Wizards Notes: Mahinmi, Porter, Wall
The Wizards are in no hurry to make a trade, sources tell J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet. The team is content to wait for offseason addition Ian Mahinmi to make his return to the court as he recovers from a pair of knee ailments. The center previously had surgery on his left knee and he developed tendinitis in his right one. He had platelet-rich therapy on both knees last month and sources tell Michael that the team expects him to have a chance to play before the All-Star break.
[RELATED: Community Shootaround: How Far Can The Wizards Go?]
Here’s more from Washington:
- Re-signing Otto Porter will be the Wizards‘ top priority this offseason, Michael relays in the same piece. The scribe adds that Washington may be reluctant to trade for a starting-caliber player who’s set to hit the free agent market at the end of the year since the franchise will likely not have enough cap space accommodate two top-end contracts.
- In a separate piece, Michael makes a case for Porter as the league’s Most Improved Player and he examines the small forward’s competition for the award. In a recent Community Shootaround, we handed out our midseason awards and gave Giannis Antetokounmpo the hardware.
- John Wall will compete in the skills challenge during All-Star weekend, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Wall will also play in the All-Star game and you can check out all the participants of the game here.
Lakers GM On Ingram, Russell, Team’s Future
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said he’s very excited about the future of the franchise, as he tells David Aldridge of NBA.com.
“I think we’ve got six or seven young players that I think all have a great future in front of them,” Kupchak said. “And we have a mix of older veterans that I think are going to help our young guys mature and make progress. We’re very excited about the future, and the development of the young players on this team.”
Kupchak added that he feels Brandon Ingram is making steady improvements this season. He believes the rookie can become a Giannis Antetokounmpo–type player down the road but also admits that the team doesn’t know where Ingram’s greatest strengths are yet.
“I think it’s going to be a challenge to figure out where he’s most productive, whether it’s bringing the ball up the floor and facilitating, or is it catching the ball on the wing and making a play? We don’t know yet. But for the last month or so, he’s demonstrated he can bring the ball up the floor. He doesn’t lose it. I don’t think that part’s the question. I think it’s a matter of us figuring out where he can be most productive,” Kupchak said.
The GM gave a similar answer when he was asked about D’Angelo Russell. The team is still evaluating its young guys, though he believes the roster has the necessary pieces to play at a high level on both the offensive and defensive ends.
It was reported earlier in the month that Los Angeles isn’t expected to trade Ingram, Russell and Julius Randle. The team is reportedly unlikely to trade Larry Nance Jr. or Jordan Clarkson as well.
Hawks Sign Lamar Patterson To 10-Day Deal
JANUARY 29, 12:40: The signing is official, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Journal Constitution.
JANUARY 27, 10:36pm: Despite facing competition from other potential suitors for Patterson, the Hawks are in the process of finalizing a 10-day contract for the D-League guard, tweets Stein.
7:39pm: The Hawks and two other teams are “extremely interested” in signing Patterson, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (Twitter link)
2:46pm: The Hawks have “strong” interest in signing Lamar Patterson to a 10-day contract, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Patterson is currently playing in the D-League for the Reno Bighorns.
Gary Neal‘s 10-day deal with Atlanta will end at midnight tonight and the team could elect not to bring the veteran back and give Patterson the roster spot, Stein adds. Neal has only played a total of 18 minutes over two games with the Hawks. He missed all five of his shots from the field over that span, though he made all four of his foul shots.
Patterson played for the Hawks during the 2015/16 campaign. He appeared in 35 games for the team and scored 7.7 points per 36-minutes. Prior to the 2015/16 season, he played for Tofas Bursa of the Turkish Basketball League.
