Klay Thompson Plans To Play In Game 2
Lost in much of the hoopla surrounding the newsworthy finish in Game 1 of the NBA Finals was the injury suffered by Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson during the middle of the first quarter when J.R. Smith rolled under him and crashed into his legs.
Thompson ended up returning to the game and finished with 24 points, but according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, Thompson suffered a high left ankle sprain during the play that has left him with significant bruising in the ankle.
Thompson still plans to play in Game 2 tomorrow night, but admits that he has been receiving around-the clock treatment since late Thursday night. Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Thompson said the pain got worse from last night to today and that if the game were tonight, he’s not sure if he could play.
Slater adds that the team is officially listing Thompson as “questionable” for tomorrow night.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/26/18 – 6/2/18
Every week the Hoops Rumors writing staff strives to create interesting and original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the last seven days:
- Luke Adams detailed the soon-to-be fourth year players who are eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, including former Kentucky teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker.
- In our two Community Shootarounds, we focused on both Conference Finals going to seven games for the first time in decades:
- Who would win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals – the Celtics or the Cavaliers?
- Who would win Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals – the Rockets or Warriors?
- In his Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions about the upcoming free agency of LeBron James, potential free agent targets for the Bucks, and the future of the Warriors.
- We concluded our 2018 Offseason Salary Cap Digest with the teams who made the conference finals:
- In our two polls this week, we asked:
- Will Marcus Smart be on the Celtics’ roster next season?
- What will be the specific outcome of the NBA Finals?
- We continued our 2018 Five Key Offseason Questions series with the following franchises:
- As the NCAA deadline for early entrant NBA Draft withdrawal came and went, Luke Adams checked in on some top prospects’ decisions.
Canada Basketball Unveils 18 Training Camp Invites
Canada Basketball has announced its preliminary 18-man roster of players who have been invited to participate in training camp and exhibition play ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers next month, reports Josh Lewenberg of The Sports Network.
Among the 18 named individuals, eight played in the NBA last season – Khem Birch (Magic), Chris Boucher (Warriors), Dillon Brooks (Grizzlies), Cory Joseph (Pacers), Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Kelly Olynyk (Heat), Dwight Powell (Mavericks), and Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers).
The preliminary roster also includes former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, as well as three other G League players – Aaron Best, Olivier Hanlan, and Kaza Kajami-Keane.
The remaining six players are former first-round pick of the Magic, Andrew Nicholson, former college standouts’ Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim, Baylor’s Brady Heslip, and Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos, as well as brothers Phil Scrubb and Tommy Scrubb.
As also highlighted by Lewenberg, notable absences include Trey Lyles (Nuggets), Nik Stauskas (Nets), and most glaringly, Andrew Wiggins (Timberwolves). Per Lewenberg, multiple sources indicated that one factor in Wiggins’ decision to decline Canada Basketball’s invitation is his strained relationship with national team head coach Jay Triano, who left Wiggins on the bench during the final moments of a qualifying game for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Five Key Stories: 5/26/18 – 6/2/18
In case you missed any of the past week’s top stories from around the NBA, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
In what is likely the most bizarre story of the 2017/18 NBA season, Sixers’ president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo is under investigation by the team for allegedly using burner accounts on Twitter to divulge confidential team information and criticize his own players. In a report rife with compelling circumstantial evidence connecting Colangelo to the burner accounts, Ben Detrick of The Ringer details how the accounts went after, among others, current Sixers’ players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz and former Sixers’ players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. Colangelo immediately denied the report, issuing statements such as “Someone’s out to get me” and “This is clearly not me.” The current narrative is that perhaps it was a family member who operated the accounts.
