Atlantic Notes: Butler, Raptors, Ntilikina
The Sixers may look to put the ball in Jimmy Butler‘s hands more often after his recent return from injury, Brian Seltzer of the team’s official site writes. Previously, head coach Brett Brown had used the All-Star swingman off the ball.
“I liked what I saw,” said Brown following the Sixers’ Tuesday night victory, a game in which Butler had a plus-26 rating. “We didn’t really run complicated offense. It was quite simple and spaced, and I thought he did a really good job with that.”
The Sixers, of course, have done just fine with Butler in his traditional swingman role – they’re 33-18 after all – but with the playoffs approaching and this roster intent on making a deep run, Brown believes that exploring additional offensive options will serve them well.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Through the first 51 games of the 2018/19 season, the Raptors have used 14 different starting lineups, Michael Grange of Sportsnet writes. After all that tinkering, head coach Nick Nurse is eager to carve out a rotation that he can stick with. “It would be really nice to figure out exactly who is going to be in there. How we’re going to do it. Who is going to play where, minutes, all that kind of stuff,” Nurse said.
- The Celtics, whom Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald believes have the best to offer in an Anthony Davis trade, should come out ahead regardless of what happens in New Orleans this week. He argues that Boston will either be first in line to trade for him in the summer or be able to watch another team decimate its core to acquire him ahead of the trade deadline. The C’s, it’s worth noting, are unable to deal for Davis this season as the CBA’s Rose Rule forbids it.
- A groin strain will sideline Frank Ntilikina at a time when the Knicks could have finally gotten a chance to take a good, long look at him, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Incumbent starter Emmanuel Mudiay also happens to be out two to three weeks with his own injury.
Nets Notes: Napier, A. Davis, Creek
The Nets have a big vacancy to fill until Spencer Dinwiddie gets back from a thumb injury in March and will give third-string point guard Shabazz Napier the opportunity to do so. As Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes, Napier has already seen his role increase.
Napier has scored over 18 points in each of his last three matchups and established himself as a potent downhill threat that Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson plans on utilizing in pick-and-roll situations.
Another option for Atkinson with Dinwiddie sidelined is two-way guard Theo Pinson. Pinson made a splash in his first taste of extensive action but will need to polish his jump shot if he hopes to be more than a glue guy.
There’s more out of Brooklyn:
- The Nets are quietly confident that they could convince Anthony Davis to re-sign should they end up with him on their roster ahead of his 2020 free agency, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes, but that doesn’t mean going out and acquiring him is the franchise’s best move. The Nets, Lewis says, wouldn’t likely be able to trade for Davis without decimating their young core.
- After playing professionally in Australia since 2010, Mitch Creek decided to sign a G League contract in hopes of earning himself an an NBA contract. That gamble paid off this week when the 26-year-old made his debut with the Nets after signing a 10-day contract. “If I played this entire G League season and didn’t get a call up then nothing changes. I’d be proud and I could go home with my head held high. Now it’s just the icing on the cake right now,” Creek told Tom Dowd of the Nets’ official site.
- It’s been a breakout fourth season for Nets guard D’Angelo Russell and much of the credit for that goes to Brooklyn’s head coach Kenny Atkinson. “I give him a lot of credit for the teaching moments,” Russel said, per an Associated Press report. “My knowledge and IQ has really rose to another level just from learning from my mistakes and him breaking it down and us [dissecting] the film together.” Russell is averaging a career best 19.5 points per game and has put himself firmly in the All-Star reserve conversation.
Pistons Notes: Trade Deadline, Brown, Bullock
If the asset-strapped Pistons are going to make a splash at the NBA trade deadline they’ll have to get creative. As The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III writes, Detroit would presumably need to unload some sizable contracts if they brought back a significant package and the players currently making big money on their roster – outside of Blake Griffin – aren’t particularly desirable.
Edwards writes that Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski isn’t eager to give up a future first-round pick simply to alleviate the cap burden of its weighty contracts (Reggie Jackson‘s $17MM, Jon Leuer‘s $10MM, for example) but those picks could be in play if a solid star comes along. Edwards includes Bradley Beal as a hypothetical possibility that might warrant such a return.
The Pistons have some players that could be considered modest assets ahead of the deadline, including sophomore Luke Kennard and fourth-year forward Stanley Johnson. Ish Smith and Reggie Bullock, similarly, could draw interest from contending teams looking to shore up their rotations with veteran depth.
There’s more from Detroit:
- While there are plenty of scenarios that could hypothetically jump-start a Pistons rebuild, Keith Langlois of the team’s official website writes in a weekly mailbag that he’d wager the team stands pat at the deadline. The club may look to shore up its second-unit but lack draft assets to offer in trades.