Eastern Notes: Draft, Knicks, Magic, Pacers
The Knicks‘ biggest need is a long-term answer at the point guard position and the upcoming draft should provide them an opportunity to pair Kristaps Porzingis with a playmaker, Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes. New York will likely pick in the bottom half of the lottery and Ford believes Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, who is expected to go in that range, would be a great fit for the team. Fox is a fast, defensive-minded point guard and while he’s not the best shooter, his playmaking skills are “top-notch,” according to Ford.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- UCLA’s Lonzo Ball would fit nicely in Orlando, Ford opines in the same piece. The Magic currently have Elfrid Payton manning the point guard position and he’s having a nice season. However, if they draft Ball, he’d immediately have the highest ceiling of any player on the team, Ford adds.
- The Wizards‘ bench unit has been key to their success lately, especially on the road, as J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet details. Offseason addition Trey Burke has made 11 out of his last 17 shots from the field during the last four away games. He also has 10 assists over that stretch.
- Al Jefferson is enjoying his role as a mentor with the Pacers, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes. “Thirteen years in the league, I feel like I’m at the teaching point. I like that. I really do,” Jefferson said. The big man signed a two-year, $20MM deal with Indiana during the offseason.
Community Shootaround: Midseason Awards
The 2016/17 season has passed the midway point, which means it’s time to hand out midseason awards. Here are my selections:
Sixth Man Of The Year: Eric Gordon
Gordon came to the Rockets in the offseason and he began the season as the team’s starting shooting guard before being moved to the bench. His scoring has helped the team and his efficiency has been key to their success. He second in the league in three-pointers made this season and he’s knocking down 39.2% of his attempts. Lou Williams is having a phenomenal campaign off the bench for the Lakers this season, but I give the edge to Gordon due to his team’s success.
Most Improved Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounpo should be rewarded for taking the leap from rising prospect to star player. He’s improved his scoring output from 16.9 points per game last season to 23.4 points per contest this year and he’s done it without sacrificing efficiency. He’s making 52.7% of his shots from the field, which is a career-high, and he’s dishing out a career-high 5.5 assists per game. His player efficiency rating is up t0 27.4, a massive rise over his 18.8 PER last season.
Rookie Of The Year: Joel Embiid
As I detailed in a recent edition of Fantasy Hoops, Embiid is having a monster season. The knock on Embiid is playing time, as 12 other rookies have played more minutes than him this season. Still, this an easy quality over quantity selection for me.
Coach Of The Year: Gregg Popovich
He’s the best.
Defensive Player Of The Year: Rudy Gobert
The Jazz are slightly behind the Warriors for the league’s best defensive efficiency rating and Gobert has been a major reason why. He leads the league in Defensive Win Share among players who’ve seen at least 300 minutes and he also leads the league in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus. He probably should have been an All-Star over DeAndre Jordan because of the way he impacts the game, though both have excellent resumes. As for this award, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant both have cases for it, but Gobert gets the nod for me.
Most Valuable Player: James Harden
Selecting a recipient for this award comes down to what you value. Is it traditional stats? Efficiency? Elevating your team in the win column? Being the best player on a championship contender?
Harden checks all of those boxes for me this season.
LeBron James is certainly an acceptable choice here; He’s the best player in the world and the Cavs fall apart when he’s not on the floor. However, he’s not having a season that’s on par with his previous MVP campaigns.
Russell Westbrook is putting up crazy numbers, but James Harden is putting up equally impressive stats. Westbrook is averaging 31.0 points, 10.2 assists and 10.6 rebounds per game while Harden is averaging 29.1 points, 11.6 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game. Harden has the edge in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage and minutes played. Harden also beats out Westbrook in Win Share (10.0 to 6.9) and his team has won seven more games than Westbrook’s on the season.
Overall, there are a number of impressive candidates (don’t be surprised if Kawhi Leonard makes a second half push to plant himself in this conversation for the year-end awards), but Harden’s dominant and efficient game earns him the first half honors.
Do you agree with the selections above or do you have your own picks for the awards? If so, who would you give the award to in each of the six categories? Let us know in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
NBA Reaches Out For Clarification On Trump’s Executive Order
The NBA reached out to the State Department to understand how President Donald Trump’s immigration ban may affect players from impacted nations, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today relays via Twitter. Here is the statement from NBA spokesperson Mike Bass:
“We have reached out to the State Department and are in the process of gathering information to understand how the executive order would apply to players in our league who are from one of the impacted countries. The NBA is a global league and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world.”
