Pelicans Notes: Lewis, Nance, Williamson
Pelicans guard Kira Lewis, who is making his way back from a torn ACL that sidelined him for much of last season and the start of this season, is inching closer to a return, having progressed to full five-on-five work, tweets ESPN’s Andrew Lopez.
While five-on-five scrimmages are generally one of the final steps in a player’s rehab process before he returns to action, Lewis may need some time to get back up to game speed and improve his conditioning after being sidelined for nearly a full year. According to Lopez, the next step for the former first-round pick is to spend some time with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate.
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- After initial post-game testing indicated that Larry Nance Jr. had avoided a major knee injury on Monday, an MRI confirmed that there’s no structural damage in Nance’s hyperextended left knee, according to Lopez (Twitter link). Nance, listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, will receive some minor treatment for the injury, but shouldn’t miss much – if any – time.
- While Nance was virtually an afterthought in last season’s deadline trade that sent him and CJ McCollum to New Orleans, the Pelicans had been interested in the veteran forward for years, says Christian Clark of NOLA.com. According to Clark, the Pels previously explored trading for Nance when he was playing in Cleveland and were thrilled to get him as part of their McCollum deal with Portland. Nance, who said he felt an “immediate click” in New Orleans, has been playing some small-ball five since joining his new team. “I feel like this type of role is what I’ve been looking for for a while,” Nance said. “Closing games as a switchable five that if you need to play through me, play through me. If you need me to space, I can space.”
- After battling a non-COVID illness on Friday and cramping on Saturday, Zion Williamson looked more like himself on the court on Monday, scoring 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting, Clark writes for NOLA.com. The former No. 1 overall pick is still getting up to full speed after missing all of last season with a foot injury. “I feel my burst coming back,” Williamson said. “I could rehab as much as I did, I can practice away from the game, but the real game is different. Going against the best basketball players in the world. Being able to feel, to see it. I feel those bursts, and my comfortability is coming back, too.”
Nets Will Retain Jacque Vaughn As Head Coach
11:53am: Vaughn’s promotion to permanent head coach comes with a deal through the 2023/24 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
11:15am: The Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as their head coach, the team announced today in an official press release. Vaughn had been the team’s acting head coach since Steve Nash‘s exit from the franchise, so today’s announcement essentially removes the interim tag from his title.
“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”
The news is particularly notable because it signals that Brooklyn isn’t moving forward with its rumored plan to hire Ime Udoka away from the Celtics. Udoka, who is serving a one-year suspension in Boston for sending crude messages and engaging in a relationship with a female subordinate, emerged as the frontrunner to replace Nash last week.
However, the Nets were said to still be going through the vetting process on Udoka and reportedly received push-back from some “strong voices,” including from some of the female staffers within the organization.
It’s unclear if Udoka could still reemerge a candidate for Brooklyn at some point down the road or if the vetting process removed him from the team’s radar entirely — either way, it sounds as if Vaughn will coach the Nets for at least the rest of the 2022/23 season, and potentially beyond that.
A former NBA guard, Vaughn transitioned into coaching following his retirement as a player, initially serving as an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s staff in San Antonio. He was hired as the Magic’s head coach in 2012, but posted a dismal 58-158 (.269) record during two-and-a-half seasons in that role.
Vaughn was an assistant for the Nets from 2016-22, briefly serving as the team’s interim coach after Kenny Atkinson was let go in 2020. He guided the Nets to a 7-3 record at that time and has led the club to a 2-2 mark since replacing Nash last week.
Naming Vaughn the full-time head coach should smooth out one area of instability in Brooklyn, but there are other issues to resolve. Vaughn will be tasked with trying to help turn things around for Ben Simmons, who has looked like a shadow of his former self since returning from a season-long absence, and the Nets will still have to determine whether to reinstate Kyrie Irving following his suspension.
Community Shootaround: Utah Jazz
When our readers voted on teams’ win totals for the 2022/23 season in September, the Jazz were given an over/under of 25.5 wins and voters overwhelmingly took the “under” on that number. After trading away Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Royce O’Neale in the offseason, Utah was considered one of the frontrunners in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, with a good chance to be a bottom-five team in the NBA.
Instead, three weeks into the regular season, the Jazz hold the top spot in the Western Conference, with their 9-3 record putting them a full game ahead of Phoenix, Denver, and Portland, all of whom are 7-3.
