Warriors Notes: Poole, Draymond, Kuminga, Curry
The Warriors had no qualms about Jordan Poole‘s deep three-point attempt that would have evened the score late in Game 1 against the Lakers, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
“It was a shot he was open and flowing,” Stephen Curry said of Poole. “Considering how they guard us on that possession, you know, trapping me at the half court, Draymond (Green) swinging it over to him, it’s kind of an in-rhythm shot.
“I’m sure he felt pretty good about it. That’s why he shot it. There are no kind of regrets about that. It’s just a make-or-miss type situation and a lot of trust in him and his ability to put the ball in the basket.”
As Andrew notes, Poole struggled mightily in the team’s first-round victory over Sacramento, but played much better in Tuesday’s loss, recording 21 points and making 6-of-11 three-pointers.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Green, who holds a $27.6MM player option for 2023/24, knows he needs to give the Warriors more for the rest of the series after struggling through early foul trouble in Game 1, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “I’ve got to play better,” Green uttered at his locker, still shaking his head. He finished with six points on 3-of-9 shooting and only four rebounds, and the Warriors were outscored by eight points with him on the court, Thompson writes.
- After spending much of the regular season in the rotation, second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga admits it has been “tough” to be riding the bench in the playoffs, but he’s trying to maintain a positive outlook. “At this point in my life, in my career, there’s not much to be afraid of,” Kuminga told C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscriber link). “There’s no matchup I can’t handle… A day is going to come where I get my way, and every time I get my way things turn out well. So I’m just waiting for my moment… I’m always going to be ready to play.”
- As one of the most famous athletes in the world, Curry finds it difficult at times to decompress. He says the game of golf is his “safe space” away from the court, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN (Insider link). “There’s definitely a correlation to him playing golf and his performance on the court,” front office member Johnnie West told ESPN.
And-Ones: Hustle Award, Free Agent Guards, Brooks, Hawkins
Celtics guard Marcus Smart has won the NBA’s Hustle Award for 2022/23, the league announced in a press release (story via Brian Martin of NBA.com). The 29-year-old also won the award last season, becoming the first back-to-back winner, and has now been the recipient three times in the past five seasons.
This is the seventh season for the Hustle Award, which was created in ’16/17, Martin notes. It is a merit-based award reflective of NBA.com’s hustle stats, including charges drawn, loose balls recovered, deflections, box outs, screen assists and contested shots.
The top-five finishers for the award, in order, were Smart, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and Pelicans forward Herbert Jones.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at the best guards available on the 2023 free agent market and their potential landing spots. Pincus thinks a team with cap room might try to pry restricted free agent Austin Reaves from the Lakers with a large offer sheet, but he thinks L.A. will ultimately match.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic, who used to work for the Grizzlies and was part of the front office that drafted Dillon Brooks, believes the small forward can still be a positive contributor for a number of teams as long as he can toe “The Line” between “competitive and crazy.” Teams over the cap but below the luxury tax line could offer the impending free agent the full mid-level exception, and Hollinger points to the Bulls, Hornets, Mavericks, Kings, Trail Blazers and Hawks as clubs that could use defensive help on the wing. As for teams with cap room, the Pistons, Rockets, Pacers and Jazz might be interested in Brooks if they miss out on pricier targets, according to Hollinger.
- UConn guard Jordan Hawkins has been invited to the NBA draft combine, which takes place later this month, according Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Considered one of the best shooters in the 2023 class, Hawkins is a potential lottery pick, currently ranked No. 13 on ESPN’s big board. As Zagoria previously reported, Hawkins will be joining a couple of his teammates (Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo) at the combine.
2023 NBA Offseason Preview: San Antonio Spurs
From 1998 to 2019, the Spurs made the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons, including 19 campaigns with 50-plus wins (in 1998/99, they went 37-13 due to a lockout – a 61-win pace – and went on to win the championship). From 2020-22, the Spurs went 32-39, 33-39 and 34-48, missing the postseason each time.
Trading Derrick White to Boston at the 2022 trade deadline was the first signal that San Antonio was entertaining a full-on rebuild. Dealing Dejounte Murray to Atlanta last summer further cemented that plan, and the Spurs wound up trading two more veterans on expiring deals – Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson – at February’s deadline.
The Spurs finished this season 22-60, tied for the second-worst record in the league with Houston. The last time they finished with a record that poor was in ’96/97, when they won the draft lottery and selected Tim Duncan first overall, which led to five championships and the aforementioned playoff streak.
