Western Notes: Garnett, Cousins, Sabonis
Clippers coach Doc Rivers knew Kevin Garnett was going to leave the game quietly, as Jerry Zgoda of The StarTribune writes. “[Garnett and Tim Duncan are] complete opposites and yet they’re very much the same in some ways,” said Rivers, the coach of the Clippers. “In that way, you knew Kevin was going to leave quietly, which you don’t say about Kevin very often. You knew Tim would the same thing, and they both did. They both literally left the game and said goodbye and you didn’t see them again.” Rivers, who coached Garnett for six seasons in Boston, added that the future Hall of Famer misses the camaraderie in the locker room, but does not miss everything about the game. “I don’t think he misses the work anymore, and he put in as much work as any player I’ve ever seen,” Rivers added.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t think the Kings are playing with enough urgency, James Ham of Comcast Sportsnet writes. “Once again, we’re just waiting until the last minute to play with energy, play with a sense of urgency, play with some pride, play with some heart,” Cousins lamented. “I mean, it’s all fun, it’s exciting in the end – you feel like we’re playing good and making the right steps, but these games are only going to continue to get harder for us if we wait until the last quarter or I guess you could say second half to try to make a push. We’ve got to start having complete games.”
- Coach Dave Joerger understands the center’s frustration and said that changes are coming for the Kings, Ham passes along in the same piece. “I’ve seen enough, I’m going to play small” Joerger said. “DeMarcus is going to play center. I don’t know who else is going to play with him, but it gives us more zip, more life, more experience.”
- The Thunder are heavily wagering on Domantas Sabonis becoming part of the team’s core, Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer writes. Sabonis has started at power forward this season and while he’s impressed at times offensively, he has struggled overall. Tjarks argues that the Thunder can’t wait too long for Sabonis to improve his play since they have a superstar in his prime and they needs to give him the best chance at winning right now.
Latest On Gary Harris
Gary Harris will miss at least four weeks because of the injury to his right foot, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports. Harris suffered the foot injury last weekend in a loss to the Pistons and it was reported at the time that the shooting guard could miss up to four weeks, so he’ll likely be out of the lineup longer than expected.
Dempsey adds that Harris won’t need surgery. Instead, he will receive daily treatment on his foot in order for it to heal. Harris missed the Nuggets’ last two games because of the injury and he missed the first four games of the season because of groin injury he suffered during the preseason.
Harris missed a total of six games last season and appeared to be elevating his game to new levels. He took nearly four shots from behind the arc per game and made 35,4% of them. This season, in five games played, his numbers were slightly down, but he was sporting a career-high 13.9 player efficiency rating.
Southwest Notes: Gasol, Holiday, Conley
Pau Gasol knows that trying to replace Tim Duncan is a quixotic task, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post relays. “I didn’t come here to replace Tim,” Gasol said. “Tim is an incredible player, a player that I looked up to, an icon in San Antonio, and anywhere else, for that matter. But I just came to bring my talent, my abilities and help this team be the best it can be. That’s what I’m focused on. I’m not going to try to be someone that’s played here 19 years, got five championships with this team. I’m trying to help this team get one, and that’s where I’m at.” The Spurs signed Gasol to a two-year, $30MM deal over the summer and the big man has helped the team earn a 10-3 record this season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Jrue Holiday is thrilled with how the Pelicans handled his absence and he’s happy to be back on the court, James Varney of USA Today writes. “I’m blessed, man,” Holiday said earlier this week. “Blessed to have my family back, blessed that we’re OK. So blessed for the support, especially from the team. This team was there for me and my family. A lot of people were. I just can’t put it on one group of people. So many showed faith and support.” Holiday helped the team get its third win of the season on Friday night, scoring 21 points in 23 minutes off the bench.
- Mike Conley is still underrated despite re-signing with the Grizzlies on the largest contract in league history over the summer, Jerry Zgoda of the StarTribune argues. Conley has always been a team-first guy, but he admits that his lack of All-Star appearances weighs on him. “It’s very frustrating, but I know my team feels like I am, I feel like I am that All-Star-caliber guy,” Conley said. “I just have to keep playing like that and get better as each year goes by.”