And it’s not as if Utah has been beating up on fellow lottery-bound teams. The Jazz have road wins in Minnesota, New Orleans, and Los Angeles (over both the Lakers and Clippers). They’ve beaten Memphis twice and Denver once, and they’re undefeated (5-0) at home.
As Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News notes, the Jazz’s offense has been one of the NBA’s best, ranking third in the league in points per 100 possessions. And that offensive production is coming from newcomers and incumbents alike.
Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton, acquired in the Mitchell blockbuster, are two of the team’s top three scorers, with Markkanen (21.9 PPG) leading the way. Jordan Clarkson (18.3 PPG on .444/.421/.731 shooting) and Mike Conley (12.5 PPG, 7.5 APG, .426 3PT%) have also been important contributors, with Kelly Olynyk, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt playing key roles too.
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the fact that the Jazz are having some success instead of bottoming out in the early part of the season hasn’t come as a surprise to Utah players, who believed there was still plenty of talent on the revamped roster.
“We just kind of looked around (in training camp) and said we’re not anything what they say we are,” Conley said. “We have too many good players to tank. We knew from day one. This wasn’t a rebuild. We told ourselves that we aren’t that bad, and the guys locked in on that. We had a collective belief system and we knew we had a chance to have a good start.”
“Mike was preaching that to us,” Sexton told Jones. “It gave us a lot of confidence. Plus, there were so many people writing us off that we wanted to come out and play with a chip on our shoulders.”
Conley, who describes the Jazz as “gritty and mean and carefree at the same time,” joked to Tim MacMahon of ESPN that if the front office wants to lose, “They’ve got to get rid of me too.” While the veteran guard made the statement in jest, it raises an interesting question: What’s next for the NBA’s most surprising team?
If CEO Danny Ainge, general manager Justin Zanik, and Jazz management are committed to securing a top pick in the 2023 draft, perhaps more moves could be coming — Clarkson and Conley are the returning veterans who are the most obvious trade candidates, and it’s possible the team could flip some of the newly added pieces, such as Olynyk and Beasley.
But continuing the roster teardown would risk upsetting the positive culture and chemistry that new head coach Will Hardy and the new Jazzmen are building in Utah. Perhaps the front office will look at the roster, recognize there’s still not enough talent there to make the Jazz a legitimate contender this season, and count on the team coming down to earth on its own after a hot start.
Remaining in the play-in mix for the rest of the season could create some positive vibes heading into 2023/24 while still putting the team in position to land a pick in the top half of what should be a deep 2023 draft.
We want to know what you think. How real is this 9-3 start in Utah? Can the Jazz be a playoff team this season? Should they stick to their offseason plan and keep selling, or is standing pat (or even exploring buying) the right call at this point?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Warriors Notes: Myers, Trade Market, Green, Wiseman
Speaking to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic about the Warriors‘ underwhelming 4-7 start to the season, head of basketball operations Bob Myers repeatedly stated that he’s not worried about the team’s ability to turn things around and dismissed the idea that Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during a training camp practice has messed up the club’s chemistry.
“I don’t think anybody’s playing at their best, maybe besides (Stephen) Curry,” Myers said. “Draymond’s been pretty good. But everybody else has a lot more upside than they’ve shown, whether it’s the bench or Poole or obviously Klay (Thompson)‘s going to be better. So there’s that part. And there’s the combinations of the bench and kind of revitalizing the energy to get back on track. (Monday) was the beginning of it, and hopefully, we can continue. But yeah, rough start for sure. Sometimes it’s tough to get out of those.”
Asked about James Wiseman‘s early struggles and the fact that the Warriors’ two-way players are seeing more action than former lottery picks like Wiseman, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga, Myers stressed that it’s a “really long season” and that the rotations now won’t necessarily look like the ones the club is using in a few months or even a few weeks. He also spoke specifically about why he’s not concerned about Wiseman.
“I would say that James needs to play. And (head coach) Steve (Kerr)‘s trying to figure out how to do that,” Myers said. “We’ve seen the growth over the last few months, preseason, start of the season, then he hit a little rut the last few games. But we’re not ready to get super-concerned. We just think he needs to play. Steve believes in him; we believe in him.
