Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo Named Players Of The Week
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
Lillard’s Blazers only played three games during the week of November 15-21, but won all three. The All-NBA guard averaged 28.3 PPG and 8.3 APG in victories over Toronto, Chicago, and Philadelphia, racking up 39 points in Friday’s game vs. the Sixers. He beat out fellow Western Conference nominees Deandre Ayton, Jordan Poole, and Karl-Anthony Towns (Twitter link).
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks also enjoyed a 3-0 week, with Giannis putting up eye-popping averages of 33.3 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, and 2.7 BPG against the Lakers, Thunder, and Magic. His week included a 47-point outburst vs. Los Angeles and a 32-point, 20-rebound showing vs. Orlando.
The two-time MVP won the award over a crowded field of Eastern Conference nominees: LaMelo Ball, Jimmy Butler, Clint Capela, DeMar DeRozan, Darius Garland, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Jayson Tatum.
Mavs Notes: Nowitzki, Cuban, Kleber, Doncic, Ntilikina
As first reported last week by Marc Stein (Twitter link) and later confirmed by the team, the Mavericks will retire Dirk Nowitzki‘s No. 41 jersey on January 5, when they host the Warriors in Dallas.
Nowitzki will join Rolando Blackman (No. 22), Brad Davis (No. 15), and Derek Harper (No. 12) as Mavericks players who have had their jersey numbers retired by the franchise. All three players are expected to be in attendance for the ceremony on January 5, along with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com.
“Dirk is everything to the Mavs. First, 41.21.1,” team owner Mark Cuban said, referring to Nowitzki becoming the first NBA player to spend 21 seasons with a single team. “And now, lifting his jersey to the rafters. It is a special day for the Mavs and Mavs fans around the world.”
Here’s more out of Dallas:
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spoke on Sunday to a handful of reporters, including Mark Medina of NBA.com, about the team’s start to the season, his first impressions of new general manager Nico Harrison, and Nowitzki’s jersey retirement ceremony, among other topics. “He’s a learner,” Cuban said of Harrison. “To me, that’s always the most important part. Can you deal with the people? Can you get the results? And are you a learner? He’s a learner. He’s a sponge and always open to things. So I’m happy with what’s going on.”
- Maxi Kleber returned to action on Sunday for the Mavs after sitting out nine games with a left oblique strain, but Luka Doncic remained sidelined, missing his third consecutive game due to left knee and ankle sprains. Doncic was a game-time decision on Sunday, which suggests he’s close to getting back on the court. Dallas is 0-3 without him after starting the season with a 9-4 record.
- Mavs guard Frank Ntilikina left Sunday’s game due to a right calf injury and didn’t return (Twitter link). The severity of the injury isn’t yet known.
Jaylen Brown Cleared To Return For Celtics
All-Star wing Jaylen Brown will be available on Monday for the Celtics‘ game against Houston, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Brown, who last played on November 4, has missed Boston’s last eight games due to a right hamstring strain. Ime Udoka said on November 8 that Brown would likely miss “a week or two” due to the injury — that was exactly two weeks ago.
The Celtics were below .500 at the time of Brown’s injury, but have bounced back nicely during his absence, going 5-3 in those games, including 4-0 at home.
The Celtics also should have big man Robert Williams back in the rotation on Monday night. Williams, who has missed the last three games due to left knee tendinopathy, is listed as probable.
Canada’s Travel Rules For Unvaccinated Athletes To Change In January
Professional athletes who have not yet received one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines won’t be allowed to travel to Canada beginning on January 15, minister of public safety Marco Mendicino announced on Friday (link via CBC.ca).
Currently, NBA players who aren’t fully vaccinated are permitted to enter the country and play against the Raptors in Toronto under a national interest exemption. However, Mendicino said that exemption will be scrapped in January due to the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccines. Players who remain unvaccinated will be ineligible to play in games in Toronto as of January 15.
Although the change figures to affect several players around the NBA, it won’t impact many of the league’s most noteworthy unvaccinated players. For instance, Bradley Beal and the Wizards will make their final visit of the season to Toronto on December 5, at which point Beal will still be permitted to play. Jonathan Isaac‘s Magic will make their last trip to Toronto on December 20.
Kyrie Irving‘s Nets will play in Toronto on March 1, but unless New York City alters its own vaccine mandate, there’s no indication Irving will be playing by then. Michael Porter Jr. is also reportedly unvaccinated, but the Nuggets forward may still be sidelined due to his back injury when the team travels to Toronto on February 12.
During training camp, the Raptors indicated that they were one second dose away from having a fully vaccinated roster, so no Toronto players should be affected by the change.