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that restricted immigration from seven countries–Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. The order prevents Syrian refugees from entering the United States and it bans citizens of the aforementioned countries from entering the U.S. regardless of their visa category. There are currently over 30 active protests of the ban at various airports around the country.
The NBA has several players whom could be impacted by this ban. Lakers small forward Luol Deng was born in Sudan and could be impacted. Bucks rookie Thon Maker was also born in Sudan and the team was in Toronto on Friday night before returning stateside, though Zillgitt (Twitter link) reports that Maker had no issues clearing customs with his Australian passport.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr wouldn’t go into specifics about Trump’s ban when asked earlier tonight, but he described what’s going on as “disturbing and disconcerting,” as Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter link) relays.
Hoops Rumors offers our condolences for all those who are impacted by the executive order.
Maverick Notes: Draft, Ntilikina, Matthews
The Mavericks currently own the fourth spot in our Reverse Standings, meaning if the season ended today, they would have an 11.2% chance at the No. 1 overall pick. Chad Ford of ESPN.com believes there’s a good chance the team opts to take a point guard with its first round selection. If the franchise ends up picking in the 6-10 range, a source tells Ford that the Mavs are very high on France’s Frank Ntilikina. The scribe hears that Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball are the only point guards higher than Ntilikina on their board.
Here’s more from Dallas:
- The Mavs haven’t been successful in the draft in quite some time due to the team trading away first-round picks in foolish deals, Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News writes. Cowlishaw adds that the team hasn’t nailed many of the picks it hasn’t dealt away but he believes this year will be different because of the talent at the top of the draft.
- The Mavs should deal Wes Matthews if the price is right, Cowlishaw contends. The scribe also argues that the team should trade Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut for whatever it can get back in return.
- Bogut reiterated that he’s not looking to be traded as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays. “My agent said [a trade] probably [is] not going to happen, but I’m not the right guy to ask,” Bogut said. “The only thing I can tell you is I’m not banging on [Mark] Cuban’s door or Donnie’s [Nelson] door asking for a trade, contrary to what was [written] last month.”
- Coach Rick Carlisle is pleased with Bogut’s game lately, as Sefko passes along in the same piece. “I really like the way he’s played the last two nights,” Carlisle said. “He’s a big positive when he’s in the game because of his impact defensively, and he’s doing some good things on offense. All in all, I’m very pleased with where he is right now.”
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Noel, Colangelo
Joel Embiid wasn’t named to the All-Star team this season, but he’s got the attention of executives around the league. One anonymous executive told Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he believes Embiid can eventually become a top-3 player in the NBA.
“He’s a two-shoulder player, meaning when bigs play defense against each other, they choose a shoulder and determine a pivot foot and they guard that way,” the executive said. “You can’t do that against Embiid. He can go either way, off either foot. And the fact that he can hit outside jumpers is incredible. Bigs don’t like guarding that. And, like I said, once he really develops his power game and learns the game and learns himself, oh my God, is he going to be good. I don’t throw around the word superstar, but he’s that – a top-three player in the league down the road, in my mind.”
Another anonymous scout told Cooney that he believes Embiid can become the franchise player for the Sixers due to his love for the game, but the scout cautions that health will still determine the big man’s place in the league.
“The only thing that worries me is health. You can see what kind of playfulness and personality, that’s a big thing with bigs,” the scout said. “A lot are playing only because they are big. It’s rare to get a big that really loves the game and even rarer when he’s not from the United States. Those parameters, that doesn’t align. That’s why, even in the league where the big man is less than an integral part of the game over the past five years, someone like Embiid with his agility, explosiveness and ability to be a force inside, you have to look at like a young [Shaq O’Neal], a bigger [Alonzo Mourning], much more offensively skilled than [Dikembe Mutombo].”
