Eastern Notes: Magic, Howard, Hayward
Nikola Vucevic is in his seventh season with the Magic and he has yet to see the postseason with the club.
“In past years, this time of year we’d already be planning our vacations, unfortunately,’’ said Vucevic, who will be a free agent at the end of the year (via John Denton of NBA.com). “It’s much different now and much more fun. As a basketball player and a competitor, you want to be in this situation, fight for something, play for something and be in the big moments. So, it’s up to us to respond.’’
Orlando entered the day just one game behind the Heat for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Vucevic, who made his first All-Star game this season has been a major reason why the playoffs are in reach. The big man prides himself on his consistency.
“Being able to sustain a certain level of play is important for individuals and teams,” Vucevic said. “For us, that’s been the biggest issue. When play well, we’re very good and when we don’t, we struggle. But for me personally, [consistency] is something I take a lot of pride in, and throughout my career I feel like I’ve been able to show that when I’m out on the court, you know what you’re going to get from me.’’
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Magic coach Steve Clifford believes Vucevic’s stability and smarts are two things that set him apart from other centers, as Denton adds in the same piece. “It’s invaluable to have anybody else on the floor who can do that other than your point guard, particularly a center who can play like that,” Clifford said. “In many ways, when he’s out there, it’s like playing with two point guards.’’
- The Wizards have yet to rule out Dwight Howard out for the season, though head coach Scott Brooks says the big man isn’t over his injury woes yet, as Candace Buckner of the Washington Post passes along on Twitter. “He’s still getting his work in — the hamstring problem has not turned the corner,” Brooks said.
- Gordon Hayward remains in the early stages of the league’s concussion protocol, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. Coach Brad Stevens called Hayward doubtful for the Celtics‘ game on Wednesday but left the door open for him to play on Saturday against Charlotte.
Michael Carter-Williams Embracing His Latest Opportunity
Michael Carter-Williams is on his fifth team since becoming the No. 11 overall pick out of Syracuse back in 2013. His latest club, the Magic, needed point guard help and he needed an opportunity. On Friday, a 10-day contract was printed and signed.
“I don’t know how many more chances I’m going to get,” Carter-Williams tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “I play hard every possession. I try to make the right play all the time and just have fun. I love the game. I love playing at the highest level. I believe I still have got a long career to go.”
Coach Steve Clifford is familiar with Carter-Williams from the pair’s time with the Hornets. Clifford calls the lanky guard “one of the best perimeter defenders” he’s ever coached.
“He’s a difference-maker at the defensive end of the floor, and he’s a point guard who’s going to get us playing up and down the floor faster,” Clifford added.
As Robbins explains, the backup point guard position has been a weakness for Orlando. Jerian Grant couldn’t hold down the spot and while Isaiah Briscoe emerged, he injured his knee, leaving Grant as the only option to lead the reserves.
Briscoe is one of several players who are unlikely to see the court again this season. Markelle Fultz, Timofey Mozgov, and Mohamed Bamba, who recently spoke with Hoops Rumors about learning from the sideline, are all likely out for the rest of the year. The league recently granted the Magic a hardship exception to sign an additional player, meaning they didn’t have to waive one of their 15 players to add MCW.
The 2013/14 Rookie-of-the-Year signed his deal on March 15 and he’s eligible to sign another 10-day deal once his contract expires on Sunday night.
Teams can only sign players to two 10-day deals in a given season, as our glossary entry details. Assuming Orlando inks MCW to a second 10-day pact, there would only be three games left in the regular season when it expires, at which time the Magic would be forced to either sign him for the remainder of the season (and postseason) or let him go. Orlando enters the day one game back of the Heat for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Carter-Williams saw 16 minutes in his debut for the Magic, backing up starting point guard D.J. Augustin. His play impressed teammates.
“What I really like is his motor,” Evan Fournier said. “He’s very active. He really, really wants to compete.”
Prior to the season, MCW thought Houston would be the team he’d be helping to achieve playoff goals. The Rockets had other plans, sending him to the Bulls in a cost-saving deal in early January. Chicago waived the point guard before his contract for the season would have become fully guaranteed. The path to his latest opportunity hasn’t been linear, though the road taken has taught him how to be resilient. It’s been “tough,” Carter-Williams said.
“I think it’s helped me grow, though, a lot,” MCW said. “It helps me deal with different situations. … It just helps me grow as a human. I’ve been through a lot of things in this league and I know I’m resilient and I know I’m never going to give up and quit. So I take that and I bring it to the court.”
Two-Way Success: Danuel House, Rockets Benefiting From New Deal
Danuel House unexpectedly made his way into the Rockets rotation earlier this season before taking a G League hiatus. Now, signed for the rest of the year, House will continue to make an impact for Houston.
“He’s going to be a big benefit, no doubt,” coach Mike D’Antoni said of House before Sunday night’s game (via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle). “He just kind of picked up where he left off. The way he played up here, it wasn’t just one game or one week. It was a couple months he played really well. He’s a big addition for us.”
