Western Notes: Jazz, Anderson, Young
- Mavs rookie small forward Justin Anderson has made an impact with his shot-blocking and rebounding since he was inserted into the lineup four games ago, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle has also been impressed by Anderson’s hustle, as he told Sefko and the gathered media. “He’s a guy that just goes hard and he never gives up on a play,” Carlisle said. “In a transition situation, he sees it as an opportunity and a challenge and not something like, oh well, I guess he’s going to score. You love that fighting sort of spirit and that’s what we need right now.”
- Lakers shooting guard Nick Young has lost his mental focus and dropped out of the team’s rotation as a result, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Young has kept a low profile since a gossip site leaked the video of rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell secretly taping him talking about his personal life. “Right now he’s not here with us mentally and there’s no need for me to put him out there on the floor as well,” Lakers coach Byron Scott told Bresnahan and other media members. The team shopped Young this season and will continue to do so in the offseason, Bresnahan adds.
- Suns point guard Brandon Knight has been shut down the remainder of the season because of a sports hernia, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports. Knight will get a second opinion this week to determine if surgery is needed for the injury, which has limited him to 52 games this season, Coro adds.
Draft Notes: Davis, Ingram, Hield, Trier
- Duke freshman and potential top pick Brandon Ingram, who declared for the draft on Monday, isn’t quite the prospect that Kevin Durant was coming out of college but there are similarities, as Mike Schmitz of The Vertical examines in great detail. Ingram was more of a facilitator in his freshman year, though Durant has developed into a superior passer as a pro, Schmitz continues. Durant was a prolific scorer and threat from anywhere on the court at Texas while Ingram only showed flashes of taking over games in his season at Duke, Schmitz adds.
- Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield gets the nod over Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine in NBA.com David Aldridge’s rankings of the top shooting guard prospects. Though scouts that Aldridge interviewed do not consider Hield a “turnaround kind of talent,” his shooting ability stands out among his peers. France’s Timothe Luwawu, who’s played in Serbia this season, is ranked third on Aldridge’s list.
- Arizona shooting guard Allonzo Trier will return to school for his sophomore season, ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman tweets. The 6’5” Trier, who averaged 14.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in his freshman season, is rated No. 79 by Ford and No. 76 by Givony.
Northwest Notes: Mitchell, Harkless, Cunningham
The Timberwolves should not bring back interim coach Sam Mitchell, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines. Mitchell’s dour personality doesn’t mesh with the team’s enthusiastic young stars and he’s not among the top 15 available candidates, Souhan continues. Tom Thibodeau, Luke Walton and Scott Brooks are among the potential candidates that the team should look at, Souhan adds.
In other news around the Northwest Division:
- Small forward Maurice Harkless has emerged as a starter for the Trail Blazers, according to Mike Richman of The Oregonian. With Harkless in the lineup, Al-Farouq Aminu has shifted to power forward with Noah Vonleh moving to a reserve role. The pairing of Harkless and Aminu gives Portland more defensive versatility, as Harkless told Richman. “I think it just changes the dynamic,” Harkless said. “Defensively, we can pretty much switch everything one through four. Offensively, it creates an advantage for me or Al-Farouq, whoever the big guy is guarding.”
- Jared Cunningham has returned to the Jazz’s D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets. The 24-year-old shooting guard has lived a nomadic existence this season. He appeared in 40 games with the Cavaliers, was waived by the Magic after they acquired him as part of the Channing Frye swap, then signed with the Stampede. He also signed a 10-day contract with the Bucks in mid-March but Milwaukee declined to offer him another 10-day deal.
- Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris has responded to coach Michael Malone’s challenge to become a much bigger factor in his second season, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post writes. Harris solidified himself as the team’s starting shooting guard in a make-or-break season to prove himself, Dempsey continues. Harris has reached double digits in 23 of his last 25 games, shedding his label as a defensive specialist. “Just being more aggressive on the offensive and defensive end,” Harris told Dempsey. “Just getting back into it. Instead of just being labeled as a defender, being an all-around player.”
And-Ones: Mavericks, LeVert, Porzingis
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is juggling his big-man rotation on a game-by-game basis, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports. Dwight Powell, Zaza Pachulia, Salah Mejri and Dirk Nowitzki are taking turns at center, depending upon the opponent, though it’s tougher to play Nowitzki there in smaller lineups with forward Chandler Parsons out for the season, MacMahon adds. Pachulia and Mejri shared the load on Friday when the team faced Detroit and its All-Star center, Andre Drummond. “We need everybody,” Carlisle told MacMahon and other members of the gathered media. “Going forward, we’re a walking adjustment. We’re going to have to adjust to whatever situation we’re up against.”