“… I think a lot of people want to rush it. I’m sure James wants to rush it. We all want it to happen right away. But he has the talent, he has the desire, he has the work ethic. He’s a good kid. I would be more concerned if I thought he wasn’t putting in the work outside of the games. But he is. And he cares. And it’s just going to have to run its course.”
Here’s more on the defending champions:
- Within a look at Golden State’s slow start, Tim Bontemps of ESPN wonders if the team might ultimately pivot to the trade market at some point in an effort to upgrade its bench. However, Bontemps admits it’s hard to envision the Warriors moving away from young players like Wiseman, Moody, and Kuminga this season, given how much time and energy they’ve spent developing them.
- For what it’s worth, Myers was asked about possible trades during his conversation with Kawakami and said the Warriors are “always open to anything,” but that there’s no urgency to make any roster changes. “We’re not going to overreact to this start,” Myers said. “We’re going to see how we move through it. But we view ourselves as contenders. There’s no secret there. And we’ll look at the roster as we move ahead. But at this point, it’s way too early to kind of make any proclamations about what we’re going to do.”
- After JaMychal Green and Wiseman were DNP-CDs in Monday’s victory over Sacramento, Kerr said both players will get the opportunity to work their way back into the rotation, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. However, for now, Kerr intends to lean on smaller lineups, with Draymond Green and Kuminga serving as backup centers for Kevon Looney.
- Curry, who practically single-handedly led the Warriors to Monday’s win with 47 points, said he’s prepared for some ups and downs this season as the team gets its young prospects the necessary reps. “We have to understand that (the young players) are all going to get an opportunity to perform, and there are going to be some struggles — some real high highs, and some real low lows,” Curry said, according to Andrews. “That’s the story of this team. As vets, you understand every year is a little different and you are ready for that challenge. For these young guys to try to find themselves in this league and also a specific role, it’s challenging.”
Jake Layman Signs With Spanish Team
Free agent forward Jake Layman is headed to Europe to resume his playing career, with Spanish club Basquet Manresa announcing in a press release that it has signed Layman to a one-year deal. Jordi Valle Simó first reported (via Twitter) that Layman had reached an agreement with Basquet Manresa.
A Massachusetts native, Layman was in camp with the Celtics this fall competing for a spot on the regular season roster, but was beaten out by Noah Vonleh and Justin Jackson. Boston cut him at the end of the preseason and he went unclaimed on waivers.
A second-round pick in 2016, Layman has appeared in 243 regular season games across six NBA seasons in Portland and Minnesota. In total, the former Maryland forward has averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .460/.300/.719 shooting in 12.8 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.
Layman, who reportedly drew some interest from Greek team Panathinaikos as well, will play overseas for the first time in his professional career. His new team competes in Liga ACB (Spain’s top league) as well as FIBA’s Basketball Champions League.
Basquet Manresa is at the bottom of the Liga ACB standings early in the 2022/23 season, having gotten off to a 1-6 start with a league-worst minus-96 point differential, so Layman will be looking to help turn things around.
Nuggets Notes: Porter, Brown, Hyland, Green
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. wasn’t part of the Nuggets‘ crunch-time lineup during Monday’s win over San Antonio, playing just 11 seconds in the final eight minutes of the game, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post (subscription required). However, after Denver pulled out a 115-109 win, Porter was focused on celebrating his teammates rather than bemoaning his lack of fourth-quarter playing time.
“Even if I’m not on the floor at the end of the game, we got a lot of good players, so I’m not gonna be selfish. Even though I want to be on the floor, it’s whatever coach thinks gives us the best chance to win. I would’ve rather been sitting on the bench and cheering my teammates on and win the game, than me be in the game and we lose,” Porter said, before adding with a smile: “Even though I don’t think we would’ve lost.”
Porter scored 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting on Monday and is on a maximum-salary contract, so he could have griped about being benched down the stretch. But with the Nuggets opting for defense over offense in the fourth quarter, head coach Michael Malone was pleased with how Porter handled the decision.
“That’s a big part of our culture,” Malone said. “Being selfless. Get over yourself, it’s not about you. It’s about the team. … Our players understand, you gotta sacrifice. If you want to be a great team, we all gotta check our egos at the door.”
