Andrew Bogut Set To Make Season Debut Next Week
Andrew Bogut‘s visa issues have been rectified and the Australian big man is expected to travel to Oakland on Saturday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Mark Medina of The Mercury News (Twitter link). However, Bogut will not play in any of Golden State’s upcoming road games against the Thunder, Spurs and Timberwolves.
“I didn’t think it made sense for him to fly across the country after flying across the world so he will probably just meet us in the Bay [Area] when we get back, more than likely,” Kerr said.
If Bogut skips the road trip, his first game with the Warriors will likely be this coming Thursday against the Pacers at Oracle Arena. He will have 12 games to get comfortable in the Warriors’ rotation as the team prepares for the playoffs.
Bogut, 34, spent four seasons with the Warriors from 2012-14. He has not appeared in the NBA since he suited up with the Lakers for 23 games last season. This season, Bogut played with Australia’s Sydney Kings. Bogut’s arrangement calls for the center to return to Australia after his quick NBA stint.
“To come back to the NBA, for me, was basically Golden State or nothing,” Bogut said of his return. “But the fact it was Golden State — it was the kind of opportunity that I would be kicking myself if I didn’t take.”
Atlantic Notes: Gasol, Brown, Knox, Fizdale
The Raptors‘ big deadline acquisition was veteran Marc Gasol, bolstering Toronto’s frontcourt entering the final stretch of the regular season. Thus far, Gasol has seen nearly equal time as a starter (six games) and as a reserve (seven games).
In those 13 games, Gasol has averaged 9.4 PPG and 6.2 RPG for the Raptors, well below his career rates. After spending his first 10-and-a-half seasons in Memphis, the big man is still getting used to his new team and teammates, as Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca writes.
“It’s an adjustment. I think it’s an adjustment for me, an adjustment for my teammates, for the coaches,” Gasol said. “You know, you play a certain way and it’s hard to change certain things on the fly. But you can’t try to force the issue. You have to organically improve and I’m here to work and do my best with a very positive mindset every day. It’s about what’s best for the team and how we can take another step at both ends of the floor.”
While the three-time All-Star figures out his role, the Raptors are focused on the postseason, clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference last week. Heading into that stretch, Gasol’s experience will be a factor but he does not want the attention to be solely on him.
“I don’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Gasol said. “Whatever role you’re given, it’s about having a good mindset. It’s not so much about starting — it’s about finishing games. It’s about the team playing well, and contributing to that. I know now that I’m going to have to start for the next few games, probably. And that contributes to a routine and a habit and a little bit of consistency. That helps you get that out of your mind. But I definitely don’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
Check out more Atlantic Division notes below:
- Jaylen Brown has embraced his role off the bench to the Celtics‘ benefit despite being a starter and the team’s second-leading scorer a season ago, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes. “He’s done a good job of embracing that,” Boston head coach Brad Stevens said. “He’s done a good job of not letting that affect his aggressiveness or his game.”
- It has been an up and down season for Knicks rookie Kevin Knox who had been in a slump since December. Knox is appreciative of the rebuilding Knicks’ patience with his development but head coach David Fizdale has a strategy to help him improve, Marc Berman of New York Post writes.“His strength is going to be a big, big thing, fine-tuning his shooting, solidifying his post game,” Fizdale said. “Obviously, defensively I’m going to be all over him about taking another step forward, about being a playmaker, a shotblocker, a guy who can take a challenge one on one and really slide his feet against the best attackers.”
- Speaking of Fizdale, earlier we relayed the head coach’s confidence in the Knicks doing well with free agents this summer.
David Fizdale Confident Knicks Can Do Well In Free Agency
During a rare, wide-ranging interview earlier this week, Knicks owner James Dolan voiced confidence that the team would enjoy a successful summer in recruiting top tier free agents.
