Cavs Notes: James’ Impact, James’ Ambitions, Monroe
The impact that LeBron James has on the basketball world goes beyond the court. The superstar has helped a number of teammates land significant paydays, as outlined by Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
“[James] definitely puts you in position to be successful to showcase what you’re great at and he enhances it on the bigger stage,” teammate Tristan Thompson, one of the chief beneficiaries of James’ impact said. “Eight and eight on a championship team is worth more than eight and eight on a .500 team or a team that doesn’t make the playoffs. Of course, that’s definitely a huge factor.”
Beyond Thompson, Lloyd lists players like J.R. Smith (who is represented by the same agency as James and Thompson) but also Matthew Dellavedova, whose scrappy play under the postseason spotlight landed him a $38MM contract.
“If we didn’t go to the Finals, I don’t get that playoff experience,” Dellavedova said. “I think the effect he has on everybody — he impacts so much that people don’t even think of. I think he has a role in a lot of things. An impact on everything.”
There’s more from the Cavs:
- In the same feature at The Athletic, James opens up to Lloyd about the idea of owning an NBA franchise in the future. There’s no guarantee that opportunity comes in Cleveland, however. “To be an owner of any team would be crazy. If this thing opened up and I’m in a position financially, and I’ve got the right team around me, obviously. But who’s to say Dan will [sell]?” James said.
- It’ll take some time for Isaiah Thomas to get used to playing with LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers but he tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that he’s well-suited to make that transition quicker than most. “Me being older, me knowing the game a little bit more and being a student of the game, I’m going to be able to adjust quicker than somebody else could,” Thomas said.
- The Cavs aren’t interested in making a move for Sixers big man Jahlil Okafor but their interest in Greg Monroe would be higher, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com says in a question-and-answer with readers.
Southwest Notes: Parsons, Capela, Selden
The Grizzlies have a welcomed dilemma on their hands with Chandler Parsons. The forward’s long road to recovery from knee injuries has tainted his tenure with the Memphis franchise but, as Michael Wallace of Grind City Media writes, he’s finding a niche and helping the team win.
“I’ve definitely lost some sleep at night, trying to figure out how to put it all together and get the most out of him,” head coach David Fizdale said. “That’s what it’s about – putting him in a situation to help us. So, right now, that’s where the niche has been filled, with him coming off the bench and giving that second unit a big boost.”
In nine games with the Grizzlies this season, Parsons – now suiting up at the four – has averaged 7.7 points per game. His ability to connect from beyond the arc to the tune of .484 has made the team’s second unit more dangerous.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Blame team owner Mark Cuban for the current state of the Mavs, Matt Mosley of The Dallas Morning News writes. The team’s decision to go after big fish free agents has left them lacking a core capable of carrying the team to a better record.
- The Rockets appreciate the asset on their hands in Clint Capela and don’t appear to be afraid of investing in him when he hits free agency. “We’ll have him here as long as he’ll have us,” general manager Daryl Morey tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He couldn’t price himself out.“
- It won’t be long before Wayne Selden makes his season debut for the Grizzlies. As Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes, the guard who has dealt with a quad injury will suit up for the team’s G League affiliate in a rehab start tonight.
Central Notes: Bledsoe, Drummond, Parker
Expect Eric Bledsoe to start in his Bucks debut tonight, Matt Velasquez of The Journal Sentinel writes. Milwaukee will clash with the Spurs in San Antonio and Bledsoe will see his first taste of in-game action since October 21.
“For his first day of shootaround, you could see the dynamic of his speed, something that we don’t have at that position,” Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ll find out here quickly [how he fits with the team].”
The 27-year-old guard has averaged 13.1 points and 4.6 assists per game over the course of his eight-year NBA career, his best two seasons coming with Phoenix last year and the year prior.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- The Pistons know that Andre Drummond needs to keep his head in the game in order to be most effective. As Ansar Khan of MLive writes, the big man is well aware of that fact himself. “When I play with high energy and confidence it gives everybody else confidence and you can see it in everybody’s face when they’re playing,” Drummond said. “In previous years, I played down and it looked like it could bother me and everybody kind of moved around in slow motion.”
- If the Bulls are to choose one of Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune believes it would be the former. Portis, he writes, is well liked by his teammates. He’s also on a cheaper contract and would handle coming off the bench behind rookie Lauri Markkanen better.
- This isn’t Bucks forward Jabari Parker‘s first time recovering from an ACL injury. This time around, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes, he does so well aware of what the process entails – and in a nicer facility, to boot.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Howard, Deng
The Hornets will soon be charged with the task of working Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Nicolas Batum back into their lineup, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. The former will return to action after a three-game absence tonight.