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post makes the case that the Nuggets should move Bruce Brown into their starting five in place of Porter, noting that Brown has developed chemistry with Nikola Jokic and would improve the group defensively. Porter, meanwhile, would get a chance to be the go-to scoring option on the second unit, according to Kiszla, who argues that the young forward has the potential to be “the best sixth man on the planet.”
- Porter already makes the most sense as the starter to stagger with the second unit, according to Singer of The Denver Post, who observes that the forward meshes well with reserve guard Bones Hyland, with the two players sharing offensive responsibilities and Porter’s reliable outside shooting giving Hyland more room to attack defenses off the dribble.
- After exercising his player option this past summer to remain in Denver, forward Jeff Green has emerged as a respected veteran voice in the locker room, Singer writes for The Denver Post. “I speak up with what I see,” Green said. “I make sure it’s heard, and guys take it how they want to take it.”
Bulls Notes: Terry, LaVine, White, Drummond
Bulls first-round pick Dalen Terry hasn’t been part of the team’s regular rotation so far this season, logging just 22 total minutes in seven appearances. As Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes, Terry initially struggled to adjust to finding himself so far down the depth chart, but has been trying to make the most of the opportunity to learn from the more seasoned NBA veterans playing ahead of him.
“It was pretty hard at first because all my life I’ve always played big minutes and been a big contributor on the team,” Terry said. “It kind of reminds me of my freshman year in college where I started half the year, then I went to coming off the bench. It was kind of hard on me. ‘Lately, I’ve been just trying to keep a positive edge and know that I get to watch all these games, be around these guys — the vets — and learn from everybody on the team. Just waiting my turn.”
According to Cowley, Terry is staying ready, recognizing that head coach Billy Donovan could turn him anytime, especially if the team finds itself shorthanded due to injuries. The former Arizona standout intends to make the most of his playing time when he gets it.
“I know once I get my opportunity, I’m not going to give it up,” Terry said. “I’m not going to give it up because of the way I feel right now.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Zach LaVine, returning from offseason knee surgery, has made it clear he’d like to be playing every game rather than periodically sitting due to injury management, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The Bulls’ schedule, which doesn’t include another back-to-back set until December 10 and 11, should give him that opportunity in the coming weeks. “We’ve had a tough schedule to start off,” said LaVine, who sat out the season opener and then the first game of three separate back-to-backs. “Now we have a a day or two off between every game. I’m happy with that because you’ll see me in the lineup.”
- With DeMar DeRozan facing intense defensive pressure on Monday vs. Toronto and scoring just nine points, LaVine and the Bulls’ supporting cast stepped up, as six players scored in double figures. Donovan believes that balanced attack is one the team should strive for going forward, Cowley writes for the Sun-Times. “My goal would be, can we have five to seven guys at the end of 82 games that are in double-figure scoring,” Donovan said.
- There’s still no target return date for Coby White, who remains sidelined due to a deep thigh bruise, according to Cowley. However, Donovan believes there’s a decent chance that Andre Drummond could be available on Wednesday after missing the last six games with a sprained left shoulder.
NBA Views Mexico City As Viable Expansion Candidate
The NBA has repeatedly and consistently stated that expanding beyond the league’s current 30 teams isn’t on the docket for now, with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and a new television rights deal to work out first. But if and when the league seriously explores the idea of expansion, Mexico City is viewed as a viable candidate for a team, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“Expansion is currently not on the docket, but at some point, if we were to turn to expansion, there’s no doubt that Mexico City would have to be one the cities that would be in consideration along with a host of other very big and relevant cities in North America,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told Spears. “One of the biggest challenges around international expansion has always been the travel issues, the facility issues. But there is a world-class facility in Mexico City in Arena CDMX, which is where we’ve been playing our games and our global games in Mexico. And that’s actually the home of the G League team, the Capitanes. And so that’s not an issue.
“And the travel is not an issue. It’s a pretty short flight for several of our teams, particularly our Texas teams, our Florida teams, our New Orleans team. Arizona actually is a pretty short flight. So, those are all the kinds of things that we would take into consideration, and for those reasons you’d have to consider it. But again, I’d say it’s not immediately on the docket right now.”
There has, of course, never been an NBA franchise located outside the United States or Canada, but there are several reasons why Mexico City – the sixth-largest city in the world and the largest in North America – could be a compelling spot for a team, as Spears explains.
