Heat Notes: Whiteside, Spoelstra, Wade, McGruder
Hassan Whiteside has impacted the Heat in a much more positive way this season, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who shares perspectives from some of Whiteside’s teammates and other figures around the franchise.
Whiteside, who missed part of last season due to injury, was unhappy with his playing time after his minutes dropped from 32.6 per game to 25.3. The Heat handled the matter internally at the time, working with him to become a better teammate and approach games with a team-first mentality.
“I think I’m just in a better place than what I was last year,” Whiteside said, according to Jackson. “Going through all the injuries and stuff, I was real frustrated with myself too, not being able to be there with my teammates, not being able to contribute like I wanted to. There was a lot of frustration with myself also, with the injuries. I’m just happy we’re winning. All the other stuff will come.”
Whiteside has averaged 12.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 25.8 minutes per game this season with Miami. His overall mindset and willingness to trust coach Erik Spoelstra has helped improved their relationship as a result.
“Spo’s my guy,” Whiteside said. “We overcommunicate. We got an understanding. He wants to win. I want to win. We’re definitely in a better place.”
Spoelstra, who’s coached Whiteside for each of the past five seasons, is impressed with his growth and maturity. Whiteside has put forth a ton of work in recent months, including improving his quality of screens to help his team.
“Every year, he’s becoming a better basketball player and learning how to become an ultimate winner. And he’s enjoying it more,” Spoelstra said. “That’s the whole thing that’s tough for players to really grasp. The more you breathe life into somebody else and enjoy somebody else’s success, whatever it is that you are searching for yourself, you usually end up getting because of that giving mentality.”
There’s more out of Miami today:
- Erik Spoelstra will tie Pat Riley‘s franchise record by coaching his 849th regular-season game with the Heat on Monday, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. Spoelstra, who’s in his 11th season as head coach, can pass Riley’s record on Wednesday against the Clippers.
- Dwyane Wade played his final game in Chicago on Saturday, tallying 14 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists in nearly 27 minutes. “I have more of a connection here than anywhere else,” Wade said postgame, according to Mark Strotman of NBC Sports. “It’s my birth city. It’s the place where my vision to become an NBA player started, watching my favorite team and watching my favorite players growing up. It definitely felt different than any other city but it was a good different. It was a joyous time for me to be here.”
- Rodney McGruder has earned a higher ground for restricted free agency this summer, Winderman details for the Sun Sentinel. McGruder, 27, met the criteria of starting half of the season (41 games) last week, raising his $1.9 million qualifying offer to $3MM. The CBA also states that the “starter criteria” could include playing 2,000 or more minutes, according to Winderman, with McGruder logging 1,185 minutes just over the halfway point of the season.
Kings Interested In Harrison Barnes
The Kings have interest in Harrison Barnes ahead of the February 7 trade deadline, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (hat tip RealGM).
Barnes is currently in the third season of a four-year, $94MM deal with the Mavericks. His contract contains a $25.1MM player option for the 2019/20 season, with the 26-year-old averaging 18.1 points per game on 41% shooting this year.
“I know the Kings would love to have Harrison Barnes,” Windhorst stated on the Hoop Collective Podcast. “Whether or not that can work out? I don’t know.”
Sacramento was on a three-game win streak entering Thursday’s loss to Charlotte, holding a 23-22 record just over the halfway point of the season. The team sports a young, dynamic core of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley lll and others.
The Kings were also said to be eyeing Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. back in November, according to The Athletic’s Jason Jones. Porter is set to make $26MM this season and $27.2MM next season.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/17/19
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Hawks recalled guard Tyler Dorsey from the Erie Bayhawks, G League affiliate of the team, announcing the news in an e-mail. Dorsey, 22, was drafted with the No. 47 pick by Atlanta in 2017.
- The Magic assigned Melvin Frazier Jr. to the Lakeland Magic, according to a tweet from the team’s public relations department. Frazier is averaging 12 points per game in 11 contests with Lakeland this season.
- The Spurs have recalled forward Chimezie Metu from the Austin Spurs of the G League, announcing the news in a press release today. Metu has held per-game averages of 2.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 5.5 minutes with the Spurs this season.
- The Blazers recalled Caleb Swanigan from the Texas Legends after three games played, president of basketball operations Neil Oshley announced. Swanigan averaged 8.5 points, seven rebounds and 1.8 assists with Texas during his brief stint.
- The Warriors assigned Jacob Evans lll to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, announcing the move on social media. Evans, the No. 28 pick in last year’s draft, has appeared in 23 games with Golden State this season.