If the plan was to do a short-term tank while (hopefully) developing young players, ’22/23 was the season to do it. San Antonio will be hoping to cash in on its 14% odds and land another potential generational talent in French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs’ Offseason Plan:
Considering they finished 29th in offense and 30th in defense with the worst net rating in the league (a brutal minus-9.9), it’s safe to say the Spurs need help wherever they can find it. A star to build around would be a great place to start, but they’ll almost certainly have to hope that will come via the draft or through internal development.
San Antonio has long been known as one of the most inscrutable organizations in the NBA. Predicting what the team will do in the offseason is a fool’s errand, but I’ll give it my best shot.
There are likely several young players the Spurs will have little to no interest in trading. Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell are in that group, with Sochan probably the closest to untouchable on the roster.
The Spurs have a history of coming to agreements on rookie scale extensions, and I think the odds are pretty high that Vassell will get a new deal after averaging 18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.1 SPG on .439/.387/.780 shooting in his third season (he was limited to 38 games due to left knee surgery).
Youngsters Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and Charles Bassey all need time to develop. I expect them all to be on the roster to start next season.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Spurs gauge the trade values of Doug McDermott and Devonte’ Graham, but I don’t expect there to be a ton of interest – they’re fine role players, but their contracts probably have neutral value at best. Khem Birch’s NBA future is up in the air due to lingering knee problems, but his contract is also expiring, so they’ll likely just live with his $7MM-ish cap hit in ‘23/24 and hope he gets healthy enough to resume his career (waiving him outright to clear a roster spot is another viable option).
Zach Collins’ $7.7MM salary is a lock to be guaranteed, as longtime head coach Gregg Popovich has already said he would be the starting center entering next season. Injuries have plagued Collins throughout his six-year career, but he’s still only 25 years old and played well in ’22/23.
I expect Tre Jones, a restricted free agent, to be back next season, though I don’t have a great feel for what type of contract he might receive – he has plenty of desirable traits, but he’s a small point guard who doesn’t shoot threes well, making his market value tricky to gauge. I’m less optimistic about Romeo Langford returning unless he takes a discount – his qualifying offer isn’t team-friendly, so he’ll probably become an unrestricted free agent.
As for the other impending free agents, I wouldn’t be surprised if both two-way players (Dominick Barlow, Julian Champagnie) are retained one way or another, but it could go either way with the remaining three (Sandro Mamukelashvili, Keita Bates-Diop, Gorgui Dieng).
Assuming they guarantee Collins’ salary, re-sign Jones at a starting salary of $11MM (just a rough estimate), select No. 3 overall like their placeholder cap hold, and renounce their other free agents, the Spurs will have approximately $29MM to spend on free agents, plus the $7.6MM room exception.
I don’t expect them to go after any of the marquee names in free agency given the state of their rebuild, but some second-tier guys like Max Strus or P.J. Washington might be worth watching (Washington will be restricted if given a qualifying offer, as expected). They could also add assets by taking on unwanted salaries from rival clubs, like they did during ’22/23.
Salary Cap Situation
Guaranteed Salary
Keldon Johnson ($20,000,000)- Doug McDermott ($13,750,000)
- Devonte’ Graham ($12,100,000)
- Khem Birch ($6,985,000)
- Devin Vassell ($5,887,889)
- Jeremy Sochan ($5,316,960)
- Malaki Branham ($3,071,880)
- Charles Bassey ($2,600,000)
- Blake Wesley ($2,504,640)
- Total: $72,216,379
Dead/Retained Salary
- Joshua Primo ($4,314,600)
- Total: $4,314,600
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Zach Collins ($7,700,000)
- Total: $7,700,000
Restricted Free Agents
- Romeo Langford ($7,744,600 qualifying offer / $16,902,771 cap hold): Bird rights
- Tre Jones ($5,216,324 qualifying offer / $5,216,324 cap hold): Bird rights
- Sandro Mamukelashvili ($2,189,698 qualifying offer / $2,189,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $24,308,793
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 3 overall ($9,625,800)
- Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
- No. 32 overall (no cap hold)
- Note: This pick could be No. 33 instead if the Spurs pick earlier than Houston in the first round.
- No. 44 overall (no cap hold)
- Total: $9,625,800
Extension-Eligible Players
- Khem Birch (veteran)
- Zach Collins (veteran)
- Devonte’ Graham (veteran)
- Doug McDermott (veteran)
- Devin Vassell (rookie scale)
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins.