Community Shootaround: Orlando’s Playoff Chances
Things haven’t gone as planned in Orlando. The Magic were expected to make major improvements this season under new head coach Frank Vogel. The additions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo were supposed to take the Magic out of the rebuilding phase and elevate the team’s defense.
Entering Saturday, Orlando is tied with Golden state for 15th in the league in defensive efficiency this season, up slightly from 17th last year. The lack of drastic improvement on the defensive end, coupled with the team’s offensive struggles (27th in the league in offensive efficiency), has led to a ho-hum 6-7 record.
As big of a disappointment as it has been for the Magic so far, it’s not inconceivable that they turn it around. New players need time to learn how to play with each other (just ask the 2010/11 Heatles). New systems take time to master. Combining both is asking for a delay in winning results.
That leads us to tonight’s topic: Can the Magic rebound and make the playoffs this season? If not, what should the franchise do to better position itself for a playoff run?
Their frontcourt is overcrowded and the franchise might be better off shipping out some of its depth for a scorer on the wing. A trade after December 15 might make the most sense, as many players who signed this offseason will then be eligible to be included in a trade.
Instead of making major moves, perhaps a smaller adjustment should be made, like reducing Jeff Green’s minutes. The forward is sporting a career low 9.3 player efficiency rating and the team has been outscored by 92 points in the 260 minutes he’s played this season.
Should this team make any more changes or should it trust that the changes it has already made will pan out? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Semaj Christon To Miss Time
Semaj Christon suffered a non-displaced left facial fracture and is currently in the NBA’s concussion protocol after hitting in his head on Enes Kanter‘s knee during the Thunder’s win over the Nets on Friday night, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman reports. There currently is no timetable for his return, though Horne notes that Christon should be able to play with the fracture once he returns from the concussion protocol as long as he wears a protective mask during games.
Christon’s injury opens up an active roster spot for Oklahoma City and it’s expected to be filled by Josh Huestis, according to Horne. The Thunder currently have 15 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates, so the team can’t add anyone without making a corresponding move.
Christon has seen minutes this season because of the injury to Cameron Payne and the rookie has been decent in limited action. He has 34 assists on the year, compared to just 10 turnovers through his first 13 games.
Central Notes: Cole, Butler, Parker
The Cavs will likely examine the trade market if they are going to make an upgrade at their back-up point guard slot, Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Vardon adds that Norris Cole is no longer on the team’s radar since he may not be available to come back to the NBA until February or later, depending on how far his team in the Chinese Basketball Association advances in the playoffs. It has been reported that Cole does indeed have an NBA opt-out clause in his deal, though Cleveland believes he will not truly be available until after his season in China.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- If the Cavs trade for a point guard, it likely won’t occur until December 15, the date in which offseason signings are first eligible to be traded, Vardon speculates in the same piece. The scribe names Deron Williams and D.J. Augustin as possible targets.
- Jimmy Butler is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and steals per game while ranking among the top-10 in player efficiency rating this season and Sam Smith of NBA.com wonders if the 27-year-old could realistically win the MVP award. The Bulls are 8-4 this season with impressive wins over the Jazz and Blazers this past week.
- Keith P. Smith of RealGM chronicles Jabari Parker‘s first couple seasons in the league and details what the forward has done to reach his potential this season. The Bucks have relied heavily on Parker so far this season, as his 26.5% usage rate indicates.
And-Ones: Gee, Douby, Favors, Love
Nuggets coach Mike Malone believes the addition of Alonzo Gee brings “defensive versatility”, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “I’ve been a fan of him from afar for many years,” Malone said. The team signed Gee on Tuesday.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Quincy Douby has signed in the D-League and will play for the Westchester Knicks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link).
- Derrick Favors‘ MRI confirmed a bone contusion on his left knee and he won’t play for the Jazz in Thursday’s game, according to the team’s website. Utah didn’t provide a concrete timetable for Favors’ return.
- Kevin Love has no regrets about signing his five-year contract with the Cavs, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Love could have signed a one-year deal during the summer of 2015 and positioned himself to take advantage of this past summer’s exploding salary cap. Instead, Love chose security over taking a risk to maximize his earnings. “When it’s your time [to sign], it’s your time. You’ve got to figure it out,” Love said. “Maybe the shoulder had something to do with it, but you’ve got to think about risk adversity. How much risk do you want to take? Knowing I could be with this team, locking in for five years, it was an easy choice.”