Kings Notes: Walton, Gentry, Hines, Fox
Addressing reporters on Sunday, Kings general manager Monte McNair explained why the team fired head coach Luke Walton just 17 games into the season after initially deciding to bring him back for the 2021/22 season.
“The start of the year was a lot of what we were hoping for, and we really thought it could have been even better,” McNair said, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I think we saw a lot of the things that we thought this team could do, but these last eight games were a change, and, for me, the question became what’s the best way to move forward, and that’s my job at every point in the season.”
The Kings began the season with a 5-4 record, but have since dropped seven of eight games. That stretch included losses vs. San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, and Toronto, all of whom are multiple games below .500.
“It wasn’t any one thing,” McNair said. “It was a combination of things, but sitting here with where we’ve been the last two weeks, we felt we weren’t getting the consistency and certainly the results we wanted. We all need to be better. This is not on any one person, but we did feel this was the change that was best to get us back to where we need to go.”
Here’s more on the Kings and their head coaching change:
- McNair said on Sunday that he still believes the Kings have enough talent to make the playoffs and thinks Alvin Gentry is capable of leading them there. The team chose Gentry over other assistants – like Doug Christie – as its interim replacement due to his previous head coaching experience, McNair added (Twitter links via Sean Cunningham of ABC10 Sacramento).
- Kings player development coach Rico Hines will move to the front of the bench as one of Gentry’s assistants, McNair said (Twitter link via Anderson).
- Michael Pina of SI.com and Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer take a look at what’s next in Sacramento following Walton’s exit, with Tjarks suggesting that the Kings will soon need to determine whether De’Aaron Fox is still the player they want to build around.
- The timing of Walton’s dismissal is another “Kangz” moment for Sacramento, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who notes that a coaching change made in the first third of a season probably should’ve just been made during the offseason.
Pistons’ Casey: Stewart Shouldn’t Face Further Punishment For Altercation
Lakers star LeBron James and Pistons youngster Isaiah Stewart were ejected from Sunday’s game in the third quarter following an on-court altercation and could face further punishment from the NBA league office.
James struck Stewart in the face while the two players were battling for position on a Jerami Grant free throw, opening up a large cut near Stewart’s right eye. The Pistons’ center, with blood streaming down his face, tried to go after LeBron and had to be held back by several teammates and coaches (video link). James was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul and Stewart was tossed for “multiple unsportsmanlike acts,” as our Dana Gauruder writes for The Detroit Free Press.
While it seems likely that James and Stewart will face fines, if not suspensions, for their actions, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said after the game that he didn’t believe Stewart should receive any additional penalties.
“He shouldn’t be facing anything,” Casey said, per Gauruder. “Not getting off the court in time, the league will have to decide on that. The man got eight stitches, or whatever the number of stitches it is, across his forehead. … He was upset, blood running down his face. I don’t see ramifications from the league from that standpoint, except for him just (not) leaving the court, maybe. I thought that’s why he got ejected out of the game. To me, that’s enough punishment.”
The Lakers and Pistons are both off until Tuesday, but if the NBA is going to assess fines and/or suspensions, an announcement will likely come at some point on Monday.
Here’s more on the fracas in Detroit:
- Anthony Davis said after the game that James didn’t elbow Stewart intentionally and that he wanted to apologize to the 20-year-old. “Everyone in the league knows LeBron’s not a dirty guy,” Davis said, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “In fact, when he knew he hit him, as soon as he did it, he looked back at him like, ‘Oh, my bad. I didn’t try to do it.'”
- Lakers guard Russell Westbrook also received a technical foul as part of the skirmish, since referee Scott Foster and his crew believed Westbrook was acting as “an escalator and not a peacemaker.” Westbrook didn’t realize he had been assessed a technical until after the game, writes McMenamin. “Why’d I get a tech? I didn’t know I had a tech. Wow. That’s interesting,” Westbrook said. “Well, you know, that’s just being Russell, I guess. When you’re Russell Westbrook, they just try to do anything, apparently. Well, whatever. … They had to put it on somebody. I’m the easiest person to throw s–t on. Why not me?”
- While there may be an outside perception that Stewart, who also had a minor scuffle with Blake Griffin earlier this season, is a troublemaker, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic contends that couldn’t be further from the truth. Casey agrees with that assessment. “I told him, ‘Don’t let this define who you are. It doesn’t define your game whatsoever. Keep your head (up) and don’t get a reputation afterward,'” Casey said after the game. “I feel for the young man because he’s such a competitor and plays so hard. He’s a great kid. He felt like he got a cheap shot across his brow. On the street, it would be a different story. It’s no reflection on who Isaiah Stewart is whatsoever.”