Batum, sidelined since October with a left elbow injury, could return to the court as early as next Wednesday. Both will be welcome additions to a Hornets lineup that has moseyed out to a 5-6 start this season.
With Batum and Kidd-Gilchrist back in the lineup, head coach Steve Clifford will need to figure out what to do with the likes of Jeremy Lamb, Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon, all of whom have stepped up with recent opportunities.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The NBA fined Hornets big man Dwight Howard $25K for making an obscene gesture at a fan last weekend, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
- The Heat could consider bringing Luol Deng back if he ends up getting bought out by the Lakers but, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes, that would only add to the team’s logjam at the four. At the right price, however, the veteran that already knows Miami’s system could be worth a look.
- Point guard Dennis Schroder tried to sell head coach Mike Budenholzer on the idea of bringing Daniel Theis to the Hawks but the German free agent eventually signed on with the Celtics, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe writes.
Community Shootaround: Bulls In 2020 All-Star Game
An announcement is expected to come on Friday saying that the city of Chicago will host the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. The occasion will mark the first time since 1988 that mid-season festivities were held in the Windy City. That year, of course, it was Michael Jordan who was named MVP of the contest (and dunk champion, for that matter).
The Bulls are in a considerably different position today than they were at the onset of Jordan’s heyday. So Tim Goldrick of NBC Sports Chicago asks if any of the Bulls’ current roster could conceivably be named All-Stars when the game unfolds in Illinois. While Goldrick goes through much of the roster on a case-by-case basis, there really are only a few individuals worth serious consideration given the track records.
The safest bets to be named to the squad, per Goldrick, are rookie Lauri Markkanen and guard Zach LaVine. The former has impressed over the course of his first month in the NBA averaging 15.8 points and 8.2 boards per contest.
By the time February 2020 roles along, Markkanen would be 22 years old and presumably an even larger part of the team’s offense so it’s not unreasonable to imagine him earning a genuine spot on the roster.
LaVine is a unique case given his popularity as a dunk contest legend. In February 2020, LaVine will be just 25 years old, a staggering realization considering that it feels as though he’s already been in the NBA forever (really it’s just been three seasons).
Will LaVine get enough of an opportunity to showcase himself as more than just a dunker in Chicago? The high flyer has yet to officially suit up in Bulls gear after coming over from the Timberwolves, so nobody can really say for sure what he’s capable of as an offensive focal point.
Beyond LaVine and Markkanen, there are a few dark horse candidates that could see their impacts rise significantly in the next two to three seasons, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic chief among them.
Do you agree with this assessment of the young assets on the Bulls roster? If you had to rank the top five Bulls players most likely to earn a spot in the game in 2020, how would you order them? Weigh in below.
And-Ones: Youth Movement, Asian Influence, Seattle
The current crop of NBA rookies is one of the best that hoops fans have seen in years, Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders writes. The scribe cites Ben Simmons and Jayson Tatum as two first-year players who’ve looked poised and dominant in significant roles out of the gates.
It’s not just a top-heavy class either, however, all of Kyle Kuzma, Lauri Markkanen and Donovan Mitchell have impressed over the course of their first months in the NBA.
The youth movement may not be limited to the 2017/18 season though. Marc Spears of The Undefeated recently profiled the 12 best collegiate players who could make an impact at the NBA level as early as next season, going so far as to declare that Michael Porter Jr. should have greater star power than anybody in the 2017 class.
There’s more around the league:
- As the world economy shifts, more and more prominent Asian businesses and billionaires are looking to buy into the NBA. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune breaks down the trend that formally started when Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor sold a 5% stake in the franchise to Lizhang Jiang.
- While Tim Leiweke remains confident that he and his Oak View Group represent Seattle’s best chance of regaining an NBA franchise, it’s not necessarily going to happen as soon as some fans would hope. He spoke on the topic at length with Q13’s Bill Wixey.
- The BIG3 will add retired point guard T.J. Ford to its ranks, an ESPN report says. The guard averaged 11.2 points and 5.8 assists per game over the course of 306 NBA starts in eight seasons.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Nets, Miles
Despite losing two of their most notable defenders over the course of the offseason, the new-look Celtics boast an imposing defensive front thanks to returning defensive quarterback Al Horford and new addition Kyrie Irving, Chris Forsberg of ESPN writes.
