Spurs Notes: Parker, Lee, Leonard
Although Tony Parker‘s 2016/17 numbers may be a far cry from what he’s posted throughout his career, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle flags him as a possible game-changer in the upcoming Spurs/Rockets second-round series.
Parker posted just 10.1 points per game this season, his 16th, but raised that to 16.3 in his squad’s first-round victory over the Grizzlies.
Rockets guard Patrick Beverley, one man who will have to check the veteran playmaker, knows all too well that Parker is still capable of dealing damage.
“He gets better with time, right?” he said. “He just continues to get better. Tony. His mid-range, his floaters, his spin moves. At his age, how fast he is is unbelievable. He’ll go down as a Hall of Famer, for sure. It’s always good to play a type of player like that.”
There’s more from the Spurs:
- When Dewayne Dedmon was under the weather prior to Game 4, Gregg Popovich thrust David Lee into the starting lineup. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News discusses how the veteran was able to make the seamless transition into the starting lineup.
- Even though he’s made a case for the award himself, Kawhi Leonard understands that he’ll have his work cut out for him guarding MVP candidate James Harden. “It’s going to take my all to try to make it difficult for him out there,” the forward told Melissa Rohlin of MySanAntonio.com.
- One of the key matchups to watch in the second-round tilt between the Spurs and Rockets will be Parker versus Beverley. Tom Osborn of the Houston Chronicle wonders if the 34-year-old veteran can keep his offensive streak alive against his pesky counterpart.
Community Shootaround: Favorite Pierce Moment
When the Clippers fell to the Jazz in Game 7 of their first-round series the legendary, 19-year career of former Celtics forward Paul Pierce officially came to an end. The man had made no secret of the fact that the 2016/17 campaign would be his final campaign in the NBA.
For nearly two decades Pierce routinely established himself as one of the game’s deadliest offensive weapons in the clutch, decorating his resume with a laundry list of accomplishments along the way.
Although he was the 2008 Finals MVP when the C’s knocked off the Lakers in an instant classic battle, it’s the endurance and longevity that he showed throughout his time in the league that stands out the most.
A Top 20 all-time scorer with 26,397 total points, Pierce showed up year in and year out to lead Boston’s offense. From 1998-2013, Pierce averaged 21.8 points per game all while wearing Celtics green.
Though not quite as memorable as his legacy with the C’s franchise, Pierce also reaffirmed his spot in NBA history by emerging as a critical factor in postseason appearances with the Nets and Wizards.
Simply put, there’s no denying that Pierce was an icon of his generation and an exemplary pro. Where there may be some debate, however, is what Pierce story or chapter stands out as the most memorable.
Was it the late-nineties dynamic duo he formed along with Antoine Walker? His incredible return to the court at age 22 after being stabbed in a nightclub? His brief tenure as a Raptor killer in the twilight of his career? The back-to-back Finals battle with the Lakers? The Infamous Wheelchair Incident of 2008?
Sure, there are too many to choose from, but we’re going to ask you to do it anyway.
We’ll miss you Truth.
McCants Is First Overall Pick In BIG3 Draft
If you had Rashad McCants in your office BIG3 Draft Pool, today is your lucky day. The 32-year-old former Timberwolves guard was the first player drafted in the initial three-on-three league roster draft.
To Kenyon Martin‘s Trilogy the explosive shooting guard goes hoping to replicate the 2007/08 campaign that saw him average 14.9 points per game.
The second overall draft pick was Andre Owens, a now-36-year-old point guard whose NBA resume is limited to two partial seasons with the Jazz and Pacers.
Notable names taken high in the first round include Reggie Evans (third overall), Kwame Brown (fifth overall) and Jerome Williams (sixth overall).
Other notable players taken later include Larry Hughes (14th overall), Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (17th overall) and Ruben Patterson (21st overall).
Worth noting is that several marquee players said to have been available didn’t end up getting drafted, this includes Latrell Sprewell, Steve Francis and Isaiah Rider, among others.
For a complete list of of the draft results, check out the league’s official site.
For a continually updated list of the rosters – including a list of the players who were announced but did not get drafted – check out our own BIG3 player database.
Burks May Be Shut Down For Postseason
The Jazz could be without the services of Alec Burks for the remainder of the postseason, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Per the paper’s sources, the guard could be shut down for the rest of the playoffs on account of his current knee injury.
Burks saw his role decrease substantially in 2016/17 and he averaged just 6.7 points per game in the opportunities that he did get. Sidelined for the entirety of Utah’s first-round series against the Clippers, Burks hasn’t played meaningful basketball since April 12.
The emergence of Rodney Hood over the course of the past two seasons and the offseason addition of Joe Johnson have limited Burks’ chances to thrive in the Jazz lineup. The 25-year-old, however, is just two seasons removed from averaging 33.3 minutes per game in an injury shortened 2014/15.
Jones adds that, while it appears as though the shooting guard will be shut down with Utah’s second round slated to begin on Tuesday, no final decision has been formally made.
Pacific Notes: World Peace, Clippers, George
He may be officially enrolled at UCLA, but that doesn’t mean Metta World Peace is ready to retire from the NBA. The Lakers forward recently reassured Serena Winters of Lakers Nation that he remains intent on playing two more seasons.
“I’ve got two more years and I’m going to be 20 years, a professional basketball player,” World Peace said. “This year I was more mentoring [for the Lakers], but obviously, if I would have played I would really have had Staples Center rocking more! I still feel like I can bring something to the table, whether it’s mentoring or whether it’s playing, I’m open to either.”