- The Lakers were down by 17 points following James’ ejection, but battled back without him in the fourth quarter for a victory. Bill Oram of The Athletic wonders if the comeback could be a turning point for a Lakers team that has been up and down so far this season.
Michael Porter Jr.’s Season In Jeopardy?
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. has been diagnosed with a nerve issue in his back, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, who says Porter’s season could be in jeopardy.
As Singer writes, the Nuggets haven’t offered up many details on Porter’s status since shutting him down two weeks ago. He has been receiving daily treatment on his back in an effort to strengthen the area where he sustained the injury, Singer explains.
The Nuggets’ plan is to give Porter another week to show improvement before considering alternative treatment options, including a possible surgical procedure, sources tell The Denver Post. Head coach Michael Malone said on Sunday that Porter was in Florida, away from the team. A source tells Singer that the 23-year-old’s absence is related to him seeking more opinions on how to treat the injury.
Porter’s ailment is particularly concerning since he has a history of back issues, having previously undergone two surgeries — one during his first and only college season, and the other prior to his rookie season in 2018.
The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2020/21, averaging 19.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG on .542/.445/.791 shooting in 61 games (31.3 MPG). The performance earned him a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension, which goes into effect in 2022/23.
However, Porter battled back pain in his first nine games this season before the injury forced him to the sidelines. He has posted just 9.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG on .359/.308/.556 shooting in 29.4 minutes per contest this season.
We’ll have to wait to see what course of action Porter and the Nuggets take to treat his back injury, but losing him for the season would be a tough blow to a Denver team that’s already missing another one of its maximum-salary players — Jamal Murray is recovering from an ACL tear he sustained in the spring. Without Porter, Murray, and Nikola Jokic – who is dealing with a wrist injury – the club lost its fourth game in a row on Sunday to slip to 9-8 on the season.
LeBron James Returns On Friday Night
NOVEMBER 19: James will return to the Lakers’ starting lineup tonight, the team announced. The starters will be Russell Westbrook, Bradley, Horton-Tucker, LeBron, and Anthony Davis. The Lakers face the Celtics at 6:30 CT on ESPN.
NOVEMBER 16: Injuries have limited LeBron James to just six games so far this season, and he hasn’t suited up since November 2 due to an abdominal strain. However, it sounds like we could see the Lakers‘ star forward back on the court later this week.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), there’s “growing optimism” that James will make his return on Friday when the Lakers face the Celtics in Boston.
That contest vs. the C’s will be the second game of a five-game Eastern Conference road trip for the Lakers. That trip begins on Wednesday in Milwaukee and also includes games in Detroit (Sunday), New York (Nov. 23), and Indiana (Nov. 24). If the Lakers are easing James back into action, he likely wouldn’t play both games of that back-to-back set next week.
Still, getting LeBron back in any form would be good news for a Lakers team that has had an up-and-down season to date. After Monday’s loss to Chicago, L.A. has an 8-7 record, good for seventh in the Western Conference.
The Lakers’ starting five has been fluid as of late, but Carmelo Anthony is probably the likeliest candidate to move to the bench once James is ready to go. Talen Horton-Tucker and Avery Bradley are the other starters whose spots aren’t necessarily 100% locked in.
How Thunder Are Simultaneously Below Salary Floor, Over Cap
When we updated our glossary entry on the NBA’s salary floor earlier this week, I noted that the Thunder are the only team currently under the floor for the 2021/22 season. Each NBA team is required to spend at least $101,173,000 on player salaries this season and 29 clubs have made financial commitments far exceeding that figure. Oklahoma City is the one exception.
Oddly enough, while the Thunder remain about $23MM below the salary floor, they have functioned since the 2021/22 league year began in August as an over-the-cap team.
The Thunder have used the mid-level exception (only available to over-the-cap clubs) to sign three different players. When they’ve taken on more salary in a trade than they’ve sent out – like when they acquired Derrick Favors from Utah – they’ve used trade exceptions to accommodate that incoming salary. And they haven’t used cap room to complete a single signing or trade, since they haven’t technically been “under the cap” at all so far in ’21/22.
On the surface, this seems like a paradox. How can a team be over the salary cap and under the salary floor at the same time? The Thunder’s unusual circumstances stem from the fact that a team’s salary in relation to the floor and the cap are determined using different methods.
