Chandler Parsons Has Season-Ending Surgery
1:02pm: The team confirmed the surgery via press release, adding that Parsons will indeed miss the rest of the season.
10:54am: Chandler Parsons had season-ending surgery this morning to remedy the torn meniscus in his right knee, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (ESPN Now link). MacMahon reported earlier this week that the soon-to-be free agent was likely to have the operation but planned to get a second opinion. Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press indicated that it was conceivable that Parsons would return for the playoffs even if he did undergo the procedure, but that’s apparently out of the question at this point. Parsons is still expected to opt out of his contract this summer, and the Mavericks are still the front-runners to sign him, MacMahon wrote this week.
The surgery is on the same knee that ended Parsons’ season prematurely last year, though the injury isn’t as serious this time around, and Parsons will be able to take part in his normal offseason training regimen, according to MacMahon. The 27-year-old is poised to hit free agency as a hot commodity, with the Magic his primary option should he choose to leave Dallas, as MacMahon reported earlier this month. MacMahon also heard from sources who expected the Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Rockets, Nuggets and perhaps Thunder to also be in pursuit, though an executive from one team told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com that he wouldn’t sign Parsons because of concerns about the knee.
The immediate worry in Dallas is about the Mavs’ hopes of a playoff berth, with the loss of Parsons a serious blow. The Mavs, Trail Blazers, Jazz and Rockets are separated by just one game in the loss column with only three playoff spots in play for the four teams. Portland and Dallas have 36 losses while Utah and Houston have 37. The regular season ends April 13th.
Reserve Jeremy Evans is also lost for the rest of the season, but Dallas doesn’t have enough injuries to warrant a 16th roster spot via hardship. That leaves the Mavs without much roster flexibility, as the deadline for a disabled player exception passed more than two months ago, and the team already has 15 players signed through at least the end of the season.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps Questions Gentry Hiring?
12:23pm: Demps denied Wojnarowski’s report in comments he made today to reporters, the GM’s first talk with the media since October, as Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate and Justin Verrier of ESPN.com relay (See all Twitter links right here). Demps said his confidence in Gentry hasn’t wavered. Gentry stood next to Demps for the impromptu press conference and said he expects to remain the coach and that he and Demps work well together. Demps also addressed his own job security, saying, “I feel great about my job. I come to work every day and feel great about it,” as The Advocate’s Brett Dawson notes (Twitter link).
9:44am: Pelicans GM Dell Demps has expressed reservations on numerous occasions this season about last year’s decision to hire Alvin Gentry as coach, making his doubts known to some of the team’s players and staff, and to opponents as well, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical for a video report. It was Demps who originally chose Gentry for the job, as Wojnarowski casts it, though confusion exists over whether Demps or executive vice president of basketball operations Mickey Loomis is in control of the front office, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com touched on in a trade deadline report.
Gentry’s first season in New Orleans has gone much more poorly than expected, as injuries have devastated a roster that was expected to improve on last season’s playoff berth. The Pelicans are 26-45, eight and a half games out of a postseason spot. Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Bryce Dejean-Jones have all suffered season-ending injuries. The NBA granted hardship provisions for a 16th roster spot on at least three occasions this season, and it appears the team will use a fourth to sign Jordan Hamilton. That’s on top of a preseason rash of injuries that forced a whirlwind of moves in October.
Loomis was interested in Tom Thibodeau last spring, but Demps was against the idea, wary that the headstrong former Bulls coach would engender more conflict of the sort that Demps endured with former coach Monty Williams, as Wojnarowski reported at the time. Thibodeau, who remains out of coaching, never wound up talking with the Pelicans before they hired Gentry, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick.
Gentry is on a relatively cheap contract worth a total of $13.75MM over four years. That figure includes a $4MM team option on the final season. Demps’ contract status is unclear. Rumors have surfaced occasionally over the past two years about former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars joining the Pelicans front office in a similar role.
