Clippers Notes: Westbrook, George, Zubac, Hyland
The day after the trade deadline, star forward Paul George told reporters that he wanted Russell Westbrook to end up with the Clippers. Two weeks later, with Westbrook on the verge of making his Clippers debut, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested on his Hoop Collective podcast that George’s advocacy for the former MVP was the driving force behind the team’s decision to sign him.
“From what I understand, they were internally against (signing Westbrook) at the start,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “Paul pushed for it publicly and privately. Kawhi (Leonard) supported it. And they looked more into it and they were like ‘Well, you know, there are some things he can potentially help us with. One of the things that’s a factor for us is we tend to kind of get a little loaf-y.’ They talked themselves into it, is the long story short.”
Windhorst’s reporting doesn’t come as a real surprise — comments made by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank after the trade deadline indicated he wasn’t initially targeting a player like Westbrook. Frank spoke about wanting a point guard who wouldn’t be very ball dominant and who has “got to be able to shoot.” Westbrook, a 29.6% three-point shooter this season, is at his best with the ball in his hands.
Still, as Windhorst alluded to, and as ESPN’s Zach Lowe writes in an Insider-only story, the Clippers only rank 20th in the NBA in drives this season and are tied for 23rd in shots at the rim. Plus, they have more shooting around Westbrook than the Lakers did, so there are reasons to believe the veteran’s fit could be better with L.A. other’s team.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Ahead of Westbrook’s debut with the Clippers, Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, and Jovan Buha and Law Murray of The Athletic all evaluated the 34-year-old’s potential fit and discussed whether or not they think the match will be a good one.
- The Westbrook signing should be viewed as an endorsement for head coach Tyronn Lue and the Clippers’ stars, Murray writes for The Athletic. As Murray explains, the move signals that the front office is willing to listen to its players and trusts Lue to make the best decisions for the team.
- The Clippers will be without starting center Ivica Zubac in their first game after the All-Star break on Friday due to a right calf strain, tweets Greif. The injury should open the door for recently acquired big man Mason Plumlee, who played 17 and 18 minutes in his first two games with the Clippers, to take on a bigger role.
- Former Nuggets and current Clippers guard Bones Hyland repeatedly cited “miscommunication” as an issue that led to his exit from Denver, where he felt “kicked to the curb,” according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. So far though, communication hasn’t been a problem for Hyland with the Clippers, even though his playing time may take a hit following the addition of Westbrook. “I understand (Lue) has a good plan for me,” Hyland said. “I know he’s not just going to leave me in a desert, man, just by myself. … The first thing he did (after the Westbrook signing) was call me over and talk to me one-on-one. That’s something I respect about Ty Lue.”
Community Shootaround: Sixth Man Of The Year
Shortly after word broke last summer that Malcolm Brogdon was being traded from Indiana to Boston, the veteran guard spoke about his willingness to sacrifice his personal numbers and play whatever role his new team asked of him for the sake of winning.
Nearly eight months later, Brogdon has made good on that promise — in 51 games as a reserve, his 14.9 points per game represent his worst scoring average since the 2017/18 season, and his 25.5 minutes per game are a career low. But the 30-year-old is leading the NBA with a career-high .465 3PT% and the Celtics own the league’s best record (43-17).
The contributions Brogdon has made to the NBA’s top team, including as a defender and play-maker, have made him the frontrunner to become this season’s Sixth Man of the Year. Betting site BetOnline.ag currently lists him as a -175 favorite to win the award, and in a discussion published today by The Athletic, Eric Koreen, Josh Robbins, and Sam Amick all made Brogdon their top pick.
Still, we have about a month-and-a-half left in the regular season, and it’s not as if Brogdon’s somewhat modest counting stats will make him a runaway winner.
Norman Powell shows up on two of the unofficial ballots put forth by The Athletic’s trio, and BetOnline.ag gives the Clippers swingman the second-best odds (+350) to become this season’s Sixth Man of the Year. After a slow start to the season, Powell has bumped his scoring average to 17.0 points per game on a sparkling .486/.417/.805 shooting line, and he’d be the sort of instant-offense player who often wins this award.
Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley is also a popular choice, with Koreen and Robbins selecting him as their runner-up. His season-long stats, including 12.7 points per game, don’t jump off the page, but Quickley has averaged 15.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.4 APG with a .478/.391/.810 shooting in his last 29 games (dating back to Dec. 20) and the Knicks’ defensive numbers are much stronger when he’s on the court.
Bucks big man Bobby Portis has averaged a double-double (14.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG) while primarily playing a reserve role, though a knee injury that has kept him on the shelf for the last month will hurt his case.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has only played 39 games and has started 22 of them, but he’ll likely come off the bench for most of the rest of the season and is putting up an impressive 19.7 PPG and 3.6 APG on .452/.384/.813 shooting.
BetOnline gives Maxey the third-best odds and Clippers guard Russell Westbrook the fourth-best odds. Westbrook’s numbers with the Lakers (15.9 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 6.2 RPG) certainly warrant Sixth Man of The Year consideration, but his case will be hurt by the fact that he was traded and then bought out — we still need to see how he fits with his new team too.
Warriors guard Jordan Poole (20.9 PPG, 4.5 APG) and Mavericks big man Christian Wood (17.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG) are among the other players who have posted strong offensive numbers but could end up having too many starts to qualify. This is more likely for Poole, who has already made 36 starts and is part of Golden State’s current starting five, than for Wood, who has made just 17 starts and has come off the bench so far this month.
Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, having averaged 17.2 PPG as a rookie, may get a look from some voters, though his efficiency stats have dropped off over the course of the season (he’s shooting 43.0% from the field and 32.2% on threes).
What do you think? Is Brogdon your pick for Sixth Man of the Year at this point or is there someone else you like?
Head to our comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Wizards Sign Jordan Goodwin To Multiyear Contract
FEBRUARY 24: The Wizards have officially signed Goodwin to a standard multiyear contract, promoting him to the 15-man roster, the team announced today in a press release.
“Jordan has worked extremely hard during his time with us and that has paid off both for him and for our team with this opportunity,” Wizards president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard said in a statement. “He is a great example of our development program as well as the importance and impact of having the Go-Go as part of our organization.”
According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link), Goodwin’s new deal is a three-year contract that’s partially guaranteed for 2023/24, with a team option for ’24/25.
FEBRUARY 21: The Wizards intend to promote guard Jordan Goodwin from his two-way contract to a standard deal, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The move had long been expected once Washington was able to open up a roster spot, since Goodwin has been a rotation player since November and had reached his limit of 50 active games. The Wizards reportedly completed a buyout agreement with Will Barton on Tuesday, creating the opening necessary to promote Goodwin.
Goodwin has averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 18.1 minutes per game across 40 appearances for the Wizards this season, posting a solid shooting line of .453/.388/.750.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN noted earlier today (via Twitter), the Wizards are approximately $2.1MM below the luxury tax line, so they have the flexibility to sign Goodwin without surpassing that threshold. The club also has a portion of its mid-level exception available and could use it to give the 24-year-old a three- or four-year contract offer rather than just a one- or two-year pact.
We’ll see what sort of deal Goodwin and the Wizards agree to, but a partially guaranteed three-year contract with a team option on the final year might make sense for both sides. That would give Goodwin a little security and would give the Wizards the option of making the former Saint Louis standout a restricted free agent in the summer of 2024.
Hawks, Quin Snyder Making Progress In Talks
The Hawks‘ head coaching search continues to focus on Quin Snyder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the two sides have made progress in their talks on a deal to make him Nate McMillan‘s permanent replacement. A resolution could come within the next few days, Wojnarowski adds.
As Wojnarowski outlines, Snyder has spent time this week discussing philosophy and team-building with general manager Landry Fields, assistant GM Kyle Korver, and Hawks owner Tony Ressler. Those conversations are giving the involved parties an opportunity to evaluate how a partnership would work.