Two-way players are limited to 45 days of NBA service, or the prorated equivalent. House, who was on that type of deal prior to reworking his contract with the Rockets, hit that mark in mid-January.
Houston then sent him down to the G League and attempted to rework his deal — the organization reportedly wanted to lock him up for three seasons, even offering a fully guaranteed deal to get him to sign. GM Daryl Morey is no stranger to shrewd moves and adding two extra seasons of team control to a player who’s proven he can be a contributor in the rotation is another example of Morey attempting to make the most out of the margins.
House’s reps didn’t have a ton of leverage, though they had to option to wait it out. House would be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end if the Rockets left his two-way deal alone or converted him to a standard contract. The latter occurred earlier this week, allowing the team to get a talented player back with enough time to get him re-integrated for a playoff run.
“D-House, he brings an athleticism that I don’t think we have. Defensively, offensively, transition, he just understands how we play,” Chris Paul said prior to Sunday night’s tilt with the Wolves. “…He’s a guy that understands the game. He just plays hard and is always in the right spot at the right time.”
Lakers Notes: Ball, Trades, Walton
Before finding himself sidelined for the remainder of the season, Lonzo Ball showcased his ability on defense, something that’s winning over some of his doubters.
“He’s an impact player on that side of the ball,” a Western Conference executive tells Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “I’m surprised he’s that good defensively. Coming out of UCLA, that was a question.”
Pincus notes that Ball and LeBron James shared the floor in 34 games this season, winning 20 of those contests. Over a full season, that pace would put the Lakers in the middle of the playoff picture instead of the gutter where Los Angeles currently resides.
The defense is there but the offense is still a work in progress for Ball. Pincus argues the point guard must add a reliable three-pointer to his arsenal in order to take the next step in the evolution in his game.
Here’s more from Los Angeles:
- Ball seems destined to be included in an Anthony Davis-to the-Lakers trade, but if that deal never occurs, the point guard would fit well alongside a potential free agent signing such as Kyrie Irving, Pincus argues (in the same piece). Ball has the size to guard opposing shooting guards, which would take a burden off of someone like Irving.
- Poor shooting is the Lakers‘ biggest issue, Bill Oram of The Athletic contends. The front office attempted to correct this deficiency at the trade deadline by acquiring Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala in a pair of deals. Bullock has made just 39.2% of his shots from behind the arc since coming to the Lakers. Muscala has made just 26.3% while barely seeing the floor.
- Luke Walton will likely take the fall for the Lakers‘ struggles this season but Oram (in the same piece) argues that the coach is putting players in position to be successful. The team is making just 35.5% of “wide open” three-pointers, which ranks last in the league.“ We’ve had so many 3s where it could be dagger [and force] timeouts,” Rondo said. “We haven’t capitalized on those yet.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls 3/17/19
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Thunder have assigned Hamidou Diallo to the Oklahoma City Blue, according to a team press release. Hamidou has appeared in 47 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per contest.
- The Clippers have recalled Justin Bibbs and Jerome Robinson from the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Tyler Dorsey to the Memphis Hustle, per the team’s Twitter feed.
- The Bucks have recalled Christian Wood from the Wisconsin Herd, per the team’s Twitter feed. The latest assignment was Wood’s 15th in the G League this season.
Dwyane Wade Open To Forming Group In Pursuit Of Owning NBA Team
Dwyane Wade‘s playing career is coming to an end and the 13-time All-Star would like to own an NBA team. The Heat would be his first choice, though owner Micky Arison has shown no interest in selling, so a minority ownership role appears to be the only available way to own a piece of the team he helped lead to three championships.
If Wade joins the franchise in such a role, he would want to be involved in personnel decisions to some extent, as he tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“You want to learn that side,” Wade said of the front office. “You want to be a continued part of helping the game grow. For me, I would love to be a continued part of helping this organization grow.”
Wade added that he wouldn’t need to have final say on basketball decisions, telling Jackson that he wouldn’t want to have that “pressure” on him.
“Right now, you just want to get your feet wet,” Wade said of his willingness to be a minority owner during his first venture. “I’m definitely open to seeing what the possibilities are and go from there.”
The three-time NBA champion plans to reach out to Hornets owner Michael Jordan and Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson to discuss life as a professional franchise owner. Wade added that he has spoken with long-time teammate Udonis Haslem about the possibility of being an owner of an NBA club.
“Our conversations have been more about owning a team, not owning this team,” Haslem explained. “That would be amazing. I would never thought I would be owning Subways, Starbucks and Einsteins, so who’s to say that would be out of my cards? It’s definitely possible.”
Haslem is planning to play at least one more season, while Wade is unlikely to join him for it.
Kelly Oubre Wants To Remain With Suns Long-Term
Kelly Oubre Jr. will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and while he’s only been in Phoenix for a few months, he’s sure that he wants to stick around long-term.
“Why would I go anywhere else?” Oubre said (via Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports) “I’m here, I’m getting established and I’m not a guy that really wants to be on a million teams in my tenure in the league and I just want to create a dynasty and a legacy here in Phoenix with [Deandre Ayton], [Devin Booker], [Mikal Bridges], all the guys in the locker room. It’s beautiful.”