Dennis Smith Jr. Hasn’t Requested Trade From Mavs
The Mavericks and Dennis Smith Jr. have held positive discussions in recent days, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who also adds that Smith hasn’t requested a trade to this point.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported earlier in the day that Dallas hopes to reconcile and move forward with Smith on the roster, despite shopping the 2017 lottery pick in recent weeks. Teams have yet to give the Mavericks a tempting trade package for Smith, with the 21-year-old expressing interest in moving on from the team and finding a new situation, according to MacMahon.
The fractured relationship between Smith and coach Rick Carlisle is partially to blame for this mess, with team officials characterizing the relationship as a veteran coach being demanding of a young player to ultimately help his development, MacMahon added.
Smith missed the Mavs’ game on Wednesday due to an illness, sitting out the previous three games with what the team listed as a “sore back”. The Mavericks don’t expect him to join them for their two-game road trip against the Pacers on Saturday and Bucks on Monday, MacMahon reports (Twitter link).
Dallas has other contracts that could be used in trades — particularly Wesley Matthews, Salah Mejri and the injured J.J. Barea — but is clearly motivated to keep Smith on the roster and see how the pairing of him and young star Luka Doncic pans out in the longterm.
The NBA’s annual trade deadline falls on Feb. 7 at 3:00 pm ET this season.
Southwest Notes: Mirotic, Gasol, Spurs, Jackson Jr.
Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic has regained his rhythm with the team, returning to the lineup this past week after missing 12 games with an ankle injury. He scored 26 combined points in his first two games back, draining a handful of threes as an off-ball threat.
“He was trying to get himself going early and I just kind of wanted to tell him to let it come to him,” Anthony Davis said of Mirotic following Wednesday’s win over Cleveland, according to Scott Kushner of The Advocate. “I think it was big for him to see his shot go in and from there he started making a bunch of shots.”
Mirotic wound up scoring 17 points against the Cavs, then scored nine points with a positive net rating against the Timberwolves on Saturday. He was acquired by the Pelicans in a trade last year, with the team bringing him on as a catch-and-shoot threat.
“AD said, ‘Take the first one. Don’t hesitate,’ ” Mirotic said. “So I said, ‘He’s right. If you have an open shot, take the open shot.’ Just play simple. That’s what I did. A couple of possessions after that, they went to double against AD and he passed it to me wide open, and I shot that corner in the second quarter. That was all. Playing simple.”
The Pelicans are striving to make the postseason for the third time since drafting Davis. The team is reportedly active on the trade market, with the NBA’s annual deadline falling on February 7 this season.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has denied that there’s any rift between him and teammate Joakim Noah, David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. A video of Gasol brushing by Noah after the team’s win over the Spurs circulated on social media, with Gasol calling the insinuation “f——” unbelievable.” Noah also played with Marc’s brother, Pau Gasol, for two seasons in Chicago.
- Patty Mills expects an emotional night when longtime Spurs guard Tony Parker returns to San Antonio on Monday, tweets Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. Parker signed a free-agent contract with the Hornets last summer, leaving the Spurs after 17 seasons. “I think he is going to get a very, very warm welcome,” Mills said. “The city loves him. They always have, and vice versa. Looking forward to a pretty cool reception from the fans.”
- Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff explains his development plan for Jaren Jackson Jr., as relayed by Cobb in a story for the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “There’s moments where it may look like we’re being tough on him,” Bickerstaff said. “But we have expectations of him being a franchise player, and your franchise player has to hold himself to those standards. And you only get one chance to coach him as a rookie.” Jackson Jr., the No. 4 pick in 2018, has averaged 13.4 points in 25.5 minutes per game this season, starting in 40 of 42 contests.
Cavs Notes: Thompson, Osman, Dellavedova, Payne
Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson called out the team after suffering a 28-point blowout loss to Houston on Friday, detailing how they failed to execute a defensive game plan centered around James Harden during the contest.
The game plan, Thompson said, was to keep it 2-on-2 on the ball and force Harden and Clint Capela to score. It was designed to make sure other players weren’t effective behind Harden as a passer, which is when the Rockets are at their best.
“Obviously have to give Harden a lot of credit for his scoring ability, but we can live with him scoring all the points as long as other guys are not contributing,” Thompson said, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “We didn’t do that tonight. Didn’t do that at all.”
Instead, the Cavs trailed by as many as 44 points and lost their 12th game in a row. Cleveland’s record now sits at 8-35 on the season, with the patience of Thompson reaching a boiling point after the loss.
“How many games has it been? At this point, we’ve taught everything we can teach,” Thompson said. “Now it’s up to the players to come out there and just do their job. Do your job. Simple. Our players didn’t do their job.”
