Dewayne Dedmon Wants Out Of Sacramento
When Dewayne Dedmon signed his three-year, $41MM contract with Sacramento this offseason, the plan was for him to play a major role as a floor stretching big. However, Richaun Holmes has severely outplayed Dedmon, forcing coach Luke Walton to sour on the 30-year-old big man.
Now, Shams Charania of The Athletic hears that Dedmon wants out of Sacramento and multiple teams are speaking with the Kings about acquiring him prior to this year’s trade deadline.
The center has not played in eight of the last 10 games for the Kings. Neither the franchise nor Dedmon believes that they can work things out and move forward past the trade deadline.
Dedmon’s $41MM deal may make it a challenge for Sacramento to find a taker, but it’s not as onerous as other contracts that have been moved in recent years. His third-year salary is only partially guaranteed for $1MM, so teams aiming to open up cap room for 2021 may still kick the tires on the veteran big man.
Eric Gordon Expected To Return For Rockets
Eric Gordon is practicing today and the plan is for him to play in New Orleans on Sunday, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The Rockets have a back-to-back this weekend, taking on the Nets on Saturday before the Pelicans on Sunday and the shooting guard will return during the second contest.
Gordon has only played nine games for the Rockets this season before his knee injury forced him out of action. Coach Mike D’Antoni previously indicated that the shooting guard will come off the bench once he’s cleared to play.
The guard wasn’t particularly effective leading up to his stint away from the team. In his 265 minutes of action, he had a plus/minus of -4.2, a figure fueled by his horrible shooting numbers. He hit just 28.4% of his 8.2 three-point attempts per game earlier this season.
Rockets Convert Chris Clemons’ Contract To Three-Year Deal
DECEMBER 27: The move is official, the Rockets announced in a press release. As we relayed on Thursday, the minimum-salary deal is guaranteed for 2019/20, with non-guaranteed years to follow.
DECEMBER 26: The Rockets have agreed to convert Chris Clemons‘ two-way contract to a standard deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The new contract will span across three seasons, including 2019/20.
Clemons used all 45 days of his eligibility in the NBA and would have only been permitted to play in G League contests had the Rockets not promoted him to the standard roster.
The shooting guard has appeared in 20 games for Houston this season. He’s scoring 4.8 points per contest and shooting 39.1% from behind the arc.
The Rockets have had an open roster spot on their 15-man squad since releasing Ryan Anderson earlier in the season, so no corresponding move will be required to make room for Clemons, who will be signed using the mid-level exception.
Houston will open up a two-way contract slot as a result of the deal.
Western Conference All-Stars: Who Should Start?
Voting for the NBA 2020 All-Star Game has opened up. We examined who should be the starters in the east on Wednesday. Now let’s take a look at who deserves the starting nod in the Western Conference.
Backcourt Selections
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Where would the Rockets be without James Harden this season? The perennial MVP candidate is carrying the scoring load for Houston, averaging an insane 38.1 points per game, and his VORP tops all players in the league.
Luka Doncic‘s return to the lineup likely closes any window that would allow Damian Lillard to take over the other starting spot (Lillard would be the first guard I’d choose for second-team All-NBA if that ballot was cast today).
Frontcourt Selections
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
The frontcourt in the Western Conference has a clear-cut top three and perhaps the only way to unseat the future Kawhi Leonard–Anthony Davis–LeBron James trio is for one to miss significant time between now and when voting ends for the All-Star starters. James could miss time with his nagging groin injury over the next month, but it’s fair to wonder whether another frontcourt player has the resume to supplant James regardless of how many games he misses.
Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George have also missed chunks of time with various ailments. And while Brandon Ingram should certainly earn an All-Star spot with the numbers he’s putting up this season, LeBron’s year to date is arguably more impressive than anything his former teammate could do between now and the end of January to close the gap.
In year 17 of our King from Akron, only four players have a higher win share than the soon-to-be 35-year-old and if you exclude Doncic, Harden, and Giannis, no player has a higher VORP. Not to mention the raw stats: 25.7 PPG, 10.6 APG, and 7.6 RPG. LBJ has likely done enough already to earn a starting spot in the Western Conference regardless of how many games he misses over the next month.
Who do you believe should be the starters in the Western Conference? Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say!
Central Notes: Griffin, Kennard, Dunn
Pistons star Blake Griffin has struggled this season and the big man isn’t happy with his level of play, Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays.
“It’s obviously a disappointing loss with a lot of frustration for a lot of different reasons,” Griffin said. “I’ve got no excuses; I just have to play better. [Not having a rhythm] doesn’t help but I’ve never really been an excuse guy. I’ve just got to be better — that’s the bottom line.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Luke Kennard will miss at least two weeks with bilateral knee tendinitis, the Pistons announced today in a press release. The wing is expected to be sidelined for at least the team’s next six games.