In fact, if the NBA season were to end today, the Celtics would have the highest defensive rating (95.9) of any team since the 2004/05 Spurs. That’s a franchise improvement of 9.6 points over last season, a fact even more impressive when you consider that in addition to the new faces, the club also heavily features youth in their lineup, starting both 21-year-old Jaylen Brown and 19-year-old Jayson Tatum.
As Forsberg writes, the Celtics may have lost defensive skill over the summer but they gained length. By replacing Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder with Irving, Brown and Tatum, the club gained more than a foot in height.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- A profile on new Nets minority owner Joe Tsai reveals that the Alibaba co-founder’s favorite player is Jeremy Lin, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Tsai also praised second-year swingman Caris LeVert.
- The Raptors haven’t relied heavily on C.J. Miles from beyond the arc but his presence on the perimeter has served as a decoy for the Raptors’ offense, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. “He is a product of great spacing,” head coach Dwane Casey said. “He helps our spacing and that is one reason why the roll guy is so productive. They are hugged up on him [out beyond the arc], which is great, and to me that is just as good as C.J. knocking down a three or even getting an attempt.“
- While the plan was to keep Marcus Morris on a minute restriction following his return from a knee injury, injuries to other players have impacted that strategy. A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes that the newly acquired Celtics forward has been called upon to play 22-25 minutes but that they’ll see how his body responds on a game-by-game basis.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/9/17
Here are the G League transactions for Thursday:
- The Grizzlies have recalled offseason signee Ben McLemore from their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, the team announced on its website. McLemore recorded eight points in a rehab start for the squad on Sunday. The team has also recalled rookie Ivan Rabb.
- The Kings have assigned second-year center Georgios Papagiannis to their G League affiliate, James Ham of NBC Sports California tweets. The 20-year-old has seen action in just two games with the big league club this season.
- The Jazz have recalled rookies Tony Bradley and Royce O’Neale from the SLC Stars, their G League affiliate, the team announced over Twitter.
- The Magic have assigned Khem Birch and Wesley Iwundu to their G League affiliate in Lakeland, the team announced on Twitter.
- The Rockets have recalled Zhou Qi from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Qi averaged 12.5 points through two games with the G League affiliate.
- The Timberwolves have assigned guard Marcus Georges-Hunt to their G League affiliate in Iowa, the team’s public relations Twitter account announced.
Central Notes: Bucks, Wade, Pacers
The Bucks haven’t announced how they plan on utilizing recently acquired point guard Eric Bledsoe but incumbent starter Malcolm Brogdon is fine with whatever option they choose, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.
“Starting you automatically get into your rhythm faster,” Brogdon, now in his sophomore season with the Bucks, said. “Coming off the bench you’re colder, it can be harder at times. But I’ve done both and I’m going to do whatever this team needs me to do.”
Through the first nine games of the season, the reigning Rookie of the Year has averaged 16.2 points and 4.9 assists per game for the Bucks. If Brogdon ends up with a reduced number of minutes and/or touches, however, those would inevitably decline.
Even if the addition of Bledsoe doesn’t impact Brogdon substantially, the acquisition could impact current Bucks backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova.
“We’ll see how it goes, but [with] shorter minutes everybody should be able to go harder and do it on both ends,” Dellavedova said. “We’ve been scoring a lot of points; we need to get some stops.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The decision to play Dwyane Wade off the bench has paid off for the Cavaliers, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. The veteran guard’s production has risen across the board compared to his previous stint as a starter with his new club.
- The Pacers have lost four straight contests, the most recent resulting in a closed-door team meeting, Clifton Brown of The Indianapolis Star writes. Per point guard Cory Joseph, the contents of the meeting will stay internal. How the club handles the recent adversity will serve as a test of character for the young franchise.
- The Cavaliers can’t expect Isaiah Thomas‘ eventual debut to fix all the team’s issues, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. “IT is definitely a big piece of what we want to do, but IT hasn’t stepped out on the floor in a Cavs uniform yet,” LeBron James said. “We know what he’s capable of doing, but he hasn’t played with us, so we don’t want to put that type of pressure on him, even though he loves it.“
Chicago To Host 2020 NBA All-Star Game
The Chicago Bulls will host the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. The formal announcement is expected to come on Friday, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel in attendance.
The All-Star Weekend will move to Chicago a year after the 2019 game is played in Charlotte. This year, of course, the mid-season festivities will be held in Los Angeles.
The last time the All-Star Game was held in Chicago was 1988. At that time, however, it was held at Chicago Stadium and not the United Center.