In other news around the league:
- Michigan senior combo guard Caris LeVert has hired Roc Nation Sports as his representative, he revealed on his Twitter feed. Roc Nation, founded by rap star Jay Z, also represents Kevin Durant, Justise Winslow and Wilson Chandler. LeVert has dropped to No. 33 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board and No. 43 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress Top 100 prospect list after an injury-marred season.
- Knicks rookie power forward Kristaps Porzingis should be shut down the rest of the season, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News opines. Porzingis, who has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, must be handled with care because he’s a franchise-altering talent, Isola continues. Selecting Porzingis in the lottery is the only home run that Phil Jackson has hit as team president, Isola adds.
- Spurs veteran power forward David West isn’t sure if he will exercise his $1.55MM player option for next season, according to Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. West will not make a decision until after the season, Young adds. “I have no idea,” he told Young. “I really just want to see what my body tells me when it’s all said and done. I think that’s the best way to put it.”
Eastern Rumors: Johnson, Magic, Butler
Pistons rookie forward Stanley Johnson fired back at Kevin Durant after the Thunder superstar small forward ripped ex-teammate Reggie Jackson for his antics during Detroit’s win over Oklahoma City this week, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was furious about what he felt was excessive celebration by Jackson, and Durant, who was rested for the game, concurred with Westbrook when interviewed by a media throng on Thursday. Durant then dismissed Detroit as a lightweight team. “I wanted to play against Detroit, for sure, but you know, it’s Detroit,” Durant said. “Who cares about Detroit?” Johnson felt Durant “disrespected our whole team” while promising to Ellis and other Pistons beat writers, “No one is scared of playing against him on this side of town. Next year we have two games scheduled, and I know, for me, it’s circled on my schedule from now on.”
In other doings around the Eastern Conference:
- The Magic will need to rely on trades and free agency to make improvements this summer, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Orlando has been stuck in a holding pattern in recent seasons, not losing enough games to get a top pick without lottery luck, yet failing to make the postseason, a trend that has continued this season in Schmitz’s view. The draft has become a means to supplement the Magic’s core talent, while the focus is on landing free agents to lead the young team or trading some of those assets for a veteran, Schmitz adds.
- Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler is playing some point guard with Derrick Rose battling injuries and E’Twaun Moore on a minutes restriction, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Butler was thrust into that role against the Rockets on Thursday when Rose left the game with an elbow injury and will continue to receive minutes at that spot if Rose has to miss games, Johnson adds. “Jimmy was terrific with the ball, made a lot of great plays to get guys baskets and also a lot of hockey assists, where he just would pass the ball, get it moving, then we would make the extra one [for] an open look,” Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg told Johnson and the assembled media.
- The Knicks will lean on their younger players the rest of the season, including a backcourt of rookie Jerian Grant and Langston Galloway, according to Fred Kerber of the New York Post. Grant made his first start while Galloway had a team-high 18 points in a win over the Nets on Friday. “If things are going well with the young guys, we’ll keep extending their minutes, giving them as much time as possible,” interim coach Kurt Rambis told Kerber and other members of the New York media. “And [the veterans] were all OK with that.”
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/28/16
A common lament heard around the NBA, especially at this time of the year, is that the schedule remains too grueling. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich continues to rest his veterans — particularly Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili — multiple games as they await the playoffs. Many other coaches are searching for ways to rest or reduce the minutes of their star players, even if it might cost them a higher playoff seeding.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has the difficult challenge of dealing with several injured players, trying to keep his top players somewhat fresh for the postseason, and yet giving his team a chance to break the league’s single-season win record. Virtually every coach in the league will tell anybody willing to lend an ear that they don’t have enough practice time and/or enough healthy bodies to hold a meaningful practice.
The league has made some minor changes recently to improve the situation. It extended the All-Star break to give players a longer midseason rest. This season, it reduced the number of back-to-back sets that every team plays, though most teams feel there’s still too many. The Pistons, for example, are playing a league-high 20 back-to-backs — thus, nearly half of their schedule is being played on consecutive nights.
There are several ways the league can attack the problem. They could reduce the amount of regular-season games, though that’s the most unlikely scenario. Team revenues are based upon having 41 regular-season home dates and players in turn probably wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice any income in order to play fewer games.
The season could be stretched out a couple more weeks at the front or back end. If it came on the back end, the Finals would likely have to be played in late June and the draft and free agency periods would also have to be pushed back.
A more likely scenario would be to reduce the amount of preseason games — teams can play a maximum of eight — and start the regular season earlier in October. Once again, though, the teams and players would have to be willing to lose the revenue generated by those preseason games if they were, say, whittled to four for each club. It could also lead to more early-season injuries, with regulars playing heavier minutes with fewer preseason games to prepare.