- Scrappy first-year guard Bruce Brown has struggled to showcase his elite defensive skills lately, something head coach Dwane Casey‘s believes could be attributable to a famous foe in the basketball world. “I don’t know if it’s a rookie wall or whatever, but just the concentration, the attention to detail,” Casey told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “Those are mental things that young fellows usually make when they’re mentally fatigued a little bit.“
- In the same blog post, Langlois writes that Reggie Bullock practiced on Wednesday. The 27-year-old sharpshooter and potential trade chip missed Tuesday’s game with a sprained ankle that has plagued him and and off throughout the season. His status is uncertain for Thursday.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Siakam, Trier
A pair of closed-door meetings have helped the Celtics snap a funk that cost them three straight games earlier this week. Since re-committing to communicating effectively, the club has won big against the Hornets and again against the Sixers on Christmas Day.
A. Sherrod Blakeley of NBC Sports Boston wrote about the process that resulted in the Celtics deciding they needed to do a better job of keeping on the same page as one another.
“We’re just looking to help one another out, pick each other up. When we’re playing like that, we’re a tough team to beat,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said.
The Celtics currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 20-13 record.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Despite the fact that he’s been sidelined with a shoulder injury and that fellow Nets rookie Rodions Kurucs has dominated the headlines, Dzanan Musa remains a big part of the club’s plans heading forward, a Nets Daily report suggests.
- The Raptors have bumped Serge Ibaka to the five and will make use of Greg Monroe to fill the void left by Jonas Valanciunas but versatile forward Pascal Siakam will also take on new responsibilities at center, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes.
- The Knicks have been without Allonzo Trier for much of December but it didn’t take long for the undrafted rookie sensation to remind the club what they were missing while he was sidelined. Jonathan Lehman of The New York Post writes about Trier’s return to the lineup.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Smith Jr., Cuban
There’s no imminent news that would ruin Christmas dinner for Pelicans fans per se, but Kevin Garnett believes that Anthony Davis to the Lakers “has to happen.”
Martin Rogers of USA Today spoke with the former All-Star about the rumors that LeBron James is courting the Pelicans’ superstar center. Garnett, of course, strung together a Hall of Fame-worthy career as a lone wolf in Minnesota before a 2007 trade put him in a position to win a title with the Celtics.
“Anthony Davis playing in New Orleans, I don’t want to say they are wasted days, but they are non-days,” Garnett said. “He needs to be somewhere where he can be with another guy and they can have a run at a championship. He has been [with the Pelicans] long enough. It is time for a change now. This is it. No better time to do this.”
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- The struggling Pelicans blew a 19-point first-half lead and lost to the upstart Kings this week. Point guard Jrue Holiday thinks that the squad and the coaching staff need to get on the same page. “It’s kind of the same story for us,” Holiday told Michael Wagaman of The Associated Press. “Between the coaches and the players, we have to get on the same page when it comes down to the last four minutes.“
- The Mavs have only employed the services of Dennis Smith Jr. once since December 4. Fortunately, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News write, the sophomore has shown great progress from his wrist injury and plans to be back in the lineup before the new year.
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban and forward Harrison Barnes plan to chat to clear the air after coming away with different stances on a contentious comment made by the former. Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News wrote about Cuban’s implication that American-born players failed to learn fundamental basketball skills at a young age as well as their European counterparts.
With ‘Improvement’ To Range Of Motion, Markelle Fultz Eyes Return This Season
While the Sixers‘ front office was supposedly uncertain whether or not Markelle Fultz would be available to return to their lineup this season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the second-year guard does plan to suit up in 2018/19.
Fultz has joined the Sixers for their Christmas Day game against the Celtics today, accompanying his teammates for the first time in three weeks.
Wojnarowski reports that Fultz does plan to leave the squad again in order to continue his rehabilitation in Los Angeles but has, per his agent Raymond Brothers, seen an improvement in his range of motion since beginning to work to address his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome diagnosis.
Not surprisingly, Fultz and Brothers intend to let the former first overall pick work his way back to 100% before being thrust back into the lineup but they do expect that milestone to come before the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
Wojnarowski notes that the club has fielded trade offers for the 20-year-old but that they are interested in seeing how he fares throughout the course of his rehabilitation.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Durant, Zubac
The Kings haven’t necessarily solidified a spot in the deep Western Conference playoff picture but there’s still reason to celebrate given their 18-15 record at this point in the season. Jason Jones of The Athletic examines how the team has drastically improved in 2018/19.
The Kings have benefited from the monstrous strides De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield have taken this season. That backcourt, Jones writes, is emerging as one of the most fun to watch in the NBA.