Just because the veteran hopes to continue playing in the NBA doesn’t mean he’ll be back with the Lakers however. Earlier this month the 37-year-old tweeted goodbye to the franchise after reportedly being told that Magic Johnson said he probably won’t be re-signed.
In 24 games for the young Lakers, World Peace averaged just 2.4 points in 6.4 minutes per game. His last taste of heavy NBA action came in 2012/13.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Insiders says that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin love it with the Clippers and want to stay, writes Mark Heisler of the Orange County Register. Both have signed new contracts with the Clippers in the past without entertaining a presentation from another franchise.
- Several factors will influence the Lakers‘ chance of acquiring Paul George, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, including whether or not the forward qualifies for the designated veteran salary boost and where their pick falls after the draft lottery.
- When the Kings hired Scott Perry to be their executive vice president of basketball operations they netted one of the masterminds behind the dominant Pistons teams of the mid-aughts. Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee details Perry in an extensive feature.
Scola Doesn’t See Himself Returning To NBA
In an interview with TSN 1050 Toronto, former Raptors forward Luis Scola said that he doesn’t see himself playing another season in the NBA. The 36-year-old didn’t rule it out altogether, however.
Over the course of 10 seasons, the big man established himself as a consistently underrated threat, his best year as a pro being the 2010/11 campaign in which he averaged 18.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Rockets.
In 2016/17, Scola played sparingly for the Nets, an anticlimatic cap on an effective, if unspectacular NBA career.
Although he never earned any All-Star appearances, the big man rode a deft shooting stroke to solid career per-36 numbers and even an Olympic gold medal when he teamed with Manu Ginobili to lead Argentina in 2004.
Alas, given the ever changing NBA landscape, especially for relatively slow big men, Scola seems pretty convinced that he won’t be back playing professional basketball stateside.
“I like to play, it’s just that the NBA became too difficult for me,” Scola said, age no doubt also being a factor for the man who didn’t arrive in the NBA until age 27. “The roles that are out there for me just aren’t as appealing, I don’t enjoy them as much.“
Paul Millsap Says He’ll ‘Likely’ Opt Out
Less than a day after Atlanta’s exit from the postseason, Hawks forward Paul Millsap admitted that he’ll “most likely” opt out of his upcoming player option for the 2017/18 season, says Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
After making $20.1MM in 2016/17, Millsap will turn down the player option that would have paid him $21.5MM in 2017/18.
The 32-year-old was involved in a substantial amount of trade rumors and speculation this year but ultimately stayed in Atlanta where he helped guide the Hawks to their 10th consecutive playoff berth.
The Hawks appeared to be headed toward an inevitable rebuild before ultimately choosing to hang on to their cornerstone and risk losing him for nothing as opposed to dealing him for parts.
Although there is the possibility that Millsap ends up back in Atlanta, he’ll command considerable attention on the market after averaging 18.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Hawks.
Lonzo Ball Will Not Attend Combine
The possible top pick in this year’s draft won’t be attending the combine, says Shams Charania of The Vertical. Lonzo Ball formally told the league he would not participate and several other top prospects are expected to do the same.
As The Vertical’s Bobby Marks explains in a tweet, more and more top picks are refusing to partake in the event, a growing trend over the course of the past five season. Just last season, Ben Simmons refused to participate with no impact on his draft position.
Previously, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins all refused to attend the combine.
Without standardized combine results, teams are on their own to gather medical information about the prospects. Last year, Derek Bodner of USA Today explained what exactly the event consists of.
Kings Notes: Rebuild, Bogdanovic, Seattle
If the Kings are to succeed in their rebuild – one that they committed to by trading DeMarcus Cousins in February – they’ll need to take advantage of their lottery picks, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes.
Last year the Kings traded down in the draft, this year they’ll need to add “quality over quantity” with, presumably, two Top 10 picks.
Marks also comments on the club’s flexibility post-Cousins and warns that the organization should steer clear of locking into long-term contracts with other players. A wiser approach, he says, would be to focus on one- and two-year contracts.
- Four years ago today the Kings officially stayed in Sacramento after the NBA’s board of governors denied the team’s request to relocate to Seattle. Sactown Royalty celebrates the anniversary.
- There’s reason to be excited about Kings prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic. Benedict Tagle of Kings.com recently broke down the shooting guard’s impressive performance in the first round of the EuroLeague postseason.
- Thrust into a larger role in the second half of the season, Kings rookie Skal Labissiere is making considerable progress. John Calipari, the big man’s head coach in one season at Kentucky, spoke with Kayte Christensen of NBC Sports about the rookie earlier this month.
Dante Cunningham Declines Player Option
Forward Dante Cunningham has declined his player option with the Pelicans, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets. The 30-year-old veteran will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
In 66 games for the Pels this season, Cunningham averaged 6.6 points per game. Although he’s never been much of a focal point during his three seasons in New Orleans, he’s established himself as a reliable rotation player.
Given that the veteran made just $3.0MM last season and was slated for only a modest raise in 2017/18 ($3.1MM), it’s no surprise that Cunningham opted out of the deal.
It’s not clear how much interest he’ll draw on the market but he’s a valuable addition to any club looking to add a consistent veteran, including the Pelicans themselves should they wish to pursue a new deal with the forward.