Bulls Notes: LaVine, Markkanen, Carter, Anthony
A lethargic offense has doomed the Bulls in a 4-9 start, but Zach LaVine doesn’t believe they need to change their approach, relays Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The Bulls were 27th in offensive efficiency heading into Saturday, and although they are placing a new emphasis on 3-pointers, ranking eighth in the league in attempts at 35.5 per game, they are shooting just 32.5% from beyond the arc, which ranks 24th.
“We get stagnant a lot out there,’’ LaVine said after Saturday’s loss to the Nets. “We’ll run one action and then everybody is staring at the person with the ball. We gotta get more fluid. I don’t feel a lot of people are in rhythm. When that happens, obviously everybody starts trying to do it themselves. It’s tough. I blame myself. I try to do that as well. I’m in the gym late. I’m putting up shots. I’m making sure I’m prepared so I can do everything I can to help. We gotta do a better job as a team.’’
Coach Jim Boylen told reporters he plans to “stay the course” with the current approach and doesn’t expect any major changes in personnel or strategy.
There’s more Bulls news to pass along:
- LaVine is vowing to help Lauri Markkanen rediscover his scoring touch, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. After averaging 18.7 points per game last season, Markkanen’s average has fallen to 14.5 PPG while shooting 38% from the field. “He just doesn’t seem in rhythm right now man. It’s a new offense. And I think it has a part to do with it,” LaVine said. “We just gotta help him find it. We’ve all gone through some struggles. I feel like everybody has been off rhythm in the beginning part of the year. I think everybody is shooting a lower field goal percentage than their (career) average. His spirits are still high. I know he’s worried about it but he’s not pressing yet. And I think that’s good to see. He hasn’t done anything out of character. He hasn’t lashed out or blamed anybody. He just wants to win. And that’s the type of player he is.”
- Foul trouble continues to be an issue for second-year center Wendell Carter Jr., Cowley observes in a separate story. Coaches like Carter’s aggressiveness on defense, but he admits he needs to channel it to stay on the floor.
- After taking Coby White in the first round this year, the Bulls could focus on another Tar Heel if they continue to flounder, Cowley suggests in another piece. Cole Anthony, who has drawn comparisons to Derrick Rose, comes highly recommended by White. “He’s everything that was advertised,’’ White said. “Good, athletic, strong, can knock it down, gets it done defensively, rebounds the ball.’’
Cavaliers Notes: Love, Windler, Osman, Nance
Trade speculation has surrounded Kevin Love even before he signed a four-year, $120MM extension last summer. Once a part of the Big Three that led the Cavaliers to four straight Eastern Conference titles, he is now the oldest player on a rebuilding team that won just 19 games last season. Love tells Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times that he can accept whatever happens.
“I know there’s talk about me possibly being the missing piece somewhere,” Love said. “There’s been constant chatter since I signed that I could be traded. It’s one of those things where I’m going to keep doing right by the team, by Cleveland and by the organization. If my number is called, so be it, but I’m going to stay true to my commitment and let the chips fall where they may.”
Love is off to his best start since coming to Cleveland five years ago, averaging 18.7 points and 12.6 rebounds through 11 games. He has also emerged as a spokesman for mental health issues in the league after speaking out about his personal battles, and admits he can now handle trade rumors better than he used to.
“A big aspect of mental health is just staying in the present but it’s so hard,” Love said. “You have to try to not get too far ahead of yourself or get worked up. You can get that anxious feeling or fear for the future, but you have to try to stay focused on getting better and let things work out the way they should.”
There’s more from Cleveland:
- Cavaliers players are excited about what they’ve seen from rookie Dylan Windler in practice, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Windler hasn’t played since the start of training camp because of a stress reaction in his left leg, but he has been impressive in one-on-one and two-on-two games, as well as shooting drills. He has also displayed a basketball IQ that fits well in coach John Beilein’s system and should get plenty of chances to earn a spot in the rotation. Windler might be sent to the G League first, Fedor tweets, so his NBA debut may not happen until December.
- Cavs management showed its belief in Cedi Osman with a contract extension last month, but there’s still uncertainty about what his ceiling might be, Fedor adds in the same story. Osman remains in the starting lineup, but his usage rating is second lowest on the team.“We’ve got to get him the ball more, we’ve got to see him more, run some more action for him where we can,” Beilein said. “When he’s open, we got to hit him when he’s open. We don’t do that well enough yet.”
- Larry Nance Jr. was limited in practice because of a sore left thumb, but the team considers it day-to-day, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Nance met with a hand specialist yesterday.