In any case, there’s little doubt the quality of play would improve if the games were spaced out to a greater extent. This leads us to our question of the day: What would you do to make the NBA schedule less grueling and reduce the wear and tear on players?
Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
Western Notes: Pierce, Mitchell, Howard
Paul Pierce‘s decision on whether to retire after the season may be tied to what Timberwolves power forward Kevin Garnett chooses to do, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports. The former Celtics teammates text each other at least once a week and have frequently considered the possibility of retiring at the same time, Murphy continues. But the Clippers’ veteran small forward admits that he has no idea what Garnett has in mind, Murphy adds. “I never know what KG is going to do, because he said he was going to retire four or five years ago,” Pierce said. “Every year he says he’s done, and every year he keeps coming back. It would be great.”
In other developments around the Western Conference:
- Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor will decide on interim coach Sam Mitchell’s future after the season, according to Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. While GM Milt Newton will give his input on Mitchell, Taylor will have the final word, as he told Youngblood. “Certainly it starts with Milt. But I don’t want to say it’s his call,” Taylor said. “It’s probably my call.’’
- Dwight Howard switched agents because Perry Rogers doesn’t have a large clientele, he told NBA.com’s David Aldridge in a Q&A session. The Rockets center hired Rogers after parting ways with Dan Fegan. Rogers is also Shaquille O’Neal’s agent and O’Neal brought Howard and Rogers together, Howard goes on to tell Aldridge. “I just felt like he has an opportunity to just focus on me,” Howard said. “Any other agent, they have a lot of different clients and stuff like that. I felt like he was able to just focus on me.”
- Jazz coach Quin Snyder believes fatigue may be the cause of center Rudy Gobert‘s recent swoon, Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes. Gobert, who’ll be up for a rookie scale extension in the offseason, averaged just 5.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during the team’s last recent five-game road trip. “He’s probably hit the proverbial wall and had to make adjustments in season,” Snyder told Sorensen. “Last year after All-Star break was a very finite stretch of time with a completely different mindset in how [opponents] approach him. Last year people weren’t prepared to play against him and now he’s garnering much more attention.”
And-Ones: Lawson, Thompson, Bacon
Pacers point guard Ty Lawson feels he was used improperly by the Rockets during his stint with them this season, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Lawson felt Houston interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff erred by playing him off the ball instead of making him the primary ballhandler. “I just know I was a better player than what I was showing there,” Lawson told Feigen, while adding he harbors no resentment toward the organization. “I wasn’t being used the right way. I’m not a space player. I like to have the ball in my hands.” Bickerstaff acknowledged in the story that he could have utilized Lawson differently. The Pacers signed Lawson earlier this month after he reached a buyout arrangement with the Rockets and cleared waivers. “I don’t know if it was just the early transition of him learning to play without the ball, the limited opportunity he got,” Bickerstaff said. “That may be some of my responsibility because he didn’t get the opportunity he was accustomed to. For whatever reason, it didn’t work and I was sad to see him go.”
In other news around the league:
- Ohio State 6’11” sophomore center Trevor Thompson will declare for the draft but not hire an agent, he told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. Thompson posted modest numbers as a sophomore, averaging 6.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. Thompson has a long climb ahead of him to make himself a draft-worthy prospect, as he’s not currently among the Top 100 prospects listed by either Chad Ford of ESPN.com or Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
- Florida State freshman small forward Dwayne Bacon has decided to return to school for another season, according to both Goodman and CBSSports.com’s Jon Rothstein (Twitter links). Rothstein reported last week that Bacon intended to enter the draft but not hire an agent. The 6’7” Bacon was ranked as the No. 72 overall prospect by Ford and No. 74 by Givony. Bacon had a strong freshman campaign, averaging 15.8 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Seminoles.
- The Clippers recalled C.J. Wilcox from the D-League’s Canton Charge, the team announced. Wilcox averaged 21.7 points in three games during his latest assignment and has appeared in 14 games for the Charge. He’s also played 14 games for the Clippers, averaging 1.6 points in 4.4 minutes.
- The Hawks assigned swingman Lamar Patterson to the D-League’s Austin Spurs, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Patterson has played in a combined 16 games for Austin and the Canton Charge under the league’s flexible assignment rule. Patterson has also appeared in 35 games with the Hawks, averaging 2.4 points in 11.3 minutes.
Prospect Profile: Kris Dunn (Part Two)
PROJECTED DRAFT RANGE: Kris Dunn is firmly in the top 10 in the major rankings and could even be one of the first five names called on draft night. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress currently pegs Dunn at No. 5, a notch ahead of the other highly rated point guard in the draft, Kentucky freshman Jamal Murray. ESPN.com’s Chad Ford isn’t quite as optimistic, ranking Dunn at No. 7, three slots below Murray on his Big Board.