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Keita Bates-Diop ($1,989,698 cap hold): Bird rights
- Gorgui Dieng ($1,989,698 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $3,979,396
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $7,609,000
2023 NBA Offseason Preview: Detroit Pistons
It’s hard to say 2022/23 was anything but a disappointment for the Pistons, who finished with the worst record in the NBA at 17-65 after entering the season hoping to make a push for the play-in tournament.
Injuries certainly played a role in that – 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham was limited to just 12 games due to a shin injury, which required surgery. Still, it’s not as though they were lighting the world on fire to start the season with Cunningham healthy – they went 3-9 in the games he played, including six lopsided losses.
The Pistons had two separate losing streaks of 11 games and nine other losing streaks ranging between three and seven games. They managed consecutive victories only one time in ’22/23. It marked the fourth consecutive season in which Detroit has won fewer than 24 games.
Part of the problem with being bad every year, drafting early in the lottery, and trying to develop young players is that most rookies are not good NBA players. Some develop into winning players in the following years; some never do. The Pistons need more players on their roster to take significant steps forward in ‘23/24.
That’s not to say this past season was a total lost cause. Both of Detroit’s lottery picks – Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren – showed encouraging signs of progress, and the team can land no lower than No. 5 overall in June’s draft.
The Pistons’ Offseason Plan:
Hiring a new head coach is the first order of business after Dwane Casey moved to a front office role. Charles Lee, Kevin Ollie and Jarron Collins are considered frontrunners for the job, though the Pistons reportedly plan to take their time in evaluating their options.
Getting lucky in the draft again would obviously be beneficial – Victor Wembanyama is considered the best prospect since LeBron James was selected in 20 years ago. However, even if the Pistons do land Wembanyama, there are still question marks up and down the roster.
Ivey and Cunningham appear secure as the two starting guards, but they’re inexperienced and neither has proven to be a great shooter yet. They’ve also been turnover prone, which is normal for young guards.
Former No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes had a 14-game stretch from mid-November to mid-December when people ignored his previous shooting woes and thought he was turning the corner, as he shot 41.0% from three. He wound up shooting 24.7% from deep over his remaining 46 games, struggling mightily to score from inside the arc as well.
I like Hayes’ defense and he improved as a play-maker and decision-maker in year three, but unless he drastically improves as a scorer, it’s hard to see him ever having positive value – his 45.5% true shooting percentage was the worst mark in the NBA. I definitely don’t see him getting a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
Duren seems like the center of the future, but the frontcourt is already chock full of young players like Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III.
On one hand, you could argue that having a couple of former No. 2 overall picks in Wiseman and Bagley was a worthwhile gamble on their talent, despite disappointing tenures with their former teams. On the other, neither has shown the ability to consistently set solid screens, stretch the floor, or play defense, and there are only so many minutes to go around.
Stewart may not be a household name to non-Pistons fans, but he made progress with his outside shot and is a solid defensive player. As with Wiseman, he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer – I suspect Stewart is more likely to receive a new deal, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they wait on both players.
After trading Saddiq Bey for Wiseman, Detroit has Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Livers at forward, with Alec Burks splitting minutes between the two and three. Bogdanovic and Burks were involved in a lot of trade rumors heading into the February deadline, but the Pistons wound up keeping them both. I didn’t mind that decision, because having productive veterans on an otherwise extremely young team is important.
In terms of the club’s own free agents (or potential free agents), Burks and Livers are essentially locks to have their club options exercised, but as James L. Edwards III of The Athletic recently predicted, it wouldn’t be surprising if none of the remaining players (Hamidou Diallo, Cory Joseph, Rodney McGruder, R.J. Hampton, Eugene Omoruyi) return.
Diallo can’t shoot, but he’s an elite athlete and finisher who really improved on defense. I think he’ll get a multiyear contract from someone. The other players are probably looking at minimum-salary, partially guaranteed, or non-guaranteed contracts for various reasons.
The Pistons need more shooting and defense at basically every position, and they’ll have options to improve. Assuming they pick up their options on Burks and Livers and renounce all their other cap holds, they’ll have $107.4MM committed to 11 players, including Dewayne Dedmon’s dead money hit (he was previously waived and stretched) and the cap hold for the incoming top-five pick.
Where that pick lands will determine exactly how much cap room they’ll have available – if it’s No. 1 overall, they’d have about $26.6MM to spend on free agents, based on the latest projections for next season’s salary cap. If it falls to No. 5 – and there’s a 47.9% chance that it will – then they’d have another $4MM+ in cap room.
