Jazz’s Hardy Makes Statement With Starting Lineup Change
After expressing his displeasure – both before and after Wednesday’s blowout loss to Portland – with his team’s effort level and approach to the game, Jazz head coach Will Hardy made a statement with the new starting lineup he sent out on Saturday vs. New Orleans, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.
With Lauri Markkanen (hamstring) and Jordan Clarkson (illness) unavailable and center Walker Kessler playing in his first game back from a seven-game injury absence, Hardy dug deep on his bench and sent out Kris Dunn, Simone Fontecchio, and Omer Yurtseven alongside usual starters John Collins and Keyonte George to open Saturday’s contest.
Dunn, Fontecchio, and Yurtseven have each received multiple DNP-CDs in the past month and aren’t among Utah’s top nine most-used players, but Hardy decided it was the right time to start them for the first time this season. As Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (via Twitter), in explaining the changes before the game, Hardy cited Dunn’s perimeter defense and ball-handling, Fontecchio’s size and length, and Yurtseven’s ability to play physically against Jonas Valanciunas.
Really though, as Larsen points out, the revamped starting lineup represented Hardy putting his money where his mouth is after telling his players earlier this week that a lack of effort would result in a reduction in playing time.
“I go home after every game win or loss and I’m constantly beating myself up about things that I did or didn’t do,” Hardy said on Wednesday. “And I just want them to take the same responsibility and ownership over this program. If you’re gonna wear a Utah Jazz jersey, you have to give a s–t about the Utah Jazz.”
The new-look lineup came through on Saturday, helping to lead the Jazz to a 105-100 upset win over New Orleans that included an impressive fourth-quarter comeback.
“I don’t believe in free minutes,” Hardy said after the game. “I think that some of the guys that were on the floor tonight are showing that they’ve earned some minutes and that they’re willing to make sacrifices for the team.
“… This is for sure the first game this year that we’ve won because of our defense,” he added. “I thought that every player that took the court tonight really, really competed on that end of the floor.”
With neither Markkanen nor Clarkson likely to be out for long, it’s unclear how Hardy will adjust his starting five – and his rotation as a whole – when they return. They’re the team’s top two scorers, and obviously Markkanen won’t be coming off the bench, so they’ll presumably reclaim key roles.
Still, when Utah’s roster healthy, with Markkanen, Clarkson, and Kessler all available, there presumably won’t be enough playing time to go around for Saturday’s new starters and reserves like Talen Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, and Kelly Olynyk. Based on his comments earlier this week and his lineup decision vs. New Orleans, Hardy has made it clear how those players can make their cases for regular minutes.
Eastern Notes: J. Johnson, Thompson, Niang, Bagley
Hawks forward Jalen Johnson will undergo further testing on his left wrist, which he injured during Saturday’s win in Washington, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Johnson left the game about two-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter after taking a hard hit from Kyle Kuzma as he attempted to complete a fast-break dunk (video link). Johnson fell into the stanchion and landed on his left hand, which he immediately grabbed in obvious pain. After taking his free throws, he exited to the locker room and didn’t return.
The Hawks haven’t provided any updates on the injury since ruling out Johnson for the rest of Saturday’s game. He’ll be further evaluated in the coming days, a source tells Williams.
If he’s forced to miss time, it would be a blow to the Hawks, who have benefited from a breakout year from Johnson so far in 2023/24. Entering Saturday’s contest, the 21-year-old had averaged 14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per night (14 games), with a .590/.421/.774 shooting line.
[UPDATE: Johnson Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks]
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Only two players in NBA history who are 6’6″ or shorter have ever averaged at least 10 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.0 steal per game over the course of a season (Charles Barkley and Gar Heard). Pistons guard Ausar Thompson is flirting with that feat through 16 games (9.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.1 SPG), which makes him something of a unicorn, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic, who says the rookie likes the label. “I’m a unicorn, even if it doesn’t appear that way because of how people see ‘unicorns’ in their head, physically,” Thompson said. “What I’m out there doing, as you pointed out, only two people have done it before.”