As the NCAA deadline for college underclassman to make a choice on their draft status came and went, we relayed numerous relatively high-rated players’ decisions on whether to stay or go:
- Brian Bowen (South Carolina): Staying in Draft
- Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova): Staying in Draft
- Kevin Huerter (Maryland): Staying in Draft
- Omari Spellman (Villanova): Staying in Draft
- Jarred Vanderbilt (Kentucky): Staying in Draft
- Tyus Battle (Syracuse): Returning to School
- Jalen Hudson (Florida): Returning to School
- Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s): Returning to School
- Jontay Porter (Missouri): Returning to School
- PJ Washington (Kentucky): Returning to School
- Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State): Returning to School
- Austin Wiley (Auburn): Returning to School
- Kris Wilkes (UCLA): Returning to School
The Magic have hired former Hornets’ head coach Steve Clifford to the same position, with league sources reporting that Clifford and Orlando management have agreed upon a four-year contract through the 2021-22 season. Widely respected, Clifford led the Hornets to a 196-214 (.478) record over five years before he was dismissed in April. He previously worked as an assistant coach for the Magic under Stan Van Gundy from 2007 to 2012.
Knicks’ guard Ron Baker has exercised his player option for the 2018/19 season and will remain under contract with the team for one more season. Baker’s decision comes as no surprise, as his salary for next season of $4.544MM is likely far more than he would have received as a free agent this offseason after he missed most of this season with injury and ended up averaging only 2.4 PPG and 1.6 APG with a .339/.333/.769 shooting line in 13.3 minutes per contest.
The Sixers and coach Brett Brown have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension that will lock up Brown as the team’s head coach through the 2021/22 season. Brown, 57, has coached the team through some tough years, guiding Philadelphia through a now-famous rebuild colloquially known as “The Process.” This is Brown’s second contract extension after he received a two-year extension in December, 2015.
Here are 10 more headlines from the past week:
- Kevin Love missed the Cavaliers’ Game 7 Eastern Conference Finals win over the Celtics with a concussion, but returned for the team’s Game 1 loss to the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
- Warriors’ swingman Patrick McCaw has returned to action after missing nearly two months with a back injury, while Andre Iguodala remains out with a left lateral leg contusion/bone bruise.
- Celtics’ backup guard Marcus Smart believes he’s worth more than the $12-14MM he’s reported to earn in free agency.
- Thunder’ swingman Andre Roberson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after complications arose during rehab from a ruptured patella.
- The Pistons intend to interview TNT analyst Kenny Smith for their head coaching job, as well as Heat’ assistant Juwan Howard, former Raptors’ head coach Dwane Casey, and Spurs’ assistant Ime Udoka.
- The Pistons have also interviewed Michigan head coach John Beilein and plan to interview former Bucks’ coach Jason Kidd.
- Spurs’ vice president of basketball operations Monty Williams is in discussions with Sixers’ head coach Brett Brown about a possible lead assistant role.
- Clippers guard Patrick Beverley has received medical clearance to resume full basketball activities about three months earlier than originally projected.
- The Pistons have parted ways with now former general manager Jeff Bower.
- Tristan Thompson was fined $25K for his actions at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but will not be suspended.
Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Cousins, Trent Jr.
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News is analyzing, position by position, the top 5 free agent fits for the Mavericks this summer. Today we take a look at his list of point guards, even though he readily admits that the position isn’t one of great need given last year’s pick of Second Team All-Rookie selection Dennis Smith Jr.
In order, from five (worst relative fit) to one (best relative fit), Sefko lists Devin Harris, Elfrid Payton, Isaiah Thomas, Fred VanVleet, and incumbent Yogi Ferrell as the best fits with the Mavericks.
Out of the five, Payton and Thomas seem to me to be the most intriguing selections given that they both will potentially be looking for a starting role this offseason. In regard to Payton, Sefko believes that his lack of shooting ability really negates anything else he can bring to the table for the Mavericks, thereby eliminating his starting potential.
As for Thomas, Sefko sees him as more of a reach to be signed, with the signing possible only if Thomas is willing to come off the bench behind Smith and sign with the Mavericks for less money than he is most likely seeking.
There is more from the Southwest Division:
- In a non-related tweet, Sefko adds that the Mavericks and head coach Rick Carlisle appear to have their coaching staff set for next season after the hiring of Stephen Silas, with Larry Shyatt, Kaleb Canales, Jamahl Mosley and Darrell Armstrong all expected to return.