RISE/FALL: Dunn was so productive in his last two college seasons, and that coupled with the fact that quality floor leaders are such valuable commodities makes it tough to see him dropping out of the top 10. He brings size, athleticism, wingspan, court vision and quickness to the table and his weaknesses are things he can work on with professional coaching. His 8-for-10 performance from beyond the arc during this year’s NCAA Tournament alleviated some concerns about his jumper, though front office executives and scouts will keep close tabs on how he looks from the NBA 3-point line. He’ll need to show a greater willingness to play through contact and finish his drives. He’ll also have to display an improved handle and do a better job of protecting the ball when tested by other point guards in predraft workouts.
FIT: Several lottery teams could be in the market for a point guard. Start with the Sixers, who need help everywhere and were disappointed when the Lakers took D’Angelo Russell ahead of them during last June’s draft. The Kings will need one if free agent Rajon Rondo bolts. A Dunn-Devin Booker backcourt pairing could be a juicy prospect for the Suns, while the Timberwolves could deal Ricky Rubio if they feel Dunn is a better long-term answer. The Bucks like what they’ve seen with their Giannis Antetokounmpo experiment at the point but they could go with a more conventional look and have Dunn share ballhandling responsibilities with the 6’11” Antetokounmpo. It’s also fair to wonder if the Magic have soured on Elfrid Payton, given that coach Scott Skiles has used Brandon Jennings as a starter in recent games. There are plenty of other teams who may covet Dunn — the Knicks, Nets and Rockets would love to upgrade that spot — but they would have to find a way to get into that area of the lottery to make it happen.
FINAL TAKE: Dunn has been a special player in college and his talents should translate very well to the pros. As a 22-year-old, he’ll be more mature than most point guard prodigies (Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, Payton, etc.) in recent drafts and consequently more prepared to take over the most demanding position on the floor. Dunn made progress by staying in school an extra season, as he told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com when he declared for the draft. “I felt like I improved my outside shot, even though it still needs work, cut down on my turnovers and became a better leader,” he said. Expect Dunn to start immediately for the team that drafts him.
(For Part One of Kris Dunn’s prospect profile, click here.)
Prospect Profile: Kris Dunn (Part One)
OVERVIEW: Kris Dunn put Providence back on the national map over the past two seasons by emerging as one of the nation’s top point guards. His college career got off to a slow start, as he endured two shoulder surgeries in a span of 18 months. Once he was finally healthy during his redshirt sophomore season, he quickly established himself as a premier floor leader. He averaged 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and a 7.5 assists in his breakout year and followed that up with a 16.4/5.3/6.2 slash line in his junior year. The 6’4” Dunn finished his college career with a 29-point outburst against North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
STRENGTHS: In a league that increasingly values quickness and ability to get to the rim, Dunn seems like a prototypical point guard. He should be an outstanding pick-and-roll initiator with his ability to blow past defenders as well as hit outside shots and create opportunities for himself and others. He should have a size and strength advantage over many of his peers that will make him difficult to guard in one-on-one matchups. As Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress points out, he has the ability to operate at different speeds, making him dangerous in half-court sets as well as in transition. He doesn’t shoot a lot of 3-pointers, but he makes an acceptable percentage, hitting at a 37.2% clip. Dunn can also be a major factor defensively. He has excellent length with a 6’8” wingspan and uses it to his advantage. The two-time Big East Player of the Year led the conference in steals each of the past two seasons. His quickness allows him to stay in front of his man, while his size gives him the ability to seamlessly switch defensive assignments between point and shooting guards.
WEAKNESSES: The two biggest knocks on Dunn, according to ESPN Insider Chad Ford, are his tendency to take questionable shots and his turnover rate. Dunn’s field-goal percentage fell from 47.4% as a sophomore to 44.8% this season, despite his improvement from long range. Givony notes that Dunn shows average touch around the rim when forced to finish over length and tends to avoid contact at all costs, perhaps because of his prior shoulder problems. That could become an even bigger issue at the NBA level, where he’ll encounter better closeouts and shot blockers. Dunn can also get careless with the ball. He improved somewhat over the past year, bringing his turnovers down from a whopping 4.2 per game to 3.5. That’s still a high number, as only three NBA point guards are currently averaging more than 3.5 per game and that same trio — Rajon Rondo, John Wall and Russell Westbrook — are also the only players averaging double-digit assists. As Givony describes it, Dunn can make some eye-catching moves with the ball, but he can also get very sloppy with his handle.
(For Part Two of Kris Dunn’s prospect profile, click here.)