Wherever the pick lands, that’s enough money to add at least one impact veteran. Former Pistons forward Jerami Grant, whom the team traded to Portland last offseason, has been floated as one possibility for the cap room – he’ll be an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t sign an extension with the Blazers. Detroit will also have the room mid-level exception available, which increased in value in the new CBA – it can now run up to three years and is projected to start at about $7.6MM.
Salary Cap Situation
Guaranteed Salary
Bojan Bogdanovic ($20,000,000)- Marvin Bagley III ($12,500,000)
- James Wiseman ($12,119,440)
- Cade Cunningham ($11,055,360)
- Jaden Ivey ($7,614,480)
- Killian Hayes ($7,413,955)
- Isaiah Stewart ($5,266,713)
- Jalen Duren ($4,330,680)
- Total: $80,300,628
Dead/Retained Salary
- Dewayne Dedmon ($2,748,674)
- Total: $2,748,674
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Alec Burks ($10,489,600): Bird rights
- Eugene Omoruyi ($1,927,896): Non-Bird rights
- Isaiah Livers ($1,836,096): Early Bird rights
- Total: $14,253,592
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- R.J. Hampton ($1,997,238)
- Total: $1,997,238
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Two-Way Free Agents
Draft Picks
- No. 1 overall ($11,979,960)
- Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
- Note: This is only a placeholder until the draft order is determined via the lottery.
- No. 31 overall (no cap hold)
- Total: $11,979,960
Extension-Eligible Players
- Alec Burks (veteran)
- Isaiah Livers (veteran)
- James Wiseman (rookie scale)
- Killian Hayes (rookie scale)
- Isaiah Stewart (rookie scale)
Note: These are players who are either already eligible for an extension or will become eligible before the 2023/24 season begins. Burks and Livers would only become eligible if their team options are exercised.
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Hamidou Diallo ($9,880,000): Bird rights
- Cory Joseph ($9,795,450): Bird rights
- Rodney McGruder ($1,989,698): Bird rights
- Total: $21,665,148
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $7,609,000
Joel Embiid Out For Game 1; “Optimism” For Game 2
5:10pm: Embiid won’t play in Game 1 on Monday. The team has ruled him out, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
2:47pm: Joel Embiid is likely to be sidelined for Monday’s Game 1 in Boston, but the Sixers are optimistic about their best player’s chances of a possible return for Wednesday’s Game 2, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
The star center is officially listed as doubtful for tonight’s game. He has done some light on-court work in the past couple days, but he still hasn’t been able to run much.
Embiid had a PRP injection last week to promote healing in the sprained LCL in his right knee. He sustained the injury during Game 3 of the Sixers’ first-round series against the Nets on April 20; Philadelphia went on to win the series 4-0.
A previous report indicated there was optimism the MVP finalist would be able to return at some point during the series. Embiid averaged a league-high 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.7 BPG on .548/.330/.857 shooting in 66 games (34.6 MPG) during the 2022/23 regular season.
Lakers Reportedly Don’t Plan To Pursue Kyrie Irving
The Lakers have long been linked to guard Kyrie Irving, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
The eight-time All-Star sat courtside for Game 6 on Friday as the Lakers advanced to the second round and congratulated former teammate LeBron James in the arena tunnel after the game, writes Tim Cato of The Athletic (it’s worth noting Irving also sat courtside for Sunday’s Game 7 between Golden State and Sacramento).
Despite his obvious ties to James and Los Angeles’ previously rumored interest in Irving, the team doesn’t plan to pursue him in free agency, sources tell Cato. As Cato notes, the Lakers would have to shed several salaries — including multiple players they traded for that helped turn their season around — to create enough cap room to try and sign Irving.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, are still optimistic about their chances of re-signing Irving, and rival teams believe that’s the most likely outcome as well, according to Cato’s sources.
As Cato details, it was, by all accounts, an unpleasant season for Dallas. After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021/22, the Mavs regressed and went 38-44, missing the playoffs (and the play-in tournament). “I’m glad it’s over,” an unnamed player said before the final game of the season.
Cato points to the Mavericks’ inability to retain Jalen Brunson as the pivot point in their decline. Brunson has said multiple times he hoped to remain with Dallas, while owner Mark Cuban blamed Brunson’s father Rick for the guard’s departure.
Cuban recently claimed Brunson’s side never gave the Mavs an offer he would accept in free agency, but a team source tells Cato that Brunson’s agents did reach out to the Mavs to inquire about a potential offer, only to be told that it would be revealed at a meeting, which was ultimately cancelled.
