that it went well. Coach Kenny Atkinson said seeing him on the court is having a positive effect on his teammates.
“He’s progressing. I know he’s working extremely hard,” Atkinson said. “He’s a quiet personality, but when he needs to say something, he says it. Usually what he says is spot-on. We don’t want to bother him too much because he’s locked into his rehab. He’s a guy who likes to work in the shadows. He doesn’t want all the attention, but he’s working his tail off.
“When he walks in the room, we all become more confident even though he’s not playing — it’s just that way. I enjoy talking to him about the game and his opinions about what’s going on in the league. ‘Hey, what is this team doing? Did you see this? What do you think about this player?’ It’s a real treat for me to have a guy like that around and for our players. They love it. He’s around all the time, so it’s great.”
When the Nets signed Durant in July, they understood it was very unlikely he would be able to suit up for them this season. The ruptured Achilles that he suffered during the NBA Finals comes with a long recovery process, and both parties agreed the best way to protect Brooklyn’s four-year, $164MM investment in Durant was to let him take the entire season to recover.
Atkinson confirmed to Lewis tonight that the plan hasn’t changed.
“No, I think we’re all on the same page. That’s not going to happen,” he said. “Progressing. I don’t have my medical book up here. I can’t give you what stage or any of that. It’s great when you’re there every day. You see incremental progress. That’s all I can give you.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/18/20
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Clippers recalled Derrick Walton Jr. and Terance Mann from their Agua Caliente affiliate, the team announced on Twitter.
- The Pacers recalled Alize Johnson and Edmond Sumner from Fort Wayne, according to a tweet from the team. Both players were assigned to the G League team Friday.
Reactions To Kings-Trail Blazers Trade
Today’s five-player trade with Portland is the start of an in-season reboot for the Kings, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic. Sacramento was willing to provide financial relief for the Trail Blazers by taking on the remainder of Kent Bazemore‘s $19.3MM expiring contract in the deal, which also netted Anthony Tolliver and a pair of future second-round picks.
By sending out three players in return, the Kings create roster flexibility that could be important in a potential trade of Dewayne Dedmon, Jones adds. The center, who signed a three-year, $40MM contract in free agency, lost his starting job after four games and has been vocal in his displeasure over a reduced role.
Jones notes that the deal is an admission that the summer’s free agency haul was a disappointment. Dedmon appears on the way out, and sending Trevor Ariza to Portland probably had to be done to make that happen. Jones relays that coach Luke Walton was fond of Ariza, but his contract is only partially guaranteed for next season so he may not have been part of the Kings’ future.
Jones believes anyone on Sacramento’s roster — apart from De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III and Buddy Hield — is a candidate to be traded by the February 6 deadline, even Bogdan Bogdanovic, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.
There’s more reaction to today’s trade announcement:
- The Kings have been collecting second-rounders and were happy to add two more, observes James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. With the addition of Portland’s picks in 2024 and 2025, Sacramento now has 13 second-round selections over the next six seasons. Ham adds that the value of those picks could increase once the league lowers the age requirement for the draft to 18, which is expected by 2022.
- The trade is a signal that the Blazers have decided to “punt” the rest of the season, claims John Canzano of The Oregonian. He calls it understandable considering Portland had the highest payroll in the league and no playoff hopes other than possibly snatching the eighth seed. He also questions why president of basketball operations Neil Olshey decided to blow up a roster that reached the Western Conference finals last year, trading Evan Turner to the Hawks for Bazemore and sending Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless to the Heat for Hassan Whiteside.
- Jason Quick of the Athletic talked to Bazemore on Friday night about the possibility of being traded. Bazemore had been hoping for a long stay in Portland, but he took a wait-and-see approach after several weeks of hearing his name in trade rumors. “I’ve been around long enough now, man, another day in the life, bro,” he said. “I ain’t even thought about it, honestly. Been traded before … I just go out and ready to go and continue to get better and be my best when the time is right.”
Five Key Stories: 1/12/20 – 1/18/20
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Kyrie Irving made headlines twice this week: first by returning to the court after a two-month absence caused by a shoulder injury, then by telling reporters the Nets have “glaring needs.” Irving later clarified that he isn’t calling for major changes by the trade deadline, but believes there are issues that need to be addressed in the long run.
The Timberwolves traded Jeff Teague to the Hawks, where he spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career. Atlanta also received swingman Treveon Graham in exchange for wing Allen Crabbe. Minnesota reportedly made the deal to gain flexibility in its pursuit of Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell.
Kent Bazemore and Trevor Ariza headlined a five-player trade between the Kings and Trail Blazers. The deal, which can’t be completed until Tuesday, will reduce Portland’s projected luxury tax payment by $12.6MM.
January 22 has been set as the date for Zion Williamson‘s NBA debut. The Pelicans have been protecting the top pick in the 2019 draft as he recovers from meniscus surgery, but he was able to participate in full practices this week without any issue.
A lingering foot injury will prevent LaMelo Ball from finishing his season in Australia. He played just 12 games for the Illawara Hawks, but his performance has some scouts convinced that he should be the first player selected in this year’s draft.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from around the basketball world this week:
- The NBA has postponed a planned vote on several significant changes at its Board of Governors meeting in April. The league will get more input on proposals to create an in-season tournament and a postseason play-in tournament for the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference, and to reseed the conference finalists.