Waiters Calls Suspension “A Minor Setback”
Dion Waiters couldn’t be with the Heat last night because he’s in the middle of a 10-game suspension, so he traveled to Syracuse to watch the Orange and get some advice from his college coach, writes Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com.
“I just wanted to come up and talk to coach (Jim Boeheim),” Waiters said in his first public comments since the season began. “I know that’s a person who will always be there for me if I ever need anything. It’s a chance for me to come up, be around, talk to the coaches, things like that. And that’s important.”
It’s been a troubled season already for Waiters, who was also suspended for opening night after clashing with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra in a preseason argument about playing time. Waiters has only been active for two games and hasn’t taken the court at all.
The emergence of rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro has made Waiters expendable in an already crowded backcourt. The Heat have reportedly tried to work out a trade, but haven’t found any interest in Waiters, who is making $12.1MM this year and is under contract for 2020/21 at $12.65MM.
In his conversation with Ditota, Waiters refused to discuss the specifics of what happened on the team flight, but insisted he’s still “in a great place” mentally.
“I can only control what I can control at the end of the day, so some things you just can’t allow to take your head the other way, some things happen for a reason,” he said. “If you stay locked in, if you believe and trust in yourself, trust in the work you put in, you know, it’s a minor setback. It happens. It’s life. You learn from it. The only thing I can do is move forward. Stay focused. Stay even-keeled. Let everything else take care of itself.”
“New Shoulders” Help Paul George Set Clippers Records
Two games into his Clippers career, Paul George is putting up record-setting numbers and confirming the high expectations that have surrounded the team since July, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Making his home debut with the franchise last night, George scored 37 points in 20 minutes in a rout of the Hawks. Afterward, he credited a pair of offseason surgeries that fixed his damaged shoulders.
“I got [a] new shoulder,” George said. “I can’t say nothing else to that: I got new shoulders. And they haven’t been this healthy in a long time.”
George went under the knife in May shortly after the Thunder were eliminated from the playoffs, as doctors fixed a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder. A second operation a month later repaired a partial tear in his left labrum. The Clippers have brought him along slowly since acquiring him in a July trade that sealed Kawhi Leonard‘s decision to join the organization. George didn’t take the court until Thursday, but quickly showed he was worth the wait.
He scored 33 points at New Orleans, giving him 70 in a combined 44 minutes. That’s the highest total for any player in his first two games with the Clippers, and last night’s 37-point performance is the most by anyone making his Clippers home debut. George believes he could have done more if he weren’t on a minutes limit.
“It could have been my first 50(-point game),” he told reporters. “That’s just how I felt, but … I’m a confident player. It wasn’t more so a confidence (thing) by me saying I’m back. It’s just a statement. I’m just happy to be back to this game.”
George still hasn’t played alongside Leonard, who has turned in several impressive performances while his fellow star was recuperating. Leonard sat out the past two games with a left knee contusion, which coach Doc Rivers called a day-to-day issue. The league might get its first look at the new tandem tomorrow night when L.A. hosts Oklahoma City.
Inside The Trail Blazers’ Signing Of Carmelo Anthony
The Trail Blazers have been interested in Carmelo Anthony for years and both parties reached the point where they needed each other, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who provides an inside look at the events that led to this week’s signing.
Portland general manager Neil Olshey conveyed that sentiment during a phone call with Anthony, Woj relays. The 10-time All-Star had been out of the league for a year and hadn’t gotten offers from any other teams. The Blazers are severely shorthanded in the frontcourt and needed to find someone who can contribute right away.
Portland’s 5-8 start can be at least partially attributed to the losses of Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins and Pau Gasol. Nurkic is still recovering after fracturing his leg late last season. Collins recently had shoulder surgery and isn’t expected back until March. Gasol, an offseason addition, is rehabilitating a stress fracture in his left foot that he suffered in the spring.
Olshey sees Anthony as someone who can provide scoring punch and command respect in the locker room. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have been proponents of adding Anthony, and McCollum worked out with him in New York over the summer. Olshey took the recommendations to heart and remained in touch with Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose of CAA Sports. The GM was interested in adding Anthony, but only if he had regular playing time to offer.
Talks got more serious this week as the need for another front court scorer became obvious. Olshey discussed the topic frequently with coach Terry Stotts and it was agreed that a non-guaranteed contract was the best option. Anthony will have a chance to prove his worth before contracts throughout the league become fully guaranteed in early January.
Wojnarowski notes that Anthony has contributed to his time as an outcast. He still viewed himself as a star when he was traded to the Thunder two years ago and wasn’t willing to accept the role that management asked. In Houston last year, a tense history with coach Mike D’Antoni prompted the Rockets to cut ties after a slow start.