Following the Hawks’ dismissal of McMillan on Tuesday, reports identified Snyder as one of several head coaching candidates who would receive consideration from the team. However, most of the other candidates mentioned – with the exception of former Celtics coach Ime Udoka – are currently under contract with other NBA teams, complicating Atlanta’s ability to pursue them immediately.
The Hawks promoted assistant Joe Prunty and named him their interim head coach, so they have the option of playing out the season with Prunty and conducting a more exhaustive search in the spring.
However, it appears Atlanta is interested in making a permanent hire sooner rather than later, and there’s nothing standing in the way of negotiating a deal with Snyder, who is the team’s top target, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Thursday. Snyder hasn’t taken another job since stepping down as the Jazz’s head coach last June.
Snyder is considered the best coach available on this year’s marketplace, and the Hawks are prepared to make a substantial financial commitment to him, according to Wojnarowski.
It remains possible that the Hawks and Snyder won’t ultimately come to an agreement — it’s worth recalling that the NBA’s most recent coaching search in Brooklyn appeared headed in one direction before the Nets pivoted away from Udoka and hired Jacque Vaughn instead. For the time being though, it appears the Hawks will focus on working things out with Snyder before seriously considering any other options.
Northwest Notes: Blazers, Wolves, Hyland, Jackson, Sexton
The Trail Blazers continued to deal with a number of injury absences as the second half of their season got underway on Thursday night. As Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian writes, Jusuf Nurkic (calf), Justise Winslow (ankle), and Anfernee Simons (ankle) are still on the shelf for Portland.
Nurkic hasn’t returned to practice yet, though Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said the veteran center is “getting better.” Winslow, meanwhile, has begun taking part in non-contact drills, while Simons is doing weight-bearing activities but no on-court work.
The Trail Blazers opted to give Damian Lillard and Jerami Grant the night off on Thursday following a series of weather-related travel days that saw Portland players spend several hours on the team plane on both Wednesday and Thursday. The club’s resulting starting lineup in Sacramento was an odd one that featured three trade-deadline additions (Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, and Ryan Arcidiacono) along with two reserves (Drew Eubanks and Nassir Little).
While the Blazers lost in Sacramento, Billups liked what he saw from Little, whose 26 points were easily a season high (story via Fentress). Reddish also continued his solid play following the trade that sent him from New York to Portland, scoring 24 points of his own.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- The Timberwolves came close to acquiring Bones Hyland from the Nuggets at this month’s trade deadline, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North said in his podcast The Scoop (hat tip to HoopsHype). According to Wolfson, Minnesota “would have done what the Clippers did” (given up two second-round picks) or even more than that. However, Wolfson believes Denver’s ownership group was reluctant to do any favors for former Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who now runs Minnesota’s front office.
- Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports spoke to Ish Smith, who previously played with Reggie Jackson in Oklahoma City and Detroit, about what the Nuggets‘ newest point guard can bring to the team. Jackson played 18 minutes in his Denver debut on Thursday, scoring seven points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of assists.
- Jazz guard Collin Sexton, who strained his left hamstring in the team’s final game before the All-Star break, remains sidelined as a result of that injury. The expectation it that Sexton will be reevaluated on Monday, says Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.
D’Angelo Russell “Not Worried” About Ankle Injury
In his fourth game back with the Lakers on Thursday, point guard D’Angelo Russell exited in the first quarter due to a right ankle sprain and didn’t return.
As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham told reporters after the game that X-rays on Russell’s ankle came back negative. However, the veteran guard will undergo further evaluation on Friday to assess the severity of the injury and determine whether he’ll have to miss time.
For his part, Russell didn’t sound concerned about a lengthy absence. According to McMenamin, the 27-year-old said that he’s “not worried” about the ankle and didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to action for the Lakers’ next game on Sunday in Dallas.