- As part of his Monday Morning Tip mailbag, David Aldridge of TNT answers a fan’s question as to whether Pelicans’ free agent big man DeMarcus Cousins would be willing to sign a one-year deal with a team such as Dallas or Chicago in order to prove himself worthy of a maximum contract next summer.
- The Spurs will workout Duke freshman guard Gary Trent Jr., reports Darren Wolfson of KSTP-TV. Trent, whose father, Gary Trent Sr., played nine seasons in the NBA, will also work out for the Trail Blazers, Nets, Nuggets, and Bucks.
Draft Decisions: Harper, German, Schofield, Moss, Barefield
It’s been a busy day for Auburn basketball. Both Bryce Brown and Austin Wiley have already indicated they are returning to school, and now Auburn has officially announced that their teammate, sophomore guard Jared Harper, is also electing to withdraw his name from the 2018 NBA Draft and return for his junior season with the Tigers.
Harper, who like Brown was not listed among Johnathan Givony’s top 100 prospects list on ESPN, averaged 13.2 PPG and 5.4 APG last season while sharing team MVP honors with Brown and Mustapha Heron. He was named Second Team All-SEC by both the coaches and the media.
Tomorrow is the last day for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA Draft and retain their NCAA eligibility. With that in mind, here are four more underclassmen who will return to school:
- Sophomore guard Eugene German will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return for his junior season at Northern Illinois, the school announced today. German, 20, led the Mid-American Conference in scoring last season, averaging 20.6 PPG on his way to being named All-MAC Second Team.
- Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield will return to school for his senior season, tweets Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Schofield, 21, averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a junior and was named to the 2018 SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Isaiah Moss will withdraw from the 2018 NBA Draft and return for his junior season at Iowa, the school announced today. Moss, 21, started every game for Iowa during the 2017/18 season and was named the team’s Most Improved Player.
- Utah guard Sedrick Barefield will withdraw from the draft and return to school for his senior season, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN. Barefield, 21, began his career at SMU before transferring to Utah during his freshman year. He averaged 12.0 PPG last season.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/19/18 – 5/26/18
Every week we strive to create interesting and original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- In our two Community Shootarounds, we asked:
- Which cities could best handle and/or most deserve consideration for expansion?
- Who had the greatest season in NBA history?
- In his Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions about trade buzz surrounding Kawhi Leonard and Karl-Anthony Towns, Brad Stevens, and Luka Doncic.
- Chris Crouse took an in-depth look into how the Warriors were able to sign Kevin Durant.
- We continued our 2018 Offseason Salary Cap Digest with the following teams:
- Luke Adams wrote about the trade restrictions teams face during the NBA offseason.
- In our only poll this week, we asked which two teams will meet in the 2018 NBA Finals?
- We continued our 2018 Five Key Offseason Questions series:
- As we approach the end of the 2017/18 season, Luke Adams reminds us how the July Moratorium operates under the CBA.
Patrick McCaw To Be Activated For Game 6
2:38pm: Both McCaw and Iguodala are officially listed as questionable for tonight’s Game 6, per Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
1:36pm: The Warriors are planning to activate Patrick McCaw for Game 6 tonight against the Rockets, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. It would be the first time McCaw has played since he injured his back in a scary fall on March 31.
The Warriors have lost both games against the Rockets since Andre Iguodala injured his left leg in Game 3, and Iguodala remains questionable for Game 6, so perhaps Golden State is hoping McCaw will be able to mimic some of Iguodala’s talents should he still not be ready to go.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reminds us that McCaw had trouble walking and sleeping for about a month after his injury, and that recovery was slow at first, meaning it’d be a monumental ask for the Warriors to expect too much out of McCaw in his first game back.
Before his injury, McCaw was averaging 4.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game.
Five Key Stories: 5/19/18 – 5/26/18
In case you missed any of the past week’s top stories from around the NBA, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Rockets’ point guard Chris Paul injured his right hamstring in his team’s Game 5 win against the Warriors and has been ruled out for Game 6 in Oakland. Paul will be re-evaluated after the team returns to Houston for Game 7 or in preparation of the NBA Finals, but there is pessimism inside the organization that Paul would be ready for a Game 7.