“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for [to acquire free agents],” he said on The Michael Kay Show. “One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason. They know the team, they know [head coach David Fizdale] really well, they know [president Steve Mills] and [GM Scott Perry]. Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We’re definitely going to pay them. We think with them combined and the kids we’ve got today, we can build a winning team.”
Thus far, the rebuilding Knicks sit in the NBA’s cellar, owning a league-worst record of 13-56. However, the organization has pointed toward its young assets, such as Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr. and Mitchell Robinson — in addition to the city of New York — as enticing reasons for free agents to consider the team as a destination.
Fizdale echoed Dolan’s comments, citing player development and chatter around the league.
“Well, the beauty of it, the thing that I always — as much as I love you guys — I try to have my baseline on people that are having to make decisions around the league when they look at our team,” Fizdale said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “All of the feedback that we’ve gotten is young kids have gotten better, our guys compete their butts off. We set ourselves up big-time for a great future and that’s what I’m listening to when I talk to my friends around the league and the feedback that I’m getting.”
The Knicks are expected to be serious players for Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and others. It’s still far from a certainty that New York will sign any of those impending free agents and Fizdale said he remains focused on finishing the season strong.
“Well, since we’ve been here, I’m hoping that’s the case, that the relationships and what we’re building here will attract people,” Fizdale said. “But right now I’m so far away from that, guys, I’m like in a darkroom right now with these guys. I’ve got a lot of things I’m trying to clean up and teach these young guys. Free agency for me is like millions of miles away.”
James Dolan Talks Fan Incident, Free Agency, Porzingis
Knicks owner James Dolan was caught on video last Saturday at Madison Square Garden, confronting a fan who demanded he sell the franchise. The brief confrontation resulted in Dolan ejecting the fan from the arena and subsequently banning him from the venue.
The incident encapsulated a rough recent stretch for Dolan, the owner of the worst team in the NBA this season. Dolan has battled demands that he sell the Knicks and rumors that he’s considering it, defended his decision to ban New York Daily News reporters, and faced criticism for his stewardship of the franchise.
During an appearance on The Michael Kay Show on Tuesday, Dolan addressed the incident with the fan, his intentions with the team moving forward, and expectations for a major splash in free agency this summer.
Check out some of the highlights below:
On the incident with a fan at Madison Square Garden over the weekend…
“I do understand for the fans it’s about winning and losing and we haven’t been doing much winning. And there’s a real big frustration level there. We get it. I don’t like losing either. If you want to go right into [Saturday’s] incident, it’s pretty easy.
“It appears this gentleman and his friends planned to do this. Just before the game they cleared their profiles out. We have video which shows them moving from one side of the arena to the other and pointing at me, where I was walking, to set this ambush up and they did. As soon as they were done with it, it was immediately sold to TMZ. Not for nothing, I shouldn’t have taken the bait. I will say we had just lost, again, and believe it or not I get frustrated with it, too. … I don’t mind. You hear all kinds of stuff, but what is a problem is when someone becomes confrontational. These people clearly were there for a confrontation.”
On rumors of Dolan considering selling the Knicks…
“Just for the record, I am not selling the team. I am not quitting and neither is [president] Steve [Mills], neither is [GM] Scott [Perry] and neither are any of the players.”
On whether he thinks the Knicks will do well in free agency…
“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for [to acquire free agents]. One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason. They know the team, they know [head coach David Fizdale] really well, they know [Mills] and [Perry]. Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We’re definitely going to pay them. We think with them combined and the kids we’ve got today, we can build a winning team.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/12/19
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Grizzlies recalled Tyler Dorsey from the G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, the team announced (Twitter link).
- The Celtics assigned Robert Williams to their G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team announced (Twitter link).
- The Wizards assigned Chasson Randle to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, per a press release. Randle has averaged 5.7 PPG and 2.0 APG in 15.2 minutes per game with Washington.
- The Jazz assigned Grayson Allen to the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced today in a press release. Allen, on his 11th assignment of the season, will suit up for Utah’s G League affiliate tonight.