There’s more out of Cleveland today:
- Cedi Osman quickly earned the respect of LeBron James last season, Fedor notes in a separate story for Cleveland.com. Osman accidentally injured James during one of his first scrimmages, but James appreciated his effort level and work ethic on the team. “For me, every practice with him, dinner, lunch, being together was special. It was my favorite,” Osman said of James. “I will say I was really proud when he was talking about me to the media. What he was saying about me, all that good stuff, that was really special to me.” Osman and James have remained in touch throughout the 2018/19 season despite mostly being thousands of miles apart, checking in on each other over text.
- Matthew Dellavedova is focused on a new role in his second stint with the Cavs, Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com writes. Dellavedova joined Cleveland, a much younger team, via trade last month, mentoring Collin Sexton and others this season. “I’m just trying to talk with him about what I’m seeing out there, what he’s seeing out there – and just talk through the game,” Dellavedova said of Sexton. “We’ve watched quite a bit of game-tape together. But he works extremely hard on the court and in the weight room. So, as long as he keeps doing that, he’s going to have a really good chance.”
- Cameron Payne is fighting to prove himself during his 10-day contract, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes. Payne, remembered by some fans as Russell Westbrook‘s dance partner during pre-game rituals in Oklahoma City, has averaged 11.7 points in three games with the Cavs. “It’s crazy that that’s what people do remember me for,” Payne said. “Like I really haven’t, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’ve had the opportunity, but I started out playing behind Russ and D.J. Augustin, now he’s starting with the Magic. Then I got hurt. Then I’ve been just out. I came back and I’d be able to play and just get sprinkled in, and I never really got back to my full potential.”
Pistons Notes: Griffin, Gores, Smith
Pistons owner Tom Gores was able to see his team up close on Wednesday, with Detroit surrendering a 113-100 loss on national television to the Lakers. Detroit came into the season with somewhat high expectations, sporting a new head coach and talented frontcourt featuring the All-Star tandem of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, but the team has recorded an underwhelming 17-22 record 39 games into the campaign.
“I like this team. I think they can work through the adversity,” Gores said during a halftime interview, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “Whether we want to say it or not, this team expects to be in the playoffs. This team does expect excellence. You have Andre [Drummond] and Blake [Griffin] — and these are major, major players.”
Griffin has certainly put forth an All-Star caliber season, to Gores’ point, averaging a career-high 25.1 points to go along with 8.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Detroit made a blockbuster trade to acquire him last January, with Gores strongly reaffirming his desire to build around Griffin down the road.
“We couldn’t expect more from Blake than what he’s done,” Gores said. “He has done incredible work and everybody didn’t know what he could do — but we couldn’t expect more. Beyond his stats, he really has been a great leader. Do we want to build around him? Absolutely.”
Griffin, 29, is in the second season of a five-year, $173MM contract. The Pistons could work to build around him sooner by being aggressive prior to the Feb. 7 trade deadline, similar to the approach taken last season.
There’s more out of Detroit tonight:
- Jovan Buha of The Athletic examined the Clippers-Pistons trade centered around Griffin from last year, giving viewpoints from several players and figures on both sides. Since being traded, Griffin has worked to improve in one major category: Leadership. “I’m definitely more vocal,” Griffin said of his current role. “I think I’ve done a lot more teaching. Not necessarily teaching, but pointing out things that I see this year as opposed to years before. Just out of necessity. I think our teams were so old in L.A. that every guy knew what we were doing. So it’s been a cool challenge to change that up and figure out a different way to lead.”
- Ish Smith is getting closer to a return after missing 17 straight games with a right groin tear, Beard notes in a different story for The Detroit News. The Pistons are 4-13 in Smith’s absence, with the point guard reportedly ramping up more game-like drills on Tuesday. Head coach Dwane Casey said Smith should return either on Saturday or Monday, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).
- Griffin will return to Los Angeles and play the Clippers on Saturday for the first time in nearly one year, with last year’s reunion coming nine days after he was traded. “It was a weird game for me dealing with that within the first five games back,” Griffin said when asked about last year’s contest in Los Angeles, as relayed by The Detroit News. “I think this time around will be a little bit different because I’ve had so much time to process everything and talk to people.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/10/19
Here are Thursday’s NBA G League assignments and recalls from across the league:
- The Wolves recalled Keita Bates-Diop from their G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, announcing the news on social media today. Bates-Diop has averaged 17.8 points and 8.9 rebounds in 16 games with Iowa this season.
- The Wizards assigned rookie Troy Brown Jr. to the Capital City Go-Go, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Brown Jr. has averaged 18 points per contest on 49% shooting with the Go-Go.
- The Jazz assigned then later recalled Grayson Allen to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a tweet from their PR department. Allen will miss Friday’s game against the Lakers with an ankle injury.