Who do you think will be coaching the Pelicans next season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Southwest Notes: Nowitzki, Conley, Davis
Dirk Nowitzki wouldn’t say anything definitive when asked recently whether he would leave the Mavericks if they went into rebuilding mode. The 37-year-old who has a player option worth only about $8.7MM for next season fielded the query on the “Ben and Skin Show” on KRLD-FM, as the Dallas Morning News transcribes.
“You know, that’s something I’ll focus on from summer to summer,” Nowitzki said. “I’m in the midst of chasing the playoffs here and trying to play well and compete every night. That’s something we’ll revisit this summer. Obviously I still have a year on the contract. I could choose to opt out. I think that’s in my contract. Honestly, I haven’t really spent a lot of thought on that at all. Like I said, I want to really make the playoffs bad. I think our fan base deserves that. It’s always a fun part of the year. The competition is high. We’d love to be a part of that. Everything else we can, you know, come together and talk about after. There’s just not enough thought put into it right now. Hopefully we can squeeze in the playoffs and then we can talk about all that stuff later.”
Nowitzki simply appears to be putting off conversations about his contract until the team is done with its playoff push, though a clear assertion that he’ll remain in Dallas, as expected, would probably have better served to short-circuit any chatter. In any case, see more on Nowitzki amid news from the Southwest Division:
- Rick Carlisle isn’t at all worried about Nowitzki’s future with the Mavericks, as the coach said earlier this week, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s playing for this franchise,” Carlisle said. “It’s pretty clear. His loyalty to [owner] Mark [Cuban] and the Mavericks has been undying. Very atypical for a player of his magnitude and his greatness. There’s probably three or four guys on our team that would not be here had he not made certain financial sacrifices. It’s pretty amazing, what he’s done and what he’s given up, so that we can compete.”
- Soon-to-be free agent Mike Conley isn’t expected to have his sore left Achilles re-evaluated until the end of the regular season, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal, presumably meaning he’s out until the playoffs, at least. That’s led the Grizzlies to turn to recent signees Ray McCallum, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Munford at the point, as Tillery examines. GM Chris Wallace is a fan of McCallum’s versatility, shooting range and ability to run a team, Tillery notes.
- A straw poll of 28 of 129 All-NBA Team voters shows the majority are at least somewhat likely to vote Anthony Davis to one of the teams, which would allow him to trigger the Derrick Rose Rule and make more on the extension he signed with the Pelicans last summer, reveals Justin Verrier of ESPN.com.
Northwest Notes: Sampson, Augustin, Hood
JaKarr Sampson is surprised about how easily he’s fit in with the Nuggets since joining the team last month, as Nicki Jhabvala and Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relay. Sampson signed a two-year deal following a snafu that caused the Sixers to lose him, and he’s filled in as a starter for the injured Danilo Gallinari. Sampson is dealing with a strained right shoulder himself, but he played through it Wednesday, and his time in Denver has been smooth thus far. “The transition has been easy,” Sampson said. “My teammates have made it easy for me and coach [Michael Malone] has made it easy for me. So, it hasn’t been hard, the transition — new sets, new teammates. I love my teammates. We’ve got a great staff here. Everything has been easy for me.”
See more from Denver amid news from the Northwest Division:
- D.J. Augustin, who says he’d love to re-sign with the Nuggets this summer, has made a strong impression in his brief time with Denver since coming over via trade last month, observes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “D.J.’s our security blanket,” Malone said. “He’s won games for us. Put the ball into his hands in the fourth quarter and he steps up, makes shots, hits free throws and always makes the right play.”
- Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey is excited about Rodney Hood‘s room for continued growth, notes Kareem Copeland of The Associated Press, and the team is proving wise for having selected him 23rd overall in 2014, Copeland argues. “What we saw was a guy that was somewhat sophisticated with the ball and with his reads,” Lindsey said. “It was relatively evident fairly quick that he’d be a nice fit for us. It’s to the kid’s credit that he’s gotten better since this time last year.”
- The Thunder have focused too much on adding scoring punch around Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and not enough on finding role players, argues Christopher Reina of RealGM. That plus their reliance on traditional big men threatens to leave the franchise in a compromising position, unable to win a title despite the presence of two elite players, Reina writes.