- The Sixers recalled rookie Zhaire Smith, who was available for Philadelphia’s game tonight, according to the team (via Twitter). Smith, who has yet to make his NBA debut, didn’t see any action vs. Cleveland.
Russell Westbrook Fined $25K; Jazz Ban Fan Involved In Heated Exchange
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook has been fined $25,000 for “directing profanity and threatening language to a fan,” the league announced in a statement on Tuesday. The fan, who made derogatory remarks towards Westbrook during the heated exchange has been permanently banned from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Utah, the Jazz announced.
The incident occurred during Oklahoma City’s win over Utah on Monday between Westbrook and the fan, later identified as Shane Keisel. Westbrook said that Kiesel made comments about his family and at one point, told the former MVP to “get down on your knees like you’re used to.”
“For me, I’m just not going to continue to take disrespect for my family,” Westbrook said to reporters, including Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, after the game. “I just think there’s got to be something done. There’s got to be some consequences for those type of people that come to the game just to say and do whatever they want to say. I don’t think it’s fair to the players — not just to me, but I don’t think it’s fair to the players.
Speaking to KSL 5 TV, Keisel gave a more subdued account of the incident, saying that he believed the exchange to be all in “good fun.”
“It was actually having fun, to be honest,” Keisel said of the encounter. “He was smiling at one point.”
“I told him, ‘Sit down and ice your knees bro!’ And he turned to me and is like, ‘That’s heat, that’s heat!’…I never said a single swear word to him, not one. Initially, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m talking to Westbrook, he’s one of the greats.’ But he’s classless.”
However, in the Jazz noted in their statement that Keisel violated the NBA’s Code of Conduct and that the organization would not tolerate such behavior moving forward.
“The organization conducted an investigation through video review and eyewitness accounts,” the Jazz said in the statement. “The ban is based on excessive and derogatory verbal abuse directed at a placer during the game that violated the NBA Code of Conduct. The Utah Jazz will not tolerate fans who act inappropriately. There s no place in our game for personal attacks or disrespect.”
Kyrie Irving Talks LeBron James, Embracing Role In Boston
To label Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving as a mercurial presence in Boston this season would be an understatement. The point guard has garnered huge attention due to a streaky Celtics team, an uncertain future in Boston, his public comments, and his impending free agency.
At times, Irving has expressed frustration with his team and its inconsistent performance. Other situations have called for Irving to answer – and in many cases – deflect questions about his plans this summer. Despite all of that, the Celtics remain a lock for the postseason with Irving, a player with NBA Finals experience.
In a recent interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic (subscription required), Irving discussed his season in Boston, getting used to negativity and his former teammate LeBron James‘ adjustment to the Lakers. Here are a few highlights:
On LeBron James’ first season in Los Angeles…
“You’re coming to a team like that and you have a lot of the responsibility, and you come back in the middle of the regular season, it’s hard because now other teams are gearing up for the playoffs, that next level of play. Bron knows about it, (Rajon) Rondo knows about it, but Kuz (Kyle Kuzma) and Brandon Ingram, he’s trying to teach these guys well about what it takes to win consistently in this league.”
On the adjustment to being the superstar on a contending team…
“It’s a little maniacal at times and a bit repetitive because you get asked the same questions about the regular season and we all know that, all that goes out the window once you get to to the playoffs. The thing that matters the most is how connected you are as a team heading into the postseason. … The deal that I had to become aware of, that I was signing up for, was like once you become one of the most coveted guys in the league, you’re signing up for basically, like you’re going to be attacked for the rest of your career. You’re going to be praised. You’re going to be brought up, you’re going to be brought down because that’s just the nature of the business.”
On his confidence as a leader…
“My confidence runs deep regardless, but especially when it’s at the highest point of competition, it’s when I did my best. I haven’t had the best games in the Finals sometimes. I haven’t had the best games in the playoffs. I’ve definitely been through some ups and downs. But I think that experience and that carryover from taking (the championship), from the opportunity of being in Cleveland and then taking (the experience) to Boston gives me my confidence in my teammates now.”