Anthony may be looking at his last chance in Portland, but at least it’s off to a positive start. Olshey has a long history with Anthony and was encouraged by what he heard during their phone call, which was that Anthony still cares about winning and isn’t just looking for an NBA farewell tour. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Anthony had a physical today and could be playing by Tuesday, so we should know soon how much he has left to offer.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/16/19
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Hornets sent rookie Caleb Martin to their Greensboro affiliate, the team announced in a press release. He is averaging 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in two G League contests and has seen limited time in three games for Charlotte.
- The Thunder assigned Deonte Burton and Justin Patton to the Oklahoma City Blue, according to a release from the team. Burton is averaging 7.7 minutes in five games with the Thunder, while Patton has gotten into just one NBA game this season.
- The Magic assigned Melvin Frazier Jr. and Amile Jefferson to Lakeland for tonight’s game, the team tweeted.
- The Jazz assigned Nigel Williams-Goss to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a tweet from the team.
- The Bucks recalled Dragan Bender from their Wisconsin affiliate after assigning him yesterday, the team announced in a press release. He is averaging 21.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in four G League games, but hasn’t played for the Bucks yet.
- The Spurs recalled Keldon Johnson from their Austin affiliate, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.
Knicks Notes: Rozier, Monk, Porzingis, Anthony
Terry Rozier made his first trip of the season tonight to Madison Square Garden, which he thought this summer might be his home arena, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Knicks pursued the former Celtic in free agency, but declined to match the best offer from the Hornets, who paid him $58MM over three years.
“It was probably one of my first options,’’ Rozier said of going to New York. “I probably was going to make it happen. Other things happened and I ended up going to Charlotte. It was the interest they showed in me, that was big. The organization believed in me, why not.’’
The Knicks wound up signing a short-term deal with Elfrid Payton, who missed his ninth straight game tonight with a strained hamstring. Rozier, who is averaging 17.0 points and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 38.4% beyond the arc, could have brought some stability to the team’s point guard situation.
“I didn’t know how crazy it gets once that free agency starts,’’ he said. “[The Knicks] were one of the teams I was active with. It was hard to sleep. I was getting phone calls with my agent so much.’’
There’s more from New York:
- Another Hornets guard who expected to be a Knick is Malik Monk, who believed New York was going to draft him two years ago before the team opted for Frank Ntilikina, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Monk worked out for former team president Phil Jackson shortly before the draft and had dinner with several Knicks representatives. “Me, my agent, everybody in my agency, my family — we thought we were going to New York,” Monk said. “It was here, my agent is here (based in New York), a great agent, everybody thought it was going to be here. Went to dinner with (Jackson), had a great workout, everything was positive.”
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Kristaps Porzingis was loudly booed during his return to the Garden this week, but Carmelo Anthony remains a beloved figure even though they both wanted to leave town, notes Frank Isola of The Athletic. They are viewed differently, Isola observes, because the Knicks were starting to rebuild when they unloaded Anthony and had nothing to gain by trying to convince fans that the breakup was his fault.
- Coach David Fizdale believes past failures and the desires of the New York crowd for a winner are affecting his team, states Colin Martin of SNY.tv. “I really felt like this team is just trying to do so well for the city,” Fizdale said. “… Their intentions are right. They’re trying to carry the weight of the city on their shoulders. I just told them you can’t do that. I said it’s an impossible task. You’ve got to focus on who’s around you in the locker room and put forth effort for the people in the locker room and the city will appreciate that kind of effort.”
Five Key Stories: 11/9/19 – 11/16/19
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:
Carmelo Anthony is back in the NBA after agreeing to a non-guaranteed deal with the Trail Blazers. Anthony will try to turn around the fortunes in Portland, which has gotten off to a slow start and is dealing with a string of injuries to its big men. The 10-time All-Star has been out of the league for about 12 months.
Paul George made his Clippers debut this week after missing nearly a month while recovering from offseason surgery on both shoulders. George looked as good as ever with 33 points and nine rebounds.
Reports out of New York suggest the Knicks are making plans to fire coach David Fizdale if the season doesn’t turn around soon. Owner James Dolan held a meeting during halftime of an embarrassing loss Sunday with president of basketball operations Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry, who followed with an unusual post-game press conference to address the team’s poor performance.
The NBA sent a memo to all 30 teams telling them to avoid using “load management” when talking about injuries. The newly accepted phrase appears to be “injury management” with the specific injury listed on the inactive report.