Before we dig deeper into the explanation, let’s take a look at the player salaries currently on the Thunder’s books for 2021/22, with the help of data from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac:
| Player | Cap hit |
|---|---|
| Kemba Walker | $26,238,422 |
| Derrick Favors | $9,720,900 |
| Josh Giddey | $5,988,000 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | $5,495,532 |
| Gabriel Deck | $3,676,852 |
| Mike Muscala | $3,500,000 |
| Aleksej Pokusevski | $3,113,160 |
| Tre Mann | $2,901,240 |
| Darius Bazley | $2,513,040 |
| Ty Jerome | $2,412,840 |
| Theo Maledon | $2,000,000 |
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | $2,000,000 |
| Kenrich Williams | $2,000,000 |
| Luguentz Dort | $1,782,621 |
| Isaiah Roby | $1,782,621 |
| Kyle Singler | $999,200 |
| Vit Krejci | $925,258 |
| Patrick Patterson | $737,066 |
| Admiral Schofield | $300,000 |
| Mamadi Diakite | $100,000 |
| Total | $78,186,752 |
* Note: Players in italics have been waived and are no longer on the roster.
That total, just over $78MM, is the one we’re using when we say the Thunder are well below the $101MM+ salary floor. It’s also the figure that presents the clearest picture of how much Oklahoma City is actually spending on its roster.
However, when determining whether or not a team is over the cap, the NBA also accounts for a handful of other cap charges. The salary cap exceptions a team has available – such as traded player exceptions or the mid-level exception – are included in the tally. So are the cap holds for players who reached free agency with the club and have never signed with new teams or had their cap holds renounced.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Cap Holds]
The Thunder aren’t financially on the hook for these exception amounts and cap holds — they’re essentially just placeholders. The reason they count toward team salary for cap purposes is so a club can’t circumvent NBA rules by using its cap room while simultaneously retaining Bird rights to all its free agents and hanging onto exceptions only available to over-the-cap teams.
Here are the non-salary cap holds currently on the Thunder’s books:
| Cap hold | Cap hit |
|---|---|
| Traded player exception | $12,800,000 |
| Traded player exception | $8,072,621 |
| Bi-annual exception (full) | $3,732,000 |
| Mid-level exception (partial) | $3,110,742 |
| Deonte Burton | $1,669,178 |
| Norris Cole | $1,669,178 |
| Nick Collison | $1,669,178 |
| Raymond Felton | $1,669,178 |
| Jawun Evans | $1,489,065 |
| Kevin Hervey | $1,489,065 |
| Total cap holds |
$37,370,205 |
| Total (salaries + cap holds) | $115,556,957 |
As that final row shows, after taking into account all the Thunder’s salaries, exceptions, and cap holds, their team salary exceeds the $112,414,000 cap by about $3MM.
The Thunder almost certainly won’t remain over the cap all season long. In order to maximize their financial flexibility and accommodate salary-dump trades before the February trade deadline, renouncing their various exceptions and cap holds makes the most sense. They could renounce all their exceptions and cap holds today if they wanted to, but there’s no rush to do so until it’s necessary for a roster move.
Even if the Thunder don’t actively try to get below the cap, it’ll likely happen naturally when their $12.8MM trade exception from last season’s Trevor Ariza deal expires. That’ll happen on February 3.
Still, for the time being, we can marvel at the rare situation the Thunder have created, with a team salary that’s simultaneously below the floor and over the cap. It’s not unusual for that to happen during the offseason before a team has filled out its roster, but it may be a long time before we see another club achieve the feat this far into a season.
And-Ones: Thomas, Anderson, Team USA, Offseason Moves, More
Since USA Basketball announced its 12-man roster earlier this week for the first qualifying games for the 2023 World Cup, two players have been removed from the squad — DaQuan Jeffries withdrew due to an injury, and Frank Mason wasn’t cleared to participate.
NBA veterans Isaiah Thomas and Justin Anderson will replace Jeffries and Mason on the Team USA roster, according to a press release. Thomas, who continues to pursue an NBA roster spot, represented the U.S. in the AmeriCup qualifiers back in January, so he’s no stranger to international competition.
The same is true of Anderson — the veteran swingman, who has appeared in 226 NBA games, played for Team USA in the AmeriCup qualifiers in 2020 and was part of the Select Team that scrimmaged against the U.S. team prior to the 2019 World Cup.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks identifies some of the offseason moves that been the most impactful during the first month of the 2021/22 NBA season, including the Cavaliers‘ acquisition of Ricky Rubio and Tommy Sheppard‘s reshaping of the Wizards‘ roster.
- The NBA plans to increase COVID-19 testing during the Thanksgiving holidays next week, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. As Wojnarowski explains, the league is trying to avoid risking any team-wide breakouts after players participate in family celebrations.
- Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Insider link) breaks down the pros and cons of the various pathways to the NBA for top prospects, taking an in-depth look at the G League, Overtime Elite, National Basketball League (Australia), and college basketball. As Givony writes, the NCAA remains “the most bankable path to the NBA” for top prospects, but those players have more options than ever to choose from.