- The Magic have recalled Melvin Frazier Jr. from the G League, announcing the move on social media. Frazier Jr. was drafted by Orlando with the No. 35 pick last June.
- The Warriors assigned Jacob Evans lll to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the club announced in a press release. Evans lll has appeared in 21 games with Golden State this season and was drafted 28th by the team last June.
Pacific Notes: Wallace, Acy, Lakers, Suns
Clippers guard Tyrone Wallace is finding stability for the first time in his professional career, David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders writes. Wallace, who was on a two-way contract last season, is making a guaranteed $1.34MM with the Clippers this season.
“It feels good. I think all the two-way guys obviously want a regular deal,” Wallace said. “But I think the two-way was good in terms of giving me an opportunity and giving guys an opportunity to go out there and show that they can be regular contract guys. You use it to that advantage and play well, then it feels good to be a year removed and on a regular deal.”
The Clippers matched Wallace’s offer sheet from New Orleans in September, retaining his services for a second consecutive season. He’s appeared in 30 games, averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest on 44% shooting.
Wallace, 24, is an influence for several players working to earn a regular contract in the NBA. He started his career in the G League after being drafted with the 60th pick in 2016, working his way up the ladder for his current deal.
“I think I’m a guy that comes in and is able to be versatile,” Wallace said. “I can help defensively, guard multiple positions, try to attack in the open court, be aggressive, but just a team player. I come in and help these guys whichever way coach [Rivers] and the team feels I need to.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division tonight:
- Veteran forward Quincy Acy is making an early impression on the Suns, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Acy signed a 10-day contract to join the team on Monday. “I’m used to kind integrating myself,” Acy said. “Just being myself. I’m a personable guy. I’m just about winning. When everybody is trying to come together and win, everything else goes out the window.”
- ESPN’s Dave McMenamin examines whether the Lakers have a No. 2 option behind superstar LeBron James, detailing the games of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and others. Kuzma took charge in the team’s win over Detroit on Wednesday, scoring 42 points in 29 minutes.
- Suns general manager James Jones was joined by Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Jamal Crawford at a recent downtown discussion for a $230MM proposed arena renovation, according to the Arizona Republic. The proposal would upgrade Talking Stick Resort Arena, where the Suns currently play, along with their practice facilities.
Atlantic Notes: Hezonja, McCaw, Sixers, Morris
Mario Hezonja is seeing fewer minutes on the court this season with the Knicks, but that hasn’t stopped the 23-year-old from enjoying his time in New York, Steve Popper of Newsday relays. Hezonja is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
“No, no, no. I love New York. As I said, this coaching staff, I wish I had them in my rookie year,” Hezonja said. “I’m not saying anything about what I had. It was just rough and unfortunate situation what happened to me. I wish they were my coaching staff in my rookie year. We’d be talking a different story right now.
“Yeah, I’m happy to be around them. Even when I wasn’t playing, I just said, how important they were for me and how much room I still have for growth, for learning the game and all that stuff, so it’s big time for me. I love this team. I love everybody over here. I was surprised as soon as I came here. I’m focusing only on here. This is not a typical BS talk. ‘I’m only thinking about this, I don’t know what it’s gonna be.’ I know. This is it. I love this. I want to be in New York.”
Along with Hezonja, other Knicks players set to reach unrestricted free agency this summer include Enes Kanter, Noah Vonleh and Trey Burke. Hezonja is averaging 7.6 points and 17.8 minutes per game on the season, shooting 40% from the floor and an underwhelming 29% from 3-point range.
New York is reportedly exploring trades for several players ahead of the Feb. 7 deadline, but Hezonja’s name has yet to surface as a candidate.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division today:
- Blake Murphy of The Athletic examines how the NBA’s roster rules brought the Raptors to sign Patrick McCaw as a free agent. The Cavaliers waived McCaw days after signing him in restricted free agency, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent and sign with any team. McCaw is expected to provide backcourt depth for the Raptors as they ready themselves for a deep postseason run.
- The Sixers still hope to re-sign Jimmy Butler this summer despite the team’s recent drama, ESPN’s Zach Lowe writes. Lowe provided details on Butler’s comments to Brett Brown at a recent 76ers film session, with Butler reportedly speaking up for himself and teammate T.J. McConnell. McConnell, who’s averaging 20.7 minutes per game, also voiced his concerns during the session when Brown asked if anyone else had something to add, Lowe notes.
- Celtics forward Marcus Morris relayed the importance of winning as his major long-term focus, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports. Morris, who’s making $5.3MM this season, is also set to become a free agent this summer. “That’s all I care about; winning,” Morris said. “That other stuff, the big-money contract, being in the conversation for All-Star, none of that happens if you’re not winning. So for me, that’s what all this is about, keeping finding ways to win.”