The NBA announced the 2017/18 All-NBA Teams, with James Harden and LeBron James both unanimously selected to the First Team. They were joined by Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant. The Second Team was made up of Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joel Embiid, while Stephen Curry, Victor Oladipo, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, and Karl-Anthony Towns rounded out the Third Team.
The NBA announced the 2017/18 All-Defensive Teams, with Jazz center Rudy Gobert receiving the most votes. He was joined on the First Team by Oladipo and Sixers forward Robert Covington, as well as Pelicans’ teammates Davis and Jrue Holiday. The Second Team consisted of Embiid, Butler, Draymond Green, Al Horford, and Spurs’ guard Dejounte Murray.
The NBA announced the 2017/18 All-Rookie Teams, with Sixers forward Ben Simmons and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell both voted as unanimous First Team selections. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum almost joined them, receiving 99 out of a possible 100 First Team votes. Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma and Bulls power forward Lauri Markkanen rounded out the First Team, while the Second Team consisted of Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr., Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, Hawks big man John Collins, Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Suns swingman Josh Jackson.
The Raptors conducted interviews with several candidates for the team’s next head coach, with Raptors 905’s Jerry Stackhouse (link) and Spurs’ assistant coaches Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka (link) all meeting with front office personnel. Stackhouse took over the head coaching job with Raptors 905 two seasons ago, leading the G League team to two straight championship game appearances, while Messina or Udoka would be the second Spurs’ assistant to receive a head coaching job this Spring after James Borrego was hired by the Hornets.
Here are 11 more headlines from the past week:
- Luka Doncic was named MVP of the EuroLeague, becoming the youngest MVP in league history.
- There appears to be some differing opinions between the Lakers and imminent free agent Julius Randle regarding the team’s interest in Randle.
- Georgia Tech shooting guard Josh Okogie will remain in the 2018 NBA Draft.
- The Clippers and head coach Doc Rivers reached an agreement on a contract extension.
- The Heat and center Hassan Whiteside appear to still be at odds after Whiteside posted a video on social media accusing the team of prohibiting his shooting from the perimeter.
- Former All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire is thinking about attempting an NBA comeback.
- The Magic will interview former Hornets’ head coach Steve Clifford for its head coaching vacancy.
- The Magic also had interest in Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, but the interest is apparently not mutual.
- The Hornets have hired former Suns interim head coach Jay Triano as an assistant coach.
- The Mavericks have hired former Hornets’ assistant coach Stephen Silas to their coaching staff.
- The Pistons hired Ed Stefanski as a senior advisor responsible for overhauling the team’s basketball operations.
Latest On Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala Injuries
MAY 24, 12:15pm: Kerr indicated today that Thompson is expected to play, while Iguodala is listed as a game-time decision (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News).
MAY 23, 7:20pm: In somewhat surprising news, both Warriors forward Andre Iguodala and shooting guard Klay Thompson are listed as questionable for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow night, per an official tweet from the team.
Head coach Steve Kerr is confident both Thompson and Iguodala will play, per Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, but the fact that both remain questionable is noteworthy nevertheless.
Iguodala, who suffered a knee contusion in Game 3, was sorely missed in the team’s Game 4 loss to the Rockets last night, while Thompson is one of the team’s four marquee stars, along with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. Missing either one of the two could hamper the Warriors’ chances in Game 5, let alone both.
Thompson suffered a strained right knee during the second quarter of Game 4, forcing him to leave the game for several minutes before returning before halftime. Per Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area, GM Bob Myers was concerned while accompanying Thompson back in the locker room.
“Watching him try to run up and down, I thought it was bad. I was thinking meniscus or something. So then when he got back to the locker room, you can always kind of gauge a player’s concern by their mannerisms. And he just threw a towel over his face and laid down on the training table. And that’s not a good sign.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Kerr will adjust his rotation if Iguodala, Thompson, or both can’t play, but one would assume both Kevon Looney and Nick Young are logical candidates to receive the increased playing time, as they did in Game 4.