The injury occurred after a Donte DiVincenzo layup with 4:31 left in the first quarter. Russell grabbed the ball and went to quickly inbound it, but accidentally stepped on DiVincenzo’s foot as the Warriors wing tried to get back on defense (video link). Russell stayed in the game until the next whistle and was subbed out with 3:12 remaining in the quarter.
“Wrong place, wrong time definitely,” Russell said of the injury. “Pretty unlucky for me.”
Although the Lakers are waiting for more clarity on Russell’s prognosis, they managed to defeat the Warriors without their starting point guard available for the last three quarters on Thursday –they’re now within 1.5 games of Golden State for the No. 10 seed in the West. Los Angeles has won three of four games since the trade deadline and looks like a more serious threat to make the playoffs with its revamped lineup.
“The pieces we added for defense, for offense looks pretty good,” Anthony Davis said after Thursday’s win. “I think we’re playing well. We’re clicking. … Hopefully D-Lo’s injury isn’t severe where he misses time. I think we got a complete team where we’re able to make a little run.”
World Cup Notes: Team USA, Caruso, Carmelo
USA Basketball clinched a spot in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with an 88-77 win over Uruguay on Thursday, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. Longtime NBA guard Langston Galloway played a key role in Team USA’s comeback victory, scoring 11 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to help secure the win.
“Couldn’t be more proud about the group of guys that we have here,” Galloway said. “Just thankful for the opportunity. I’m getting to play and represent with the United States across my chest, and all the guys who have been part of this journey with me. … We accomplished the task at hand, which was qualifying for the World Cup.”
Team USA entered this month’s qualifiers needing to win one of two games to secure one of seven World Cup berths available to teams in the FIBA Americas region. Canada and the U.S. have now locked up two of those spots, but five remain up for grabs heading into the final day of qualifying matches on Sunday.
Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil all have records of either 8-3 or 7-4 in qualifying so far and are battling to claim those five slots available in the FIBA Americas region — one of those six teams will be the odd man out after this weekend’s games and won’t compete in the World Cup later this year.
Here’s more on the World Cup:
- Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes a closer look at the players and coaches (led by former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen) who did the dirty work of qualifying for a tournament that they won’t actually get to participate in. Steve Kerr will coach a Team USA roster made up of NBA players at the actual World Cup in August and September. “Nobody’s really gonna say, ‘Oh, congrats to so-and-so for doing this for us,'” said former NBA guard John Jenkins, who was part of the U.S. roster during qualifiers. “I don’t do it for recognition from the world. I just do it because I feel an obligation for my country and for a lot of the guys that are gonna play in the World Cup. They are my friends or I’ve played against them for a while.”
- Within that same story, Vardon provides new context for a viral clip of Kerr telling Bulls guard Alex Caruso, “We’d love to have you” in December. According to Vardon, Kerr was actually talking to Caruso about Team USA’s World Cup roster, rather than trying recruit the veteran guard to the Warriors.
- Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony, who won three Olympic gold medals with USA Basketball, has been named a global ambassador for this year’s World Cup, according to a FIBA press release. “I’ve proudly represented the USA on the world’s largest stages, and the World Cup is the toughest competition in international basketball,” Anthony said in a statement. “It’s all about striking a perfect balance of personnel, talent and having that great chemistry. I’m looking forward to supporting all the players at the World Cup this year and celebrating the sport on a global scale.” Argentina’s Luis Scola and Spain’s Pau Gasol are also serving as global ambassadors who will help promote the event.
Sixers Notes: Barton, Dedmon, Embiid, McClung
The Sixers have inquired about veteran guard Will Barton, a source tells Jason Dumas of KRON4 News (Twitter link). Barton, who is now a free agent after clearing waivers on Thursday, continues to weigh his options after being bought out by the Wizards, Dumas adds.
The 76ers currently have a full 15-man roster, so if the team wants to sign Barton or another free agent, someone would have to be waived to open up a spot.