Looming Player Option Decisions: West
The NBA regular season ends in less than three weeks, so time is running short for players to make their final impressions. The stakes are higher for those whose contract situations for next season are unresolved. Player options are a coveted contractual feature, but the decisions players make often depend on how other teams regard them. Players do well to gauge the potential free agent market for their services, lest they follow the path of J.R. Smith, who turned down a $6.4MM player option last summer and wound up languishing in free agency for two months until accepting a deal from the Cavs that pays him only $5MM this season.
Most option decisions aren’t due until late June, but as the season winds to a close, we’ve examined the likelihood of each player opting in or out. We started last week in the Eastern Conference, and we’re following up now with the Western Conference, where many of the tougher calls exist:
Likely to opt out:
- Dwight Howard, Rockets ($23,282,457) — Howard is expected to opt out in search of a max deal that would pay him about $30MM next season.
- Chandler Parsons, Mavericks ($16,023,000) — The versatile forward’s potential season-ending injury is reportedly expected to have no bearing on his plans to opt out and enter a robust market.
- Deron Williams, Mavericks ($5,621,026) — The 31-year-old is putting up numbers strikingly similar to the ones he posted in his final season with the Nets. The difference is that this year’s production comes against much lower expectations in Dallas. The rising salary cap presumably lifts the stock of just about every free agent, so Williams stands to make as much or more than he did last summer if he opts out. That’s particularly so considering Williams didn’t really experience an open market last year, coming free from the Nets after most other notable players had signed.
- Austin Rivers, Clippers ($3,344,106) — The combo guard signed a short-term deal last summer because he wanted to improve his stock and quickly return to free agency. The terms of his existing contract were dictated by the declined option on his rookie scale pact, which barred the Clippers from giving him more, but no such bounds will exist for his next deal. A career-high 8.3 points per game so far will help Rivers, the son of Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers.
- Darrell Arthur, Nuggets ($2,940,630) — This one’s a tough call, but Arthur’s production is up, and his work on the boards is better than it’s been in four years. His 14 starts this season are his most since he started 64 games as a rookie.
- Caron Butler, Kings ($1,551,659) — It’s surprising that he’s still on Sacramento after the Kings reportedly promised to trade him in December. He was supposedly a strong bet for a buyout last month, but that didn’t happen, either. It’s tough to say much with certainty here given the evidence, but it seems like the 36-year-old will try to latch on elsewhere for a better chance at the playoffs.
- David West, Spurs ($1,551,659) — Money was clearly no object for West this past offseason, when he took a sharp pay cut to sign for the minimum salary with the Spurs and chase a title. We can assume that he’ll opt out to see if he can again go after a ring and make more money doing so, though that’s certainly not a given.
Toss-up:
- Tim Duncan, Spurs ($5,643,750) — Duncan, even as he approaches his 40th birthday next month, is worth far more than the value of his option, but he’s no stranger to discounts, and this decision likely comes down to whether or not he wants to retire.
- Manu Ginobili, Spurs ($2,940,630) — Ginobili, who turns 39 this year, is in the same position as Duncan. If he wants to play again, he probably opts in. If he wants to retire, he’ll turn it down.
- Wesley Johnson, Clippers ($1,227,286) — His minutes and scoring are down significantly from last season, though that was to be expected after a Lakers-to-Clippers move.
- James Anderson, Kings ($1,139,123) — The swingman’s minutes have been inconsistent this season, though coach George Karl thinks he’s probably the team’s best defender. Still, Anderson was out of the NBA last season, so his position isn’t secure.
Likely to opt in:
- Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks ($8,692,184) — Nowitzki hasn’t said so explicitly, but he told USA Today’s Sam Amick in November that he plans to “ride this contract out,” presumably meaning he’ll stay under this discounted pact, one that helps the Mavs chase other stars who could team with Nowitzki in a title quest.
- Brandon Bass, Lakers ($3,135,000) — It’s conceivable he’ll opt out to seek either a larger role, a better chance to win or both, but the bet here is that he sticks it out with the Lakers after putting up his lowest numbers in six years this season.