- Kris Dunn may have created a future for himself with Bulls, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago contends. The former No. 5 overall pick has embraced his role as a defensive wing.
- Danny Leroux of The Athletic examines why the Cavaliers agreed to trade away Jordan Clarkson. Cleveland received Dante Exum and a pair of second-rounders in exchange for the guard.
Wizards Sign Johnathan Williams
Earlier in the week, it was reported that the Wizards were close to signing Johnathan Williams and according to the team, the deal is official.
Washington will use the hardship provision to bring the big man on without a corresponding roster move. This will be the second player added via the hardship provision, as the team signed Gary Payton II earlier in the week.
As we explained in our story on Payton, the NBA can grant a team a hardship exception when that team has at least four players who have missed three or more games due to injury or illness and are expected to miss at least two more weeks. If a team has five players who fit that bill, a second additional roster spot can be granted.
Williams played with the Lakers last season on a two-way contract. Before that, the center split his college time between Missouri and Gonzaga.
As a free agent this past offseason, Williams signed with Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion, where he had averaged 12.2 PPG and 10.4 RPG in nine Israeli League games.
Luka Doncic Expected To Return For Mavs
There is good news out of Dallas for Mavericks fans. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the team is planning for Luka Doncic to make his return to the lineup against the Spurs tonight.
Doncic has been sidelined since December 14 with an ankle sprain. He’s missed four games – and most of a fifth – with the ailment.
In 25 games for the Mavericks this season, Doncic has been electric. He’s scoring 29.3 points per game, grabbing 9.6 rebounds and dishing out 8.9 assists. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden have a higher TPA this season despite Doncic’s time away from the court.
Zion Williamson “Trusts” Pelicans’ Plan
Zion Williamson continues to make progress as he recovers from surgery on his right knee and his rehab process has been about more than just the recovery. The Pelicans are working with Williamson to alter his walking and running style, focusing with the big man on the kinetic chain of his body, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com relays.
While that doesn’t sound great, Williamson insists he “trusts the organization” when it comes to the Pelicans’ decision-making and plan for him.
Williamson has performed individual shooting drills and group drills but hasn’t yet participated in 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 type drills. The franchise would like Williamson to undergo two or three full practices before he plays in a game. The Pelicans are targeting the very beginning of the 2020 calendar year for those practices to take place.
“He is making progress. He is in rehab,” coach Alvin Gentry said of Williamson. “He is doing everything that he’s supposed to do and he’s moving forward toward playing,”
Lakers Urging LeBron To Sit Out Until Fully Healthy
Lakers star LeBron James has been dealing with a nagging groin injury and he aggravated the ailment during a collision with Patrick Beverley in Wednesday’s contest.
“I felt healthy going into the game,” James said after the game. “I got kneed in the groin taking a charge from Pat Bev, and it kind of set me right back to where I was five days ago.”
James could miss time with the injury and several members of the organization have approached the four-time MVP, urging him to sit out until he is fully recovered, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports. James missed his first game of the season earlier this week as he was nursing the groin injury as well as a muscle strain in his rib cage.
James has repeatedly rejected the notion of load management, McMenamin writes. The team has an upcoming back-to-back (at Portland; vs. Dallas), and it sounds like James isn’t going to sit out either game if he can help it.
“To be honest, I haven’t even thought about Portland just yet,” said James, who will turn 35 next week. “I’m always around the clock with my body, getting my treatment. If I’m feeling great, I’ll be in the lineup. If I’m feeling well, I’ll be in the lineup…We’ll see what happens.”
Eastern Notes: Chandler, Griffin, Hayward
Wilson Chandler, who recently returned to the Nets from a 25-game suspension, is finding that there’s a big difference between being in great physical shape and NBA game shape, but he’s having no problem adjusting to his new teammates, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post relays.
“It’s very different,” Chandler said. “When you’re playing, you’ve got bodies, you’ve got a lot of athletic guys, a lot of strong guys. So just maneuvering around them, bumping and grinding with those guys, plus having to run up and down the court is a whole different dynamic.
“As far as the plays and teammates, it’s been pretty easy. Kicking off the rust has been hard. But that’ll come in a couple weeks, a few weeks, however long it takes. Cardio, lift, explosiveness, stuff like that.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Blake Griffin has struggled to be an impact player for the Pistons this season but coach Dwane Casey believes the power forward can contribute by being more of a playmaker, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press passes along. “He’s not shooting the ball well; that’s the bottom line and it’s no fault of anybody’s,” Casey said. “Players go through that, but out of that, I think he’s a good facilitator. He can pass the ball out of there. There are things he can do to help us win.”
- A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston wonders if load management is in Gordon Hayward‘s future. The wing only saw 27 minutes of action for the Celtics against the Raptors on Christmas.
- Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald details how the Heat discovered Duncan Robinson. Robinson went undrafted in 2018 but Miami added him to their Summer League squad before signing him to his current NBA contract.