Of course contributions from other young veterans like Willie Cauley-Stein and Bogdan Bogdanovic have helped the Kings at least appear to turn a corner early on.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division today:
- Potential free agent Kevin Durant hasn’t exactly tipped his hand as to what he plans to do this summer but he did tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that he wants to make sure he can get “as much money as [he] can on his next deal.” The Warriors are the only team eligible to offer him a five-year max contract, worth around $221MM. That’s one year and nearly $60MM more than any other team.
- Although he can’t vote for his own player, Suns coach Igor Kokoskov told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic and the rest of the media that he thinks more people should consider Deandre Ayton when discussing potential Rookie of the Year winners. In his last five games, Ayton has averaged 22.8 points and 15.6 rebounds per game.
- While it’s not always easy to find three pure centers minutes in a regulation basketball match, that’s one problem Lakers coach Luke Walton will be happy to welcome after two solid spot starts from third-stringer Ivica Zubac this week. The third-year center dropped 16 and 11 on the Pelicans on last Friday and followed that up with 19 points and four blocks against the Grizzlies on Saturday. “Luke’s always been saying to me that he trusts me,” the 21-year-old big man told Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “If there’s a chance to put me on the floor, he’s gonna put me there and he’s gonna always trust me like every other player on the team. I’ve been doing the same stuff every day”.
Atlantic Notes: Hezonja, Miles, Dudley
The Knicks have given offseason addition Mario Hezonja the green light to shoot more, an opportunity the 2015 lottery pick didn’t exactly have throughout three seasons in Orlando.
According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, head coach David Fizdale plans to “hammer” the swingman about shooting more threes and wishes that he’d be greedier with the ball.
Hezonja understands that he’ll be shouldering some of the offensive load, especially as a potential starter, but wants to make a point of serving as a playmaker for his teammates.
“I’m new here, so I want to get used to other guys, which I’m pretty used to right now,” Hezonja said. “I just want to find them more, get them more involved, get them more shots, get them to feel more comfortable in the game. I know my stuff is going to come regardless.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have plenty of depth on the wing which could limit the opportunities that C.J. Miles gets to bounce back after a disappointing 2017/18 season. Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes about Miles’ defensive struggles last season and the competition he’ll be up against to get significant minutes this season.
- The Nets will pay Jared Dudley $9.5MM this season but the 33-year-old could be more than just an expiring contract. Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes about Dudley’s defensive IQ and ability to provide leadership in the locker room as major assets. The slimmed down veteran could also earn minutes as the lone stretch four on the roster.
- Well aware of the opportunity that the Celtics have to win the Eastern Conference and compete for a title, potential 2019 free agent Al Horford is focused exclusively on playing basketball this season. “We have such a big opportunity that we can’t allow ourselves to look ahead or look at any of that,” Horford told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “I’m really locked in with this season.“
Texas Notes: Bzledik, Harris, Barnes
The Rockets will be without the services of associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The mind behind Houston’s defensive improvement has decided to retire at the age of 65.
Wojnarowski adds that the departure, less than 10 days before training camp opens, will put the Rockets on their heels and many of Bzdelik’s responsibilities will be spread over the remaining staff.
Bzledik previously served as the head coach of the Nuggets, with a number of other teams in smaller roles and at several stops in the NCAA.
There’s more from Texas:
- There will be a crowded backcourt in Dallas this season but that won’t matter to veteran Devin Harris after deciding to return to the Mavs. Per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, Harris will serve as the backup at both guard positions, along with J.J. Barea, Wesley Matthews and Jalen Brunson.
- One of the key questions that Mavs fans await answers to is whether or not they’ll see yet more progress out of Harrison Barnes in 2018/19. Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes that he doesn’t see the forward slipping offensively, despite the fresh faces he’ll share the court with.
- A number of NBA players will enter the 2018/19 campaign with trade kickers built into their contracts, so be sure to check out our list of those included. Among the 18 noted are Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge, Rockets star James Harden and Mavs forward Harrison Barnes.
Dwyane Wade To Return For Final Season
7:59pm: The Heat have offered Wade the $2.4MM veteran’s minimum and Wade plans to accept it, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports.
7:07pm: Veteran guard Dwyane Wade has decided to return for one final season with the Heat. The 36-year-old announced and explained his decision through a video he released on Twitter.
Wade cites a desire to spend more time with his family as one of the driving forces behind the decision.
After starting his career with 13th consecutive seasons in Miami, Wade spent the 2016/17 campaign with his hometown Bulls, followed by a partial season with the Cavaliers and eventually a late season return to the Heat in 2017/18.
Wade averaged 12.0 points in 22.2 minutes per game after returning to the Heat last season and raised those to 16.6 and 25.4, respectively, in Miami’s five 2018 playoff games.
At this point, there’s still no indication what Wade’s final contract with the club will look like although it’s likely to fall within the $2.4MM veteran’s minimum and the $5.3MM taxpayer MLE.
In either scenario, the acquisition will have substantial luxury tax implications.