- Alonzo Gee, Pelicans ($1,379,400) — The journeyman has started 36 games for the injury-depleted Pelicans, but he’s averaged only 4.0 points per game and shot just 28.1% from 3-point range. The option gives him slightly more than he’d get on a minimum salary deal, and the money is guaranteed.
- Cole Aldrich, Clippers ($1,227,286) — The big man has been in the rotation since Blake Griffin‘s went down around Christmas, but it’s tough to see him doing much better than the guaranteed minimum salary his option provides.
- Seth Curry, Kings ($1,015,696) — Sacramento’s minutes for Curry have fluctuated, leading him to mild frustration, but he’d played only six NBA games before this season, so giving up guaranteed money would be a major risk.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
And-Ones: Jennings, Pistons, Draft, Suns
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said he’ll “keep an eye” on Brandon Jennings this summer in the hopes that the soon-to-be free agent finds the right situation, as MLive’s Aaron McMann relays. Van Gundy said in January that he could envision re-signing the point guard, despite the presence of entrenched starter Reggie Jackson, before Detroit traded Jennings to the Magic last month. It’s unclear whether Van Gundy is thinking about a reunion with Jennings, but it’s nonetheless apparent that the Pistons boss has affection for him, lauding his commitment and positive locker room influence. “The one thing, and some people probably think you’re full of crap,” Van Gundy said. “We said to him all along — he and his agent [Jeff Schwartz] — that if we traded him, we would try very hard to get him into a good situation. He had played for [Magic coach] Scott [Skiles] before, and the Magic really wanted him. It sounded to us like he was going to get an opportunity there. That was important to us because I’ve got great respect for Brandon and for what he did for us last year.”
See more from around the NBA:
- University of Iowa shooting guard Peter Jok is entering this year’s NBA draft but won’t immediately hire an agent, thus allowing him to retain his college eligibility, the school confirmed via press release, according to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Marty Tirrell of KBGG-AM radio first reported the news (Twitter link). The junior has only long shot pro hopes, as he isn’t among the many prospects in either Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings or Chad Ford’s ESPN.com listings. Early entrants have until May 25th to withdraw from the draft and retain their college eligibility.
- Givony, writing for The Vertical, examines the impact of the rules changes that allow underclassmen to enter the draft, gauge their stock and retain their college eligibility if they pull out, noting that existing NBA rules let players withdraw from the draft only twice. Prospects become automatically eligible for the draft the year following their second withdrawal, Givony points out, so that means freshmen take a slight risk if they enter with the intention of pulling out, since they’d become automatically draft-eligible after their junior seasons if they entered and withdrew again as sophomores.
- Suns affiliate player Terrico White has backed out of an agreement with Israel’s Maccabi Rishon and will play for Israeli rival Nes-Ziona instead, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). White, the 36th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, has spent the season with Phoenix’s D-League team since a training camp stint on the NBA roster.
Southeast Notes: Harris, Bosh, Humphries, Morris
Tobias Harris just signed a four-year, $64MM deal with the Magic in July, but he took it in stride when the team traded him to the Pistons at last month’s deadline, observes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m not mad at Orlando for the trade,” Harris said Tuesday. “Actually, if I was to sit here and be upset, that would be selfish, wouldn’t it? All they did was put me in an amazing situation. Truthfully, I thank them for that. I mean, I loved my time there, but business is business, and I think being here has been great for me.”
Harris’ new team got the better of his old one Wednesday as Detroit beat Orlando, 118-102. See more from the Southeast Division:
- Chris Bosh and the Heat have received conflicting information about how soon he can stop taking blood thinners and return to the court, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Bosh can’t play until he’s off blood thinners, and while some doctors recommend that patients stay on blood thinners for three to six months after a clot develops, others disagree, Jackson notes. Bosh reportedly developed the clots in mid-February.