- Now a member of the Cavaliers, forward Georges Niang faced his former team this week and spoke about how much he enjoyed his time with the Sixers, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It felt like home while I was here,” Niang said during his return to Philadelphia. “It’s a place that I’ll always enjoy coming back to. … It jolted me into the next part of my career. So I’m super thankful for the organization, the fans, the people, staff. It was an amazing place to be.” Niang also praised former teammate Tyrese Maxey and suggested the experience the 76ers gained from going through the Ben Simmons saga in 2021/22 helped them navigate James Harden‘s trade request this year.
- Pistons big man Marvin Bagley III is playing some of the best basketball of his career this season, making a career-high 58.6% of his shots from the floor, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press details. Bagley credits a newfound focus on his mental health as one important reason for his strong start, noting that he has given up social media and is meditating when he can.
Heat Contacted NBA To Express Concerns About Cavs’ Court
The Heat got in touch with the NBA’s league office to express their concerns about the drop-off on the sidelines of the Cavaliers‘ court at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, reports Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel confirms the Heat contacted the league, though he notes they didn’t file “a formal complaint, per se.”
The drop-off from the playing floor to the sidelines at the edge of the Cavs’ home court is about 10 inches, per Vardon, who says multiple sources confirmed there’s no other NBA arena with that sort of drop.
It came into play on Wednesday when Heat guard Dru Smith contested a Max Strus three-pointer along the sidelines and landed awkwardly near the edge of the floor (video link). Smith’s fall resulted in a season-ending ACL injury.
“I remember during walk-through, when I sat there to get ready for shootaround, just kind of thinking like, ‘Oh, this court’s kind of weird, the drop-off, just the separation between the bench and the court,'” Smith said on Saturday, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “But, you know, when you’re playing, you’re not thinking about where I was going to land or if I was going to miss the court.
“… When I flew by (on the shot contest), my left foot landed and my right foot went between the chair and the bench. As soon as it happened, I knew what happened. I knew I just fell into that little hole. … I would say I knew right away it wasn’t good. I didn’t know exactly obviously what was going on. But I just knew it wasn’t good.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke after Wednesday’s game about the dangers of the court design. And, as Vardon details, when the Lakers visited Cleveland on Saturday, head coach Darvin Ham and multiple players echoed Spoelstra’s concerns. Guard Austin Reaves said the sideline drop-off is “a little scary, to be honest,” while former Cavs star LeBron James said “they should address it.”
“It’s something that definitely needs to be looked at,” Ham said. “Any time … you have a situation where someone’s getting hurt and the potential to get hurt, and in this particular case it’s the floor, I think they need to take a look at it and see if there are ways things could be better.”
Of course, as Vardon points out, the design has been in effect since the arena opened nearly 30 years ago. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his players are “comfortable” around the sideline area and that there have been no incidents involving Cleveland players.
That’s little solace for Smith. And while he acknowledged that it’s good news that his $1.8MM salary – previously partially guaranteed for $425K – will become fully guaranteed as a result of the season-ending injury, that’s not his primary concern at the moment.
“That’s not really what I’m here for. I’m here to play basketball and prove that I belong in this league and that I can have an impact in this league,” Smith said, according to Winderman. “… I feel like I was in a good spot. I was just looking forward to just continuing to be trusted with the minutes here and there, wherever that was going to be. And I think the more I was playing, the more comfortable I was getting. So I was just really comfortable with that.”
“But that’s not how this year is going to go for me.”
Luka Doncic Having Left Thumb Injury Evaluated
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic banged his left thumb on James Harden‘s knee early in Saturday’s loss to the Clippers (video link) and underwent X-rays at halftime, according to reports from Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN and Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Doncic ultimately remained in the game and logged 38 minutes, indicating in his postgame media session that the X-rays were negative. However, he’ll undergo further evaluation on Sunday when the team returns home.
“I don’t think it’s broken,” Doncic said. “The X-rays didn’t indicate that it’s broken, but we’ll see further tomorrow in Dallas.”
The fact that Doncic continued playing for an entire game after injuring his thumb and performed reasonably well by his standards (30 points on 12-of-27 shooting) is a positive sign. And for what it’s worth, a source tells Youngmisuk that Doncic’s hand is “good.”
Still, even if Sunday’s tests show no significant damage to his thumb or hand, the Dallas star will likely have to deal with some pain for a while, which could impact his effectiveness.