Furkan Korkmaz, who requested a trade prior to this month’s deadline and remains out of Philadelphia’s rotation, would theoretically be a candidate to be cut, but his contract includes a $5.37MM guaranteed salary for next season. The only Sixers whose contracts don’t feature a guarantee or a player option for 2023/24 are Georges Niang, Shake Milton, Jalen McDaniels, Paul Reed, and recently signed big man Dewayne Dedmon.
Here’s more out of Philadelphia:
- Dedmon’s debut with the Sixers was pushed back by at least one game, as he was ruled out of Thursday’s matchup vs. Memphis due to left hip tightness, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s unclear whether or not the veteran center will be good to go on Saturday vs. Boston.
- Joel Embiid wasn’t on the Sixers’ injury report on Thursday for the first time in several weeks, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who notes that the Sixers star was being listed as questionable due to left foot soreness for a while. After racking up 27 points, 19 rebounds, and six blocks in a dramatic win over Memphis, Embiid said he benefited from some time off over the All-Star break. “Like I said before the (break), whatever it is is all about rest, and I’ve had a couple (days off),” he said. “There’s a reason why I wasn’t part of (All-Star) Saturday, because I wanted to make sure I could get more rest.”
- One Sixer who was a big part of All-Star Saturday was Mac McClung, who remains in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats on his two-way deal. According to Jaylon Thompson of USA Today, Delaware’s ticket revenue has been five times higher than its usual rate since McClung won the dunk contest in Salt Lake City. “It means a lot to this community to have somebody that they can say, ‘Hey, he’s our guy’ and they can take pride in that,” said Blue Coats president of business operations Larry Meli.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/23/2023
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 10:00 am Central time (11:00 am Eastern).
Click here for today’s transcript.
Nets Notes: Simmons, Buyout Market, Chemistry, Vaughn
Although the Nets remade their roster at this month’s trade deadline, Ben Simmons remains the “elephant in the room,” one league executive tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. The executive believes that Simmons “kind of skated on a lot of the criticism” amid the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant drama.
“Brooklyn had questions and problems with Kyrie and KD from an organizational standpoint, but at least those guys could play,” the exec said. “They were good. Ben has been less than good.”
Back surgery last spring has limited Simmons to some extent this season, but the former No. 1 overall pick has also seemed to lack confidence, especially in half-court offense situations where he can’t use his size and athleticism as effectively as he does in transition.
“When you guard him more like a non-shooter, it’s hard for him to make decisions, because the decision that you need to make is shoot the ball,” the executive said to Bulpett. “… Ultimately for Ben, shooting is the Kryptonite. His decision-making when people are up into his body and he’s running full speed down the court and he’s in the open court with his size, he’s pretty good. But in the half-court, his decision making struggles because he can’t shoot.”
The Nets have spent much of the season searching for the ideal role for Simmons, but head coach Jacque Vaughn remains reluctant to have him on the court alongside center Nic Claxton due to spacing issues, notes Andrew Crane of The New York Post. As a result, the “ongoing Simmons conundrum,” as Crane puts it, may continue to be an issue for the rest of the season. The 26-year-old has two years and about $78MM left on his contract after this year.
Here’s more out of Brooklyn:
- The Nets have kept an eye on the buyout market, but haven’t made it a top priority despite possessing an open 15-man roster spot, Crane writes for The New York Post. The team has more than enough depth and Vaughn and general manager Sean Marks don’t want to mess with Brooklyn’s locker room chemistry.
- While the Nets have made plenty of mistakes in recent years, signing Vaughn to a long-term extension wasn’t one of them, according to Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post, who lauds the team for doing right by a consummate professional like Vaughn.
- Collin Helwig of NetsDaily wonders whether the Nets should look to the Cavaliers as a model worth emulating. As Helwig observes, Cleveland built a strong core and culture and complemented that core by acquiring a star (Donovan Mitchell) this offseason. That’s the sort of deal Brooklyn could eventually seek out to augment the team’s young talent.