Either way, it’s clear that the Mavs didn’t value Brunson as much as the Knicks did, and the Mavericks were left to pick up the pieces.
One acquisition Dallas seemed to sour on throughout the season was big man Christian Wood, another unrestricted free agent who is not expected to be brought back, according to Cato.
Cato’s story features several more details on the Mavericks’ “season of misery” and their potential offseason plans, and is worth checking out in full for readers who subscribe to The Athletic.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Fernandez, Bridges, Knicks
Scottie Barnes is the least likely Raptors player to be on the move this summer, Eric Koreen of The Athletic states in his latest mailbag. That’s hardly surprising, considering Barnes is still just 21 years old and has two years left on his rookie scale contract.
The 2021/22 Rookie of the Year had a somewhat uneven sophomore season in ’22/23, with both his two-point percentage (50.5%) and three-point percentage (28.1%) declining (from 54.3% and 30.1%, respectively). In order for Barnes to become a more well-rounded offensive player, he needs to improve his shooting and ball-handling, according to Koreen, who says the former No. 4 overall pick’s passing is ahead of those two other skills at the moment.
Koreen would like to see the Raptors hire a head coach who can find the difficult balance of being “fiery” while able to present as “calm in the heat of things” when dealing with officials, as the team became “dangerously whiny” under Nick Nurse in recent seasons.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez interviewed (via Zoom) for the Raptors‘ head coaching vacancy on Friday morning, reports Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). Known as a defensive-minded coach, Fernandez just completed his first season with Sacramento after six years on Michael Malone‘s staff in Denver. Fernandez was one of several coaching candidates listed for the job last week.
- Mikal Bridges was outstanding for the Nets after being acquired at the trade deadline, increasing his scoring average and efficiency. In order for him to take the next step and become an All-Star, he’ll need to improve his play-making and ability to punish double teams, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (member-only link). “It’s just continuing to get better and work on things,” Bridges said. “…The thing about me is I’m just always trying to get better every year. I mean, that’s the biggest thing, and trying to be the best player I can be when it’s all said and done. There’s always room to grow, and this summer just learning things and adding more things to that routine.” Bridges hasn’t missed a game since his junior year of high school, Lewis notes, a welcome departure from the injury-plagued teams of the past few years.
- One of the keys for the Knicks in their first-round victory over the Cavs was their incredible offensive rebounding, but they were unable to replicate that success in Sunday’s Game 1 loss to Miami, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. The Knicks averaged 18.2 second-chance points per game in five games against Cleveland, but only managed 11 yesterday, per Botte.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Draymond, Kings, Clippers
It seemed as though the Warriors had all the momentum after winning three straight games to go ahead 3-2 in their first-round series against Sacramento, which made their Game 6 home loss Friday night all the more stunning, writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.
Kawakami calls the 19-point defeat Golden State’s “most disappointing” performance since the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green started making the postseason in 2013. The locker room was understandably quiet and reflective afterward.
Still, the team remains confident it will be able to rebound and emerge victorious Sunday afternoon in Sacramento for Game 7.
“It’s up to us to go to Sacramento and do everything we did tonight — but opposite,” Thompson said. “And I know we will respond. I just know this team. I know these guys. I’ve played at the highest level with them and I know what we are capable of, and we will respond like the champions we are come Sunday.”
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- It’s time for head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors to re-insert Draymond Green into the starting lineup in place of the struggling Jordan Poole, argues Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, who points to Green’s experience of winning in high-pressure situations and his defensive acumen as reasons why the change should take place.
- The Kings made a “series-altering” adjustment in Game 6, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. They decided to go smaller and faster, with more shooting around De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, who both had terrific games. They went away from Alex Len as backup center and used Trey Lyles at the five, with Terence Davis, Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray receiving more playing time, while Harrison Barnes and Davion Mitchell played less. “We knew we could run them a little bit and we took advantage of that tonight,” Monk said. “I felt it a little bit more on them. They were a little tired. We’re younger than they are. So we knew we could take advantage of that. We’re going to try to do the same thing Sunday.”
- Confirming a recent report from Mark Medina, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says the Clippers will “continue to build around” Kawhi Leonard and Paul George despite their injury troubles, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays. “Kawhi’s a ceiling raiser,” Frank said. “When you study past NBA champions, they have a top-five guy on their team, and Kawhi has shown that when healthy he can be the best player in the world. Paul is an eight-time All-Star now. So we’re going to continue to build around those guys and look for every which way [to improve around them].”