Southeast Notes: Hawks, D-League, Magic
The Hawks‘ ownership group is committed to putting a championship-caliber team on the floor and they are willing to spend what it takes to achieve that goal, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The franchise has begun construction on a $50MM practice facility and it reached an agreement with the City of Atlanta on $192MM worth of renovations to Philips Arena. Vivlamore hears from several sources within the organization that additional initiatives are yet to come.
The Hawks appreciates the ongoing improvements. “I feel like I’ve been saying how excited we are about a lot of things the last couple weeks, months,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I continue to say how excited I am and I genuinely mean it. It’s kind of mind-boggling for us who have been here for three or four years and making these things a priority.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Hawks are expected to get their own D-League affiliate , but they won’t likely have an team until the 2019/20 season after an arena is built. Matt Kempner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the new arena, which will be located in College Park, will likely cost between $20MM and $40MM to construct.
- The Magic are struggling on the offensive end this season and they should explore the trade market for help, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel opines. The scribe names Rudy Gay and Brandon Knight among the possible additions. Schmitz also argues that putting together a package that brings in DeMarcus Cousins would be a sound move for the franchise since it desperately needs All-Star talent.
Central Notes: Jackson, Baynes, Seraphin
Reggie Jackson has started to participate in 5-on-5 non-contact drills, Rod Beard of The Detroit News reports. Jackson has been sidelined for over a month because of tendinitis in his left knee and right thumb and there remains no definite timeline for his return. “Nobody’s given me [a timeline]. He was at five weeks yesterday and it was a 6- to 8-week thing,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Next week would be the absolute earliest and I’d say that would be really, really optimistic at this point, to think he’d be back Monday of next week. I don’t see it now.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Michael Gbinije is using his D-League assignment as an opportunity to master the role he is likely to play on the Pistons and Van Gundy is impressed with what he sees, Keith Langlois of NBA.com details. “[Some] felt he wasn’t aggressive enough offensively,” said Van Gundy. “I didn’t really see it that way. I thought Mike took his game as a complementary player to the D-League and played the same way there that he would play in the NBA and played well.”
- If Aron Baynes opts out of his current deal at the end of the season and another team offers him more than $11.375MM, it won’t be easy for the Pistons to retain the big man, as Langlois outlines in his latest mailbag. The team only has his partial bird rights, meaning it can only offer him a 175% raise of his current salary in the first year of a new deal.
- Kevin Seraphin is fitting in nicely with the Pacers, Mark Montieth of NBA.com writes. “He’s done some good things,” coach Nate McMillan said. “We certainly have to look at trying to get him some minutes. We’ve been looking for [energy]. So we’ll see.”
Heat Notes: Riley, Dragic, Whiteside
Pat Riley was non-committal about whether the Heat would be active before the trade deadline or be willing to take on contracts that run through next season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “The important thing is we are a forward-thinking team,” Riley said. “We are not going to be thinking backwards. We’re not going to have any regrets. We love what we have with our young players and we know assets, whatever assets we have in the future are going to help us rebuild, whether it’s picks, whether it’s personnel, whether it’s [cap] room. I’m always thinking down the future, down the road.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- The Heat are off to an abysmal start to the season, but Riley remains optimistic about his team’s chances this year, Jackson relays in the same piece “I’ve been through this drill before,” Riley said. “We have great faith and great belief in our young players. Our young players have been not forced but put up into a position where they now have to deliver timely times during the game, sustaining drives, stopping drives, making shots at the end, making free throws. They’ll get it. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
- Goran Dragic is the type of point guard the Heat need and trading him away doesn’t solve their issues, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel argues in his latest mailbag. Winderman believes that Miami needs Dragic’s play-making ability and once he returns from ankle injury, the team will show improvement.
- Hassan Whiteside believes the team’s rough start is a result of a tough schedule to begin the season, Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel writes. “We haven’t played any bad teams,” Whiteside said. “We played all playoff teams … We’re not losing to bad teams. We’re right there. It makes no sense to get down on ourselves.” Whiteside, who re-signed with the Heat on a four year, $98MM deal over the summer, is enjoying personal success this season, averaging career highs in points, rebounds and free throws made per game.