Paul George Criticizes NBA Referees: “It’s Just Bad Officiating”
Thunder forward Paul George launched into a critical attack of NBA referees following Oklahoma City’s loss to the Clippers on Friday.
George, Russell Westbrook, and Steven Adams all fouled out in the fourth quarter of the 118-110 loss. The 2018 All-Star, who finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds, urged the league to look into the situation, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes.
“It’s just bad officiating. I’m sorry, just bad officiating,” George said. “We don’t get a fair whistle. We haven’t gotten a fair whistle all year. … Somebody’s got to look into this. It’s getting out of hand, where we somehow just walk teams to the line. And there’s nobody that gets more contact. If I don’t speak for myself, I speak for Russ. There’s nobody that gets more contact than Russ going to the basket. And it’s just crazy.
“I don’t understand it. It’s a piece of s–t being on that floor. We giving everything we got. We’re playing hard. We’re getting grabbed. We’re getting scratched, clawed, held, shoved. And there’s nothing for it. The officials just get to walk out, and there’s nothing that penalizes them for not officiating the game the right way.”
It’s ironic that George made the comments just a day after OKC’s first game of a back-t0-back, a 129-121 overtime thriller win over Portland. George told reporters, including Brett Dawson of The Athletic, he “planned on losing money” after the win to criticize referees. He changed his tune after realizing he had 20 free throw attempts in the win.
However, Friday was a different tune as George acknowledged he will be lighter in the pockets given the NBA’s strict fines for public criticism of officials.
“It’s nothing we can do,” George said. “I’m going to lose money on this. We speak up, we lose money. There’s nothing I can do to change that. It is what it is. There’s gotta be a change, but there’s nothing that I can do.”
Rockets Notes: Harden, Paul, Faried, Nene
After a scary fall on his right wrist and brief exit from the Rockets‘ win over the Sixers on Friday, precautionary x-rays on James Harden were negative, tweets ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Harden is expected to play on Sunday against the Mavericks.
Harden returned to Friday’s game to finish with 31 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Last season’s Most Valuable Player leads the league in scoring, averaging 36.6 PPG.
“[He’s] dealing with pain [in the wrist], I guess,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said after the game. “I don’t know, he just fell on it. He’s fallen on it before and is sore, so there was some pain there and then this just aggravated it.”
Check out more Rockets notes:
- The Rockets have reeled off seven straight wins to move into third place in the Western Conference. A healthy Chris Paul, who has overcome a hamstring injury, holds the key for Houston to make a deep run into the postseason and beyond, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes.
- Kenneth Faried missed Friday’s win over Philadelphia and will not play Sunday due to an adductor strain. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that after undergoing an MRI, Faried is doubtful to play Monday.
- In the absence of Faried, Nene has become the Rockets’ lone backup center, but he has played a major role in the team’s last few wins, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.
Jodie Meeks’ 10-Day Contract Expires; Raptors Seeking Frontcourt Depth?
Jodie Meeks‘ 10-day contract with the Raptors has expired and the team is unlikely to renew it, tweets TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. Toronto has two weeks to add a 14th player to its roster to meet the league minimum.
Meeks, 31, appeared in two games for the Raptors during his 10-day day, averaging 7.5 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 12 minutes per contest. After having not appeared in an NBA game since last season, the veteran shot a strong 37.5% from beyond the arc.
While Meeks had a solid showing, Toronto may seek frontcourt depth despite the acquisition of Marc Gasol, Lewenberg tweets. He mentions former Wizards center Marcin Gortat as a possible target, adding that there’s “mutual interest” between the two sides. In 47 games with the Clippers, Gortat averaged 5.0 PPG and 5.6 RPG.
To be playoff eligible, players had to be waived by their previous club ahead before March 1, so Gortat would qualify if he signs with a new team.