- Both Leonard and George are eligible for pricey contract extensions in the offseason, and the Clippers will discuss the matter with their star players when the time comes, per Youngmisuk. “Those guys are great players and they’re great partners and we want to keep them as Clippers for a long time,” Frank said. “And so we’ll look forward to those conversations. And the No. 1 goal is how can we build a sustainable championship team? And those guys have been great partners, so at the appropriate time, we look forward to sitting down with them.”
International Notes: Anderson, Embiid, Bacon, Stephenson
Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson is considered likely to be naturalized in time to play for the Chinese national team during this summer’s World Cup, sources tell Mike Chan of The South China Morning Post.
As Chan writes, Anderson’s maternal great-grandfather was born in China, making him one-eighth Chinese. Last summer, Anderson and his mother reconnected with some of their long-lost Chinese relatives in a village in Shenzhen.
There’s a catch, however: According to Chinese law, Anderson would have to renounce his United States citizenship to become naturalized in China, as the country doesn’t allow dual citizenship. Anderson did not respond to Chan’s request for comment and was noncommittal about his decision at the end of the season.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- On the other hand, it seems unlikely that Sixers center Joel Embiid will compete in the 2023 World Cup, at least for France, according to French outlet L’Equipe. “Joel hasn’t made a decision, but it seems difficult for him to be able to play this summer,” French national team head coach Vincent Collet said (hat tip to Eurohoops). “But that does not call into question the fact that he can play with us next year. He is going to get married this summer, and it really falls into the wrong period, during the preparation of all the teams.” As Eurohoops notes, Embiid is a citizen of three different countries: his native Cameroon, France, and the U.S.
- Panathinaikos, a Greek club that competes in the EuroLeague, is expected to part ways with former NBA player Dwayne Bacon after he was suspended two games for disciplinary reasons, according to Stavros Barbarousis of Eurohoops (Twitter link). Bacon, 27, played for AS Monaco last season. The former second-round pick’s last NBA campaign was in 2020/21 with Orlando.
- Veteran guard Lance Stephenson has signed with Puerto Rican side Leones de Ponce, the team announced in a press release. Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files was the first to report the news. Stephenson finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his debut Friday night, Agness writes. The 32-year-old played 46 games for the Hawks and Pacers last season, but an NBA opportunity for ’22/23 didn’t materialize.
Grizzlies Notes: Jenkins, Morant, Brooks, Maturity
Memphis’ season came to a screeching halt on Friday night as the Grizzlies were thoroughly lambasted by the Lakers in the sixth and final game of their first-round series, losing by 40 points. Head coach Taylor Jenkins referred to the No. 2 seed’s early exit as “the ultimate wake-up call,” as ESPN’s Tim MacMahon relays.
“Are we going to really understand that it’s the preparation and the offseason, the preparation in the season?” Jenkins said. “It’s what you do at work, off the court — clearly, there are things that we’ve got to control and just embrace it together. How are we going to support each other throughout all this stuff?
“This is a journey that you go through from the start of the season to the end of the season, and it’s not supposed to be easy, any of it. So are we going to take it lightly and take it for granted or we going to take a real hard look at the mirror?”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Star point guard Ja Morant acknowledged that his off-court behavior — which included an eight-game suspension in March due to a gun-related incident, among several others — negatively impacted the team this season, MacMahon adds in the same story. “I’ve just got to be better with my decision-making,” said Morant, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting in the blowout defeat. “That’s pretty much it. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much. Just [need] more discipline.”
- Morant also took accountability for his “I’m fine in the West” comment from earlier in the season being used against him now, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). “I don’t mind. I said it. I’ll deal with it,” Morant said.
- For the third time in the series, all after losses, forward Dillon Brooks refused to speak publicly after the game. He left the locker room before the media was permitted to enter, tweets MacMahon. Brooks, an unrestricted free agent this summer, was up to his usual trash-talking antics early in the series after evening it at one game apiece, calling LeBron James “old” and saying he was past his prime. Obviously that came back to bite the Grizzlies, as the Lakers went on to win three of the next four games.
- Injuries to key players like Morant (hand), Steven Adams (knee), Brandon Clarke (torn Achilles), and Luke Kennard (who missed Game 6 with shoulder soreness) certainly were a factor in the series, but the team’s lack of maturity and attention to detail were arguably bigger issues, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today makes a similar case, writing that Memphis’ biggest offseason goal should be “growing up” emotionally.