- The buyout market signing of Kris Humphries has returned the big man to a traditional inside role after the Wizards tried to make him into a stretch four earlier this season, and the arrangement has been beneficial for the Hawks, coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said, notes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Humphries goes back on the free agent market July 1st. “He’s fit in really well,” Budenholzer said. “I’d just say rebounding is an area where we need to be better and he’s kind of come in and given a little life. He tracks offensive boards, goes to the offensive boards. And I’m hoping he’ll be more of an influence on our other guys even though it’s not something we prioritize. He brings a little bit of a physicality, a little bit of a toughness. And then he can make shots, he can spread the court. Shoot threes, make threes. And his personality, he’s added a little personality to our locker room, too, so it’s just been a really good fit.”
- Markieff Morris makes Washington’s defense better, his contract isn’t a killer, and the top-nine protected pick the Wizards gave up in the trade to acquire him is unlikely to cost the team a landmark player, contends J. Michael of CSN Mid Atlantic, who sees the deal as a victory for Washington. “It’s the versatility of him being able to guard postup guys as well as out on the perimeter, whether it’s a three, four or five guy,” coach Randy Wittman said. “His knowledge of the game, his willingness to pass. He’s a willing passer and makes great decisions at the other end.”
Every Kentucky Player To Test Draft Waters
Every underclassman on the University of Kentucky basketball team will enter the NBA draft but retain college eligibility, coach John Calipari said Wednesday in a stream of tweets (See all nine Twitter links from Calipari right here). That means 14 Wildcats plus Alex Poythress, the only senior on the Kentucky roster, will be eligible to work out for NBA teams and participate in the NBA combine, taking advantage of new rules that allow prospects to gauge their draft stock until May 25th, the deadline for players to pull out of the draft if they want to remain eligible for college ball. The players would forfeit their college eligibility if they hire agents, so presumably they’ll hold off on doing so.
Calipari’s announcement shows the player-friendly side of the rules changes, which leave NBA teams in the dark about just who’ll be in the draft until that May 25th deadline. Previously, college players had to choose whether to enter the draft or return to college in April, before workouts and the combine.
Several among the Wildcats entering the draft figure to stay in, with freshman combo guard Jamal Murray leading the way as the No. 4 prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and as No. 7 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress list. He’ll battle Providence junior Kris Dunn, who’s declaring for the draft and hiring an agent, to become the first point guard taken, though Murray played off the ball much of the time this season, deferring to Tyler Ulis. Murray led the Wildcats with 20.0 points per game and also pulled down 5.2 rebounds per contest despite standing only 6’5″.
Freshman center/forward Skal Labissiere, who began the season as the No. 1 prospect on Givony’s board, is now No. 10 and checks in 15th with Ford. He struggled this year, floating in and out of the starting lineup and averaging only 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest.
Ulis, a sophomore, is 20th with both Givony and Ford. He led the SEC with 7.0 assists per game and was the team’s second-leading scorer at 17.3 points per contest.
Isaiah Briscoe, a freshman combo guard, also has a legitimate shot to be drafted, coming in 75th with Ford and 80th with Givony, while Poythress, a combo forward and the lone senior on the team, is No. 77 in Ford’s rankings and No. 90 in Givony’s.
Guards Jonny David, E.J. Floreal, Dominique Hawkins, Charles Matthews, Mychal Mulder and Dillon Pulliam and forwards Isaac Humphries, Marcus Lee, Derek Willis and Tai Wynyard comprise the rest of the Wildcats, who lost to Indiana in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past weekend.
J.R. Smith To Drop CAA, Hire Klutch Sports
J.R. Smith is in the midst of parting with agent Leon Rose and the Creative Artists Agency and plans to sign with Rich Paul of the LeBron James-backed Klutch Sports Group, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It’s the latest step in the growing bond between Smith and James, who’ve strengthened their connection on the court and off since Smith arrived in Cleveland via trade in January 2015, Haynes writes. Smith is on an unusual two-year contract that includes a player option and partially guaranteed salary for next season.
That deal came at the end of a frustrating summer for Smith, who turned down a player option worth nearly $6.4MM and lingered on the market for about two months before agreeing to a $5MM salary for this season. The partial guarantee on next season’s $5.375MM salary is worth only $2.2MM, though it increases to a full guarantee if he remains under contract through September 7th.