After a hot start that saw them win eight of their first 10 games, the Mavs have been up and down as of late, losing four of their last six.
Northwest Notes: Giddey, Jazz, Hornacek, Wolves
The Thunder plan on having guard Josh Giddey available on Saturday – and going forward – while the NBA looks into allegations that he had an improper relationship with a minor, head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters this afternoon (Twitter video link via Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic)
“Just with the information we have at this point, that’s the decision that we’ve made,” Daigneault said when asked why the team feels comfortable keeping Giddey active. “It’s really not even a decision, to be honest with you.”
A Thunder spokesperson later clarified that Daigneault meant the decision on Giddey’s availability isn’t within his jurisdiction and is in the league’s hands, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). Of course, Oklahoma City could decide on its own to hold Giddey out, but it sounds like the team will continue playing him while the investigation is ongoing unless the NBA advises otherwise.
“It’s obviously a league matter at this point,” Daigneault said. “So the ball’s in their court on that.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- There’s good news and bad news for the Jazz on the injury report for Saturday’s game vs. New Orleans, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah will be without its top two scorers, as forward Lauri Markkanen has been ruled out due to left hamstring soreness while Jordan Clarkson will be unavailable due to an illness. However, the Jazz appear likely to have their starting center back in the lineup, as Walker Kessler, who has missed the last seven games due to a sprained left elbow, has been upgraded to probable.
- Former Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek remains involved with the organization behind the scenes as a coaching consultant. In a story for The Salt Lake Tribune (subscription required), Larsen explores what that role entails and the impact that Hornacek has had on head coach Will Hardy. “He’s been a really, really good friend and confidant and in some ways like a mentor for me in this role, because he also knows what it’s like to be a head coach and a first-time head coach,” Hardy said. “There are tough moments during the season where sometimes he just offers a ‘Hang in there, you’re doing what you should be doing.’ It’s just a tough stretch over 82 games and so he’s been a really calming influence for me.”
- The Timberwolves had high hopes that their 2022 trade for Rudy Gobert would help create an elite defense. The results were mixed last season – Minnesota narrowly cracked the top 10 in defensive rating – but it has all come together for the team so far in 2023/24, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who takes a closer look at the parts Gobert, head coach Chris Finch, and top defensive assistant coach Elston Turner have played in building one of the league’s best Ds.
Heat Notes: Jovic, Adebayo, Smith, Bouyea
Heat forward Nikola Jovic was assigned to the G League for nearly a week, but will be back with the NBA club on Saturday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. According to Chiang, Jovic saw plenty of time at the five during his stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and believes that he may have a clearer path to playing time if he can get accustomed to playing center.
“I think it’s going to be the fastest way to get on the court because we have a lot of fours,” Jovic said. “It’s something that everybody can see. At five right now, we have Bam (Adebayo) and Kevin Love is coming off the bench as like a stretch five. So I think and I think the coaches also think the fastest way for me to get back on the court will be just playing at the five.”
While Adebayo typically gets the brunt of the playing time in the middle, he has been ruled out for Saturday’s game in Brooklyn – the second in a back-to-back set – due to a left hip injury (Twitter link via the team). Adebayo’s absence could result in an immediate opportunity for Jovic to get some minutes. Still, head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated he won’t be viewing the 20-year-old Serbian only as a center.
“I want to get him minutes at both positions,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “… And when he plays five for us, it looks a little bit different than it does down there (in the G League). He’s got a lot more bigger wings and there’s a dimension that can really help Jimmy (Butler) that’s intriguing to us. So he has to gobble up all those different experiences and it will change game to game.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), the Heat confirmed on Friday that Dru Smith will eventually require surgery on his ACL injury, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. Erik Spoelstra also reiterated his dissatisfaction with the sideline area of the court in Cleveland where Smith fell and suffered the injury. “Maybe this is something that can be addressed with the league moving forward,” he said (Twitter link via Winderman). “I doubt anything will change with the floor. It is a hazard in our mind and probably in a lot of other teams’ minds, too.”