The Suns have a ways to go in creating a dynasty. They own the second-worst record in the league, as our Reverse Standings show. Despite the lack of success, Oubre believes the team is improving and better days are coming.
“We’re learning from our mistakes that we’ve made in previous games and throughout the season and we’re starting to realize that we are definitely capable of competing with the best so we have to continue to go out there and prove that,” Oubre added. “We’re just trying to get some momentum going into next year.”
The Wizards sent Oubre to the Suns earlier this season in the Trevor Ariza deal, but hours before that, the former first-rounder was nearly dealt to the Grizzlies in a three-team trade that fell apart at the last minute.
“I’m just so happy that Phoenix, (GM James Jones) made the call and traded for me to come to Phoenix man because that was the biggest blessing of my career so far,” Oubre said. “…One-hundred percent I would love to remain Phoenix.”
Bulls Continue To Evolve Amid Season Of Woes
The Bulls are experiencing a season of ups and downs and Zach LaVine, who signed a four-year deal last offseason, feels the team has grown from the struggles, as Sam Smith of NBA.com relays.
“I don’t try to think negatively, but when you are going through those down times it seems like the days are longer,” LaVine said. “I feel now like…I’m glad we are out of that and hopefully we can stick in the good times. You can see a light in the dark tunnel. You try to prepare yourself for the times you are going to be playing for something, and that’s definitely what we want to do [now] as a team.”
Better times may be coming next season. Otto Porter Jr., who the Bulls acquired at this year’s deadline, recently told Hoops Rumors that he believes Chicago is heading in the right direction.
“We have a lot of young guys, young pieces. The team is definitely headed in the right direction, trying to get back to winning basketball here,” Porter said.
The Bulls have gone 6-5 since the trade deadline and their chemistry appears much improved compared their early-season swoons.
“We have a little bit of a swag to us going out there,” LaVine tells Smith. “We are feeling good and hopefully we can continue to carry it out throughout the end of the season.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls 3/5/19
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Spurs have recalled Lonnie Walker from the Austin Spurs, per the team’s website. The No. 18 overall pick from this year’s draft has seen action in seven NBA games this season.
- The Clippers are sending three players to their G League affiliate. Jerome Robinson, Sindarius Thornwell, and Johnathan Motley, who’s on a two-way deal, will go to to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, per Los Angeles’ Twitter feed.
- Tony Bradley is headed to the Salt Lake City Stars, as the Jazz announced on their Twitter feed. The assignment will be Bradley’s 11th of the season.
- The Hornets have assigned Dwayne Bacon and Devonte’ Graham to the Greensboro Swarm, per the team’s Twitter feed.
- The Warriors have recalled Jacob Evans from the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to the team’s website. The No. 28 overall selection from the 2018 draft has played in 23 games for Golden State this season.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Jevon Carter to the Memphis Hustle, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
Hawks Notes: Young, Future, Pierce
No matter how well Trae Young performs in his career, he will always be compared to Luka Doncic after the Hawks dealt the Slovenian wing to the Mavs in exchange for Young and a future first-rounder. Young embraces the comparisons, as he tells Marc Stein of The New York Times in the scribe’s latest newsletter.
“I know it’s a part of my life now,” Young said. “I tell everybody that hopefully we’re both 15-plus years down the line and we’re still playing and it’s a competition that’s been going since draft night…I think it’s going to go on forever, so might as well just accept it and take it on as a challenge.”
The Hawks are excited about the 20-year-old point guard in part because of his wise perspective at such a young age, Stein writes. Of course, Atlanta is also thrilled with Young’s game on the court. The University of Oklahoma product got off to a slow start to the season, but said the game “is really starting to slow down” for him. Young has averaged 21.5 points and 8.3 assists while making 39.2% of his looks from downtown since the start of the 2019 calendar year.
Here’s more from Atlanta:
- The Hawks have the right pieces in place as they close out year-one of their rebuild, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution contends. In addition to their young core, which includes Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter, Atlanta will likely receive the Mavs’ 2019 first-rounder, which is top-5 protected. Dallas currently has the eighth-worst record, as our Reverse Standings show.
- Young said Kevin Durant reached out to him, lending the rookie advice on how to deal with criticism, as Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports passes along. “[Durant] said remain [yourself], keep going, things are gonna turn and go the right way for you,” Young said. “Just to keep my head straight. I’ve known KD a long time, and he’s given me a lot of advice growing up.”
- Young has the green light to shoot from anywhere on the court, though coach Lloyd Pierce emphasizes that the point guard isn’t the only player without restrictions, as Goodwill relays in the same piece. “The freedom is for everybody. There’s no restrictions on who’s taking the shots or who’s making the plays. It starts with Trae,” Pierce said. “There’s a time and place, what’s a good or bad shot, a quick shot. I probably yell at guys more for passing up shots than for taking shots. Brian Shaw said something years ago at a camp, ‘Don’t pass up good [expletive] for bulls–t.’ So I don’t care if it’s further back. If it’s an open shot and you’re in rhythm, take it.”