Smith will join James and fellow Cavs teammate Tristan Thompson as clients of Paul. The swingman represents the latest score for Klutch, which also landed Ben Simmons, a prime contender for the No. 1 overall pick who announced his selection of Klutch on Wednesday. John Wall left Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports to sign with Paul earlier this season. CAA has also otherwise had a strong year so far, landing Joel Embiid as well as soon-to-be free agent Pau Gasol.
The 30-year-old Smith has had a reputation for inconsistent play and stirred controversy in the past, but he was recently cleared of any wrongdoing in a case involving an incident outside a New York nightclub. Coach Tyronn Lue is impressed with Smith’s growth, as Haynes relays.
“Just talking to him the other day after the game, just hearing his maturity. I think him taking that step he took this summer, I think that’s helped him off the court,” Lue said. “And then on the court, every night, he’s giving us effort every single night. He’s playing hard. He’s competing and that’s all we can ask of J.R. It’s been good because I’ve known him since he was 18 years old, just to see the growth and how he’s matured over the years.”
Reaction To Talk Of LeBron-‘Melo-Wade-CP3 Team
A meeting between LeBron James and Cavaliers GM David Griffin and conflicting statements from Carmelo Anthony represented some of the fallout from the Wednesday publication of comments that James made shortly before the All-Star break about his desire to play at least one NBA season on the same team as Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul. James has spoken with Cavs management in the past to propose the idea of trading for Anthony, who has a no-trade clause, a source told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, though it’s not clear when such talk took place. James and Griffin spoke in general terms Wednesday, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The conversation was “positive and productive,” with James striking an upbeat tone about the Cavs, Vardon writes.
Anthony echoed James’ assertion that he would take a discount to facilitate teaming with the other stars, though he hinted that if it happened, it wouldn’t take place in New York, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. The Knicks have Anthony under contract until at least 2018, when he can opt out.
“Everybody has fantasies,” Anthony said. “We’d all have to take pay cuts. I’d take one. I think at that time we’d want to go someplace warm. Later — [close to] retirement.’’
Anthony re-signed with the Knicks in 2014, though he reiterated Wednesday, when the Knicks beat the Bulls, that he came “very close” to signing with Chicago that summer instead, notes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). Still, Anthony once more restated his commitment to the Knicks during ESPN’s broadcast of the game, McMenamin notes.
“I came here for a reason, which was to win in New York,” Anthony said. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case thus far, but I feel like I have unfinished business to take care of. And I feel like, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, if I just get up and run away from something that I started, that I feel a part of and that’s not done yet, then I think I would carry that burden on my shoulders. That’s just me as an individual.”
James isn’t sure that having the four stars on the same team would fly with any owner, given the vast power the players would have in such a circumstance, a source told McMenamin. The former MVP tamped down the notion of playing with his high-profile friends in comments he made Wednesday, as McMenamin relays.
“It would definitely be cool if it happened, but we don’t know how realistic it could be to have us four,” James said. “If you got an opportunity to work with three of your best friends, no matter what, it’s not even about sports, it’s about being around guys that you don’t even have to say nothing, you automatically know. We just have that type of history. Can it happen? I don’t know if it can even happen but it would be cool.”
James had a lingering chat with Wade at halftime of Cleveland’s loss to Miami on Saturday while the Cavs were warming up, and James later apologized to Cavs coach Tyronn Lue for that, Vardon writes. Cleveland was down 21 at the time in a game the Cavs lost by that same margin.
“I just told him we can’t have that, being down like we were and him being the leader,” Lue said to Vardon. “Just me being a competitor, I didn’t like it. We had a long talk about it. It was good. He understood, he apologized, and he’s been great.”
Wade largely brushed off talk of playing with James, Anthony and Paul, as ESPN’s Michael Wallace relays in McMenamin’s story.
“I don’t know, man,” Wade said. “Yeah, I heard it. I read it. I’m not really jumping into the headlines right now. For me, I’m focused on my teammates in here. As cool as the headlines is, that has nothing to do with what we’re trying to do in here.”