- Karl-Anthony Towns returned to action this week and shot down speculation that he wants the Timberwolves to trade him.
- The Cavaliers applied for a Disabled Player Exception after learning that Dylan Windler‘s leg injury will sideline him for his entire rookie season.
- The Magic suffered a setback in the playoff race with the news that D.J. Augustin will miss several weeks because of left knee bone irritation. The team plans to re-evaluate its back-up point guard in three to four weeks to see how he responds to treatment.
- The Nuggets will be without Jamal Murray for several games after he suffered an ankle injury.
- Pistons swingman Luke Kennard will miss at least another month due to bilateral knee tendinitis. The team hopes to get him back around the All-Star break.
- The Hawks and Knicks have both cooled their interest in Pistons center Andre Drummond. Detroit continues to shop its star big man, who can opt out of his contract for next season.
- The Wizards waived swingman C.J. Miles, who was lost for the season with a wrist injury in November. Miles is making $8.73 in the final year of his contract.
- Denzel Valentine spoke out about his lack of playing time with the Bulls. Valentine will be a restricted free agent this summer and may not have a future in Chicago.
- Several teams made roster moves this week prior to Wednesday’s deadline for signing players to two-way contracts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
MRI Negative On Kemba Walker’s Sore Knee
An MRI on Kemba Walker‘s left knee came back negative, but the Celtics guard will sit out tonight’s game against the Suns, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Coach Brad Stevens provided reporters with a pre-game medical update, saying Walker’s knee is still “very sore.”
“Kemba got ahold of our doctors last night and said he had some knee soreness,” Stevens said. “Went and got an MRI today, didn’t show anything structurally wrong, but very sore … I don’t get the impression it’s a long-term thing.” (video link from Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston)
Walker experienced some pain in the knee during preseason, but has missed just four regular season games, three of which were because of the flu. He underwent operations on the knee in 2016 and 2017 after suffering a torn meniscus while he was with the Hornets.
Walker is coming off one of his best games of the season, scoring 40 points Thursday in a loss at Milwaukee. He is averaging 22.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in his first season with the Celtics and is a strong contender for his fourth straight All-Star appearance.
Kings Still Hoping To Trade Dewayne Dedmon
The Kings aren’t done shaking up their roster after agreeing to a five-player trade with the Trail Blazers. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that Sacramento is still looking for a way to get rid of Dewayne Dedmon, who has been unhappy with his playing time.
The 30-year-old center was fined earlier this month for making his trade request public. The Kings signed Dedmon to a three-year, $40MM contract over the summer, but he quickly slipped behind Richaun Holmes in the rotation. Dedmon has played just 26 games and is averaging 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per night.
A report earlier this week suggested the Hawks might be interested in reacquiring Dedmon, who was their starting center for the past two seasons. Atlanta has enough available cap room that Dedmon’s salary wouldn’t be a burden, but the Kings are reportedly asking for more in return than the Hawks are willing to pay.
Southeast Notes: Reddish, Parsons, Brown, Silva
Cam Reddish hasn’t been the shooter the Hawks were hoping for when they made him the 10th pick of the draft, but the organization hasn’t lost faith, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Reddish has been erratic during his first three months in the NBA, shooting 32% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc. Teams have started giving him plenty of space and daring him to shoot from long distance.
“I swear I just feel like it’s been bad luck — a lot of in-and-outs,” coach Lloyd Pierce said. “He’s had some awful ones; he’s had some that have been way off. But he’s had a lot where he’s been wide open in rhythm; I’m slowing the film down and watching it to try and critique where we can help him. It’s the same thing he’s practicing. I think the biggest thing for him is to continue to attack the rim.”
For now, Reddish makes his greatest contributions on defense. Kirschner states that he has become Atlanta’s best individual defender and often draws the most challenging matchup. Reddish said he didn’t expect that to be his primary NBA role, but it’s one he’s willing to accept as he searches for his offense.
“I know what it is,” he said. “But it doesn’t bother me when I’m shooting. I just missed. It happens. A lot of people miss. When I make it, it’s going to be a different story.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks forward Chandler Parsons was diagnosed with a concussion and whiplash after being involved in a car accident today, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Parsons has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol (Twitter link).
- One bright spot among the Wizards‘ injury woes has been the emergence of Troy Brown, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Given consistent playing time, the second-year swingman has averaged 14.7 points and 7.1 rebounds over the last 18 games. “I feel like I grew a lot this year in becoming a young man and maturing,” Brown said. “But last year — I don’t know — my confidence was just so up and down just based on playing time and stuff like that.”
- Chris Silva‘s new three-year contract with the Heat is fully guaranteed at $1.6MM for next season, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Silva’s guarantee date for $1.8MM in 2021/22 will occur shortly after the end of next season.
Nets Sign Jeremiah Martin To Two-Way Contract
G League guard Jeremiah Martin has signed a two-way contract with the Nets, the team announced on Twitter, barely beating the deadline for this season.
An opening was created earlier tonight when Brooklyn gave a 10-day contract to two-way player Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot after letting Justin Anderson‘s 10-day deal expire.
Martin, 23, signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Heat over the summer after going undrafted out of Memphis. He was waived before the season began and joined Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, where he averaged 18.5 PPG in 21 games.