The Magic have expressed interest to the Spurs about acquiring guard DeMar Derozan. DeRozan has a $27.7MM player option for next season and may not fit into San Antonio’s long-term plans. Orlando needs scoring help and may view a DeRozan deal as a way to spark the team after a slow start.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from around the basketball world this week:
- Nets guard Caris LeVert will be sidelined four to six weeks after undergoing surgery to fix ligaments in his right thumb. LeVert was averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists through his first nine games of the season.
- The Kings will re-evaluate De’Aaron Fox in three to four weeks after he suffered a sprained left ankle in practice this week. It was diagnosed as a a Grade 3 sprain, which is a full tear of the ankle ligament.
- Celtics forward Gordon Hayward opted for surgery to fix a broken bone in his right hand, which is expected to sideline him for about six weeks. Hayward seemed to be fully recovered from a severe ankle injury two years ago, averaging 20.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 4.6 APG though seven games.
- A left leg injury will keep Bucks guard Khris Middleton out of action for several weeks. An All-Star last season, Middleton was hurt during Sunday’s game with the Thunder.
- Rockets guard Eric Gordon will miss six weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Gordon has been bothered by knee issues and decided to have the surgery to get some debris removed.
- Veteran swingman Iman Shumpert signed a minimum-salary contract with the Nets. Brooklyn is permitted to carry a 16th player on its roster while Wilson Chandler serves out the remainder of his suspension.
- LeBron James told reporters he has no plans for retirement as he nears age 35. The Lakers star already ranks in the top 50 for most career games.
- Stephen Curry hasn’t given up hope of playing again this season. The Warriors guard will need another operation on his broken hand, but he is still targeting a return in the spring.
- The Heat suspended Dion Waiters for 10 games for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Waiters, who hasn’t played this season, had a medical incident on the team plane last week related to an edible form of marijuana.
- The Nets parted ways with CEO David Levy after less than two months on the job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jamal Crawford “Baffled” By Lack Of Opportunity
Does anyone need a three-time Sixth Man of the Year who’s still capable of a 50-point night? Jamal Crawford tells Shaun Powell of NBA.com that he’s working out in Seattle and trying to be ready in case an NBA team comes calling.
At age 39, Crawford isn’t ready to retire, not after putting up 51 points in the final game of last season. That capped off an uneven year in Phoenix where Crawford seemed out of place as a veteran on a rebuilding team. He averaged just 18.9 minutes per night and scored 7.9 PPG, the lowest since his rookie season in 2000/01.
Crawford watched two other veteran free agents get back in the league this week as Brooklyn signed Iman Shumpert and Portland reached a deal with Carmelo Anthony. Crawford tweeted messages of support for both players and hopes he’ll be next in line for an opportunity.
“I know I can play,” he said, “and I would think my reputation is still solid. It’s baffling to me.”
Crawford started last season as part of a group of veteran leaders in Phoenix. However, by mid-December, the Suns had traded Trevor Ariza and bought out Tyson Chandler, leaving Crawford alone in that role. He also played most of the year out of position, spending time at point guard where the Suns were desperate for help, rather than his natural position of shooting guard.
Still he had bursts of productivity that suggest he could still fill a role on an NBA roster. The 51-point night wasn’t a fluke, as he scored 19, 28 and 27 points in the three prior games.
“I’m kind of an outlier because you don’t see anyone my age having games like that,” Crawford said. “And I did it off the bench. A year earlier, in my 18th year, I was still averaging double figures. I can bring a multitude of things. I’ll be ready for whatever team decides how I can fit into what they’re trying to do.”
Summer was quiet for Crawford as the Suns moved in a different direction, and he didn’t receive even a text message from anyone during July’s free agency sweepstakes. He’s part of a large group of over-30 players still on the open market and notes that many teams take a “wait and see approach” with athletes once they reach a certain age.
Crawford understands that there are a limited number of roster spots available, but he hasn’t lost the belief that he belongs in the NBA. He plans to be ready if the chance arises.
“Physically, I feel better than I did last season,” he said. “I’m able to get my body together. My skill set is sharp. I feel that I’m good. My mindset is be patient and hopefully something good comes about it. I’ll be ready for the opportunity.”
Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/9/19 – 11/16/19
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Our Free Agent Stock Watch focused on the Southeast Division.
- Our Trade Candidate Watch series examined the Southwest and Central divisions.
- Luke Adams looked at the teams that still have roster openings.
- He also wrote about how the NBA is handling its load management dilemma.
- In this week’s Community Shootarounds, we asked:
- In a poll, we asked if Dion Waiters will play at all for the Heat this season.