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- Embiid still isn’t playing back-to-backs, though the Sixers are winning games without him on the floor. Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer (video link) credits the team’s ball movement for its success. Ford also believes Nerlens Noel, whom Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors profiled as a trade candidate, has elevated his game over the last few weeks.
- Former GM Sam Hinkie will always receive some credit for the Sixers‘ promising future, but ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Mark Jones believes current GM Bryan Colangelo deserves credit for the team’s surprising run, as Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “The Colangelos in the front office, Bryan in particular, has laid the foundation for things going forward, they’re in a good place right now,” Jones said.
Mavs Waive Pierre Jackson, Sign Yogi Ferrell
January 28, 10:35 am: The Mavs have officially signed Ferrell, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.
January 27, 9:00 pm: The Mavericks have waived Jackson, opening the door for the addition of Ferrell, head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed today (link via The Dallas Morning News).
2:40 pm: Dallas will sign Ferrell to a 10-day deal, a source tells Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
2:30 pm: The Mavericks will bring in Yogi Ferrell for an audition with an eye on signing him to a 10-day deal, Jeff Rabjohns of Peegs.com reports (Twitter link). The team currently doesn’t have an open roster spot, so a corresponding move would have to take place.
Dallas re-signed Pierre Jackson to a second 10-day contract on Wednesday, but the point guard injured his hamstring in Thursday’s loss to the Thunder. The team could waive him before his 10-day contract is up, though the team would still owe Jackson the full amount of the contract, or it could simply let the deal expire next week in order to free up a roster spot. The Mavs will play in four more games before Jackson’s deal is scheduled to expire.
If Dallas wants to re-sign Jackson once that deal expires, it will have to be for the rest of the season. League rules prevent teams from giving more than two 10-day contracts to any player in a given season and with Jackson already receiving two such deals, Ferrell’s audition could be foreshadowing Jackson’s eventual departure.
The Mavs could take other paths to opening up a roster spot, such as waiving a player or trading a player without receiving one in return. The team is reportedly shopping Andrew Bogut, and Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors profiled the big man as a trade candidate earlier in the month.
Dallas is having trouble keeping its point guards on the court. Deron Williams missed the Thunder game with a sprained toe. J.J. Barea remains out with a calf injury and Jackson could miss time with his hamstring woes. If Jackson or Williams can’t play on Sunday versus the Spurs, the team may need to add some outside help sooner than later.
Ferrell played 10 games for Brooklyn earlier in the season, where he dished out a total of 17 assists while coughing up 14 turnovers before the team waived him. Since then, he’s been playing for the Nets’ D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.
Southwest Notes: Loomis, Anthony, Gordon
Mickey Loomis, the executive vice president of the Pelicans, said his role on the team is “overblown,” as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com relays (ESPN now link). Loomis said that GM Dell Demps and coach Alvin Gentry handle the day-to-day while he simply oversees things as an advisor to owner Tom Benson. Loomis, who is also the Saints GM, added that he focuses most of his attention on the NFL team and admitted that he misses some of the Pelicans games to take care of NFL matters.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Joel Anthony was the first player the Spurs considered adding when they went looking for a big man off the bench, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “Joel’s a really intelligent young man who knows exactly what his role is and performs it well,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s a real pro, and the guys respect him.”
- Jabari Young of Spurs Nation (video link) believes the signing of Anthony, who’s on a 10-day contract, was a good move for the Spurs. Pau Gasol remains sidelined with a broken finger, which could potentially allow Anthony to see some playing time with the team and receive another 10-day deal once his current one expires.
- Free agent additions Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson are thriving with the Rockets, Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated writes. Both players credit Houston’s strength and conditioning program for helping them achieve success. “We’ll lift weights, I mean heavy after a game,” Gordon said. “No matter overtime, double-overtime, we’re in that weight room right after every game.”
- The Pelicans are making a run at the eighth seed in the Western Conference, but Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune wonders if pursuing a match with the Warriors is the best move for the franchise. Duncan argues that the team should tank and land one of the nation’s elite prospects instead of taking an improbable chance at knocking off the league’s best team.