- After being cut by Portland and clearing waivers, guard Jamaree Bouyea is rejoining the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, tweets Winderman. Bouyea opened the season with the Skyforce before spending 10 days on a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers.
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a closer look at the Heat’s roster, suggesting that if the team makes a trade before the deadline, the priority should be to try to bring some long-term stability to the point guard position.
Community Shootaround: In-Season Tournament Stakes
When the NBA sought to incorporate an in-season tournament into its regular season schedule for the first time, the league needed to answer two important questions about the event. What would make the tournament meaningful for its players, and what would make it meaningful for fans?
The NBA addressed the first question with a fairly simple answer: money. The teams that make the knockout round of the in-season tournament will earn cash prizes, ranging from $50K per player for quarterfinalists to $500K per player for the eventual champion.
It’s not a particularly elegant solution, but it sounds like it has be an effective one. Several players have spoken in recent weeks about the very real incentive that prize money has provided.
And it’s not just young players or minimum-salary veterans that are tantalized by the prospect of a $500K bonus, which might represent a huge portion of their year-end earnings. Even well-compensated stars like Anthony Davis have cited the cash incentive as a motivator that has helped those games feel more meaningful — the Lakers‘ 4-0 record in round robin play suggests that wasn’t just talk.
Still, while the bonus money provides an incentive for the players, most fans aren’t going to celebrate the fact that the guys on their favorite teams are getting an extra pay check. The NBA still needs to ensure the event feels meaningful for the people in the stands and those watching at home.
Finding an appropriate incentive that would appeal to fans as well as to players and teams is tricky. Awarding the winner(s) an extra draft pick was one option said to be discussed, but that would arguably be a disincentive for certain players, who may not want to fight to give their team the right to draft a younger, cheaper prospect who might replace them on the roster. Giving the winner(s) an extra cap exception was a similar idea thrown out there, but that would be a tough sell for casual fans and wouldn’t necessarily benefit teams.
An automatic playoff berth or some level of home-court advantage in the playoffs makes some sense, but the NBA has suggested it wants to keep the tournament separate from its postseason. The league may also risk further devaluing the regular season by locking in a playoff spot or home-court advantage for a team based on a handful of victories in November and December — what if that team falls off a cliff in the second half and finishes with 30 wins?
Ultimately, the NBA decided not to introduce any additional incentives beyond the prize money for players, which has made it difficult for some fans to get too invested in the event in its first year.
Of course, you could argue that a team’s NBA Finals victory doesn’t provide any special incentive to fans beyond the satisfaction of seeing your favorite team succeed on the league’s biggest stage. After all, it’s not as if fans receive cash prizes when their team wins a championship.
But the postseason in the spring is the culmination of an 82-game regular season and has established its importance over the course of the league’s history. It will take some time for an in-season tournament to stake out that sort of inherent meaningfulness — if it ever happens.
We want to know what you think. In order to make the in-season tournament more successful going forward, does the NBA need to introduce some sort of incentive for teams and fans beyond the bonus money for players? Or will the satisfaction of rooting for your favorite team to win games that are perhaps more competitive than typical November and December regular season contests ultimately be enough to make the tournament feel meaningful?
Head to the comment section below to let us know your thoughts!
Kai Jones Discusses Hornets Exit, Says He’s Meeting With Teams
Appearing this week on the Vizion Podcast (YouTube link), big man Kai Jones discussed the end of his relationship with the Hornets, explaining that he “loved the whole situation in Charlotte” but that he also believes a fresh start could ultimately be for the best.
Explaining the factors that led to his release, Jones said the Hornets were concerned about “the social media stuff,” as well as his sleeping patterns. The 22-year-old said that he was “going through some things” off the court, including the death of his great-grandmother, but that he bristled when the Hornets asked him to speak to a therapist.
“At this time, I’m stubborn, I’m like, ‘Bro, I do not want to see a therapist. I just want to meditate and clear my head and use my intuition to figure out my own issues,'” Jones said. “They’re like, ‘No, you should go to a therapist.'”
Although Jones eventually relented and met with a therapist, he said that he didn’t feel like those sessions were helping him. When the Hornets subsequently asked him not to report to training camp, he recognized that his days with the franchise were likely numbered and requested a trade.