The NBA has played 30 exhibition and regular season games in Mexico City over the last three decades, and there has been enthusiastic fan support so far for the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes, who played their first true home game on Sunday following a multiyear delay related to COVID-19. The city’s Arena CDMX, where the Capitanes play, is an “NBA-quality” building, per Tatum.
Additionally, as Spears notes, a Mexico City franchise would enjoy the support not just of a city or region, but of an entire country, in the same way that Toronto’s team has fans across Canada. Capitanes games air in Mexico on Star+ and ESPN Mexico, which makes them the only NBA-affiliated team besides the Raptors to have a national TV deal.
According to Spears, the biggest questions about a possible Mexico City franchise would be related to player safety, but Tatum and G League officials downplayed those concerns, and NBAGL players who spoke to Andscape and have played in Mexico City said they felt safe in the Polanco neighborhood of the city, which is where Capitanes players live and visiting players stay.
“Mexico life has been great,” said former NBA lottery pick Jahlil Okafor, who currently plays center for the Capitanes. “I’m here with my fiancée. We go to a lot of restaurants and I’m working on my craft trying to get better. I feel extremely safe. I haven’t had any worries. I’m in Polanco, which is one of the best neighborhoods. So, I definitely feel safe.”
Former NBA forward Eduardo Najera is among those who has been advocating for NBA expansion to Mexico City, according to Spears.
“Mexico has been ready for quite some time,” Najera said. “If you look at the metrics and the fans here in Mexico City alone, it’s quite significant. If you do it the right way, an NBA team can galvanize an entire (country). We’re ready. Certainly, the G League is the first step. It is going to be up to the baby steps. If NBA fans in Mexico support this, it will be great to have the big boys here.”
Seattle and Las Vegas have been the two cities most frequently cited as possible expansion locations for when the NBA revisits the possibility.
Quinn Cook Signing With Team In China
Veteran point guard Quinn Cook is joining the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).
Cook, 29, was in camp with the Kings this fall competing for a spot on the regular season roster, but was beaten out by Matthew Dellavedova and was waived at the end of the preseason.
A two-time NBA champion with the Warriors and Lakers, Cook was also out of the league last season after appearing in 188 games across the previous five years. He has averaged 6.4 PPG and 1.6 APG in 188 career NBA appearances (14.1 MPG).
Cook spent a chunk of the 2021/22 campaign with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, where he averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 5.0 RPG with an impressive .524/.446/.885 shooting line in 11 games (35.3 MPG).
This will be Cook’s second stint in an international league and his first time playing in China. He suited up for Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia in 2021, but only spent about two months with the club.
Rockets’ Martin Open To Contract Extension
Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr. is becoming more amenable to the idea of continuing his career in Houston, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, who hears from sources that Martin is open to signing a contract extension with the team.
It’s a major reversal for Martin, who reportedly spoke to Rockets management this offseason about the possibility of a trade due to concerns about his role. With Jae’Sean Tate re-signed and forwards Jabari Smith and Tari Eason drafted in the first round, it was unclear whether the 21-year-old had a place in Houston’s long-term plans.
So far this season, however, Martin has appeared in all 11 of the Rockets’ games and is averaging a career-high 25.7 minutes per contest. He has put up 11.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.8 APG on .489/.341/.667 shooting, and his willingness to play a complementary role next to the club’s primary scorers and play-makers has made him a nice fit in several lineups, as Iko outlines.
“I don’t care about how much I score,” Martin told Iko. “If I can get someone else open, I’m fine with that. Just me being a connector — when the offense gets stagnant, get something moving so other guys see it. And the next time we come down the floor, if this works go back to it. Me and Coach (Stephen Silas) talked a lot (about it), and me being a connector on offense and defense helps us a lot.”
Martin is in the third season of the four-year contract he signed after being selected 52nd overall in the 2020 draft. Because more than two years have passed since he signed that contract, he’s eligible for a contract extension, though in order to work out something during the season, the Rockets would have to decline his minimum-salary team option for 2023/24 as part of the agreement — only players on expiring contracts can sign in-season veteran extensions.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension]
The three-year, $20.6MM contract that Tate signed this past summer with the Rockets would likely serve as a point of comparison if and when the team discusses a new deal with Martin, since his role and his production so far this season are similar to Tate’s in 2021/22.