“(Hornets general manager) Mitch (Kupchak) tells me I’m not allowed to do training camp,” Jones said. “When he tells me that, that was when I was like, ‘Yo, I’m off of this team.’ How can I play here? They’re not letting me do training camp. They’re not allowing me to try out for my position, right? So I’m upset, I’m like, ‘Yo, I just wanna leave now. I’m gonna leave.'”
According to Jones, after he asked for a change of scenery, Kupchak told him that the front office didn’t think he would have any real value on the trade market. Jones disagreed, but was ultimately waived instead of being traded. He’s now an unrestricted free agent and said he has spoken to multiple clubs since being let go by Charlotte.
“Right now I’m just meeting with teams, they’re trying to get to know me better, kind of analyzing my character,” Jones said. “I think the biggest thing for me is if I want to take it somewhere else in life and be more successful than I ever have been, I’ve gotta work harder than I ever have, be more detailed than I ever have, be more consistent than I ever have, and be stronger in my will, in my head space, and (physically) than I ever have.”
Jones declined to get into specifics on which teams he has been in contact with since being cut by the Hornets, but one report last week suggested the Clippers brought him in for “a visit of some capacity.” He’s still earning his full $3,047,880 salary for 2023/24, which was guaranteed as part of his deal with the Hornets.
NBA Investigating Allegations Against Josh Giddey
The NBA is looking into allegations made against Thunder guard Josh Giddey, league spokesperson Mike Bass said today (Twitter links via Chris Mannix of SI.com and Shams Charania of The Athletic).
A series of videos and photos went viral on social media this week accusing Giddey, who turned 21 last month, of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
Giddey was asked during a media session on Friday about the allegations and declined to address them, telling reporters, “I understand the question, obviously, but there’s no further comment right now” (Twitter video link via Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder).
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault also rebuffed questions about the situation on Friday when he was asked about is being a possible distraction, referring to it as a “personal matter” and declining to comment (Twitter video link via Stiles).
There’s no indication to this point that Giddey won’t continue to be available for the Thunder while the NBA’s investigation is ongoing. He has started each of Oklahoma City’s 15 games so far, averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 27.2 minutes per night for the 11-4 club.
Heat’s Dru Smith Out For Season With ACL Injury
Heat guard Dru Smith will miss the rest of the 2023/24 season due to a right knee injury, the team announced today (Twitter link via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald).
The Heat referred to the injury as a third degree ACL sprain, according to Chiang. That’s essentially just an ACL tear, per the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
It’s awful news for Smith, who underwent an MRI on his knee after injuring it in Wednesday’s game in Cleveland. As we previously relayed, the 25-year-old fell awkwardly along the sidelines in an area that has a drop-off for fans at courtside — head coach Erik Spoelstra blamed the court design after the game.
“It is a dangerous floor,” Spoelstra said. “It’s an accident waiting to happen. You close out and all of a sudden you’re going off a cliff. If the court was normal, there wouldn’t have been any kind of incident.”
Smith was on a two-way contract with the Heat in training camp but was promoted to the standard 15-man roster ahead of opening night, receiving a two-year, minimum-salary deal that included a $425K partial guarantee. He appeared in nine games in the first month of the season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per night, with a .455/.412/1.000 shooting line.
While Smith won’t play again this season, the Heat likely won’t be in any rush to remove him from their roster, since there’s little incentive to do so for now. When a player on a non-guaranteed contract sustains an injury, his team must continue paying him until he’s healthy or for the rest of the season (if he’s out for the year). That means Miami will owe Smith his full $1.8MM salary and won’t save any money by cutting him before the league-wide January 7 salary guarantee deadline.
The Heat also already have an opening on their 15-man roster, so they don’t need to use Smith’s roster spot in the short term. That may change later in the season if the club makes a roster addition or two via free agency or trade.
Miami could apply for a disabled player exception in response to Smith’s injury, but the exception would be worth less than $1MM, so it likely wouldn’t be useful. A DPE would not afford the team an extra roster spot.
In other Heat injury news, the results of an MRI on Duncan Robinson‘s injured right thumb were far more encouraging, Chiang notes. Robinson has been diagnosed with a sprain and is considered day-to-day.