And-Ones: 2022 Big Board, Sleepers, Muhammad, Russia
Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren and Auburn forward Jabari Smith are in a tier of their own atop Sam Vecenie’s latest Big Board for the Athletic. Vecenie has four Duke players in the top 24, including Paolo Banchero at No. 4 and AJ Griffin at No. 6.
One new addition: Kentucky wing Shaedon Sharpe at No. 5. Sharpe hasn’t played this season after joining the Wildcats in January with the plan to play in 2022/23, but he could be draft-eligible this year if he declares. Sharpe is an outstanding athlete at 6’6″ (7’0″ wingspan) and is a legitimate pull-up shooter, according to Vecenie.
Strong performances during March Madness when more NBA eyes will be watching the 2022 draft class could lead to major movement on the board, as Vecenie states that there are minimal differences from spots 15-58. He plans to update his board again in April.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic explores 11 draft sleepers to keep an eye on during March Madness, including Colorado State forward David Roddy and Memphis forward Josh Minott. Hollinger’s favorite “deep, deep sleeper” is Toledo shooting guard Ryan Rollins, who was No. 29 on Vecenie’s board.
- Shabazz Muhammad recently had an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, stating that he’s hoping to make an NBA comeback. Muhammad last played in the league in 2017/18 with the Bucks, and he admits he wasn’t in the best shape at the time. “I’ve been working on my game seriously. When I was in Milwaukee, I noticed I had gotten myself out of shape. I’m in tip-top shape right now. I’m 220 pounds. That was my original weight when I came into the NBA and had some good years in Minnesota,” Muhammad said. “I realized you can’t take the NBA for granted, and that’s one thing I thought I did when I was in the NBA. Now, I’m thinking about getting back there by working my butt off and doing everything I have to do on and off the court as a person to be the best player and teammate I can be.” The 29-year-old swingman is currently playing in the Philippines.
- Sources tell Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link) that Russian teams are attempting to lure their American players back to the country by promising bonuses. Many players currently under contract have returned stateside due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. As Stein notes (via Twitter), Russian teams were barred from European competition by FIBA, but league play is set to continue within the country. Stein is skeptical that the American players will rejoin the teams given the instability in the region and the fact that WNBA star Brittney Griner is currently detained in Russia.
Cavaliers Sign Moses Brown To 10-Day Deal
MARCH 10: Cleveland has officially signed Brown, the team announced in a press release.
MARCH 9: The Cavaliers are signing Moses Brown to a 10-day deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The young center played for the Mavericks this season but was waived as part of the two-for-one trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
Brown, 22, had his $1,701,593 salary guaranteed for 2021/22 ahead of the January 10 deadline despite playing a very limited role for Dallas. He appeared in 26 games for the Mavs, averaging a modest 6.5 MPG. He was productive last season for the Thunder, averaging 8.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 43 games (21.4 MPG).
Brown has shown he’s a strong rebounder, but possesses very limited ball skills and is often slow to rotate defensively. He’s definitely a raw, unfinished product at this stage of his career, but he’s flashed some upside and could develop with time.
It’s basically a no-risk flier on an intriguing 7’2″ prospect for the Cavs, who will be without All-Star center Jarrett Allen for an indefinite period after he suffered a fractured finger on Sunday. I’m skeptical that Brown will actually crack Cleveland’s rotation once the signing becomes official, given that the team is trying to make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff has relied on Dean Wade, Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens when the team has dealt with frontcourt injuries this season, with occasional spot minutes to veteran Ed Davis. However, the Cavs have an open roster spot and if Brown impresses during his 10 days, they could sign him for the remainder of the season as injury insurance if Allen is out for an extended period.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets that the Brown will meet the team in Miami and the plan is for him to be available for Friday’s contest against the Heat.
Injury Notes: VanVleet, Grimes, Kaminsky, C. Martin, B. Lopez
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet told Kayla Grey of TSN Sports (Twitter link) that he would return Wednesday at San Antonio, saying he’s feeling good. Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports later confirmed VanVleet’s return to action (via Twitter). He finished with 26 points and six boards in Toronto’s 119-104 win.
The All-Star point guard had missed the past five games with a right knee contusion, which he’s been dealing with since before the All-Star break. VanVleet is averaging 21.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.9 APG and 1.6 SPG on .415/.398/.876 (.568 true) shooting this season. He leads the league in minutes played at 38.2 per contest.
The Raptors have gone 5-7 in VanVleet’s absence this season, including 2-3 over the past five games. Toronto is currently 35-30, the No. 7 seed in the East.
Here are some more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Knicks rookie Quentin Grimes suffered a partially dislocated right knee on February 25, but he’s staring to ramp up towards a return to the court, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “He’s moving around, he’s getting closer, coming along nicely,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s a phenomenal worker, and you gotta give him a lot of credit. He’s a fierce competitor. [Contact] will be the next step, but [he is] doing everything else. So far there’s no issues.” A source tells Berman the Knicks will be cautious with Grimes, but Berman speculates the guard could return in about 10 days given his progress.
- Appearing on the Burns and Gambo radio show, Suns general manager James Jones said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Frank Kaminsky return before the regular season ends, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets. Kaminsky suffered a stress reaction in his right knee in November which later required surgery. He was set to be reevaluated at the beginning of March, so presumably that evaluation yielded positive results. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Heat swingman Caleb Martin suffered a left knee injury in Wednesday’s 111-90 loss to Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Martin left the game early alongside Miami’s orthopedic specialist and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. Martin is having a nice season for the Heat, averaging 9.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .520/.396/.756 shooting through 51 games (23.1 MPG). He was promoted from a two-way contract to a standard deal last month.
- Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Brook Lopez will travel with the team for the upcoming West Coast road trip. Lopez was cleared for full contact five-on-five practices last Friday. “We’ll just continue to evaluate and see how he’s doing with the 5-on-5 and he’s making good progress and just hope that continues,” Budenholzer said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Lopez has played just one game this season after suffering a bulging disc in his lower back which required surgery, but it appears he’s getting close to returning for the defending champs.
Brandon Ingram Suffers Hamstring Strain, Will Be Reevaluated In 7-10 Days
Pelicans star Brandon Ingram underwent an MRI on his right leg Wednesday, revealing a mild hamstring strain. He’ll be reevaluated in seven-to-10 days, the team announced.
New Orleans is just 2-13 without Ingram this season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, so any extended absence could have a major impact on the team’s record.
Ingram, 24, was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 draft. In 50 games this season, he’s averaging 22.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 5.5 APG on .462/.335/.816 shooting. Although his three-point percentage is down compared to the last couple seasons, the 5.5 assists per game are a career-high and he’s shown improvement on defense.
A one-time All-Star, Ingram has helped keep the Pelicans afloat during the season-long absence of Zion Williamson. Coach Willie Green said Williamson won’t be on the bench for Wednesday’s contest vs. Orlando, but he’ll be with the team starting Thursday (Twitter link via Andrew Lopez of ESPN).
The Pelicans are the No. 10 seed in the West with a 27-38 record, but they’re 25-25 with Ingram. They trail the No. 9 seed Lakers by one-and-a-half games and hold a one-and-a-half game lead on the No. 11 seed Trail Blazers. New Orleans currently trails Orlando 56-41 at halftime on Wednesday.
Western Notes: Reed, Balcetis, Okogie, Richardson
Nuggets two-way guard Davon Reed probably won’t see much action when the team is fully healthy, but he has earned the team’s trust by taking advantage of his limited opportunities, writes Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post. Reed received nearly 20 minutes of playing time due to Will Barton‘s ankle injury on Monday night, scoring a career-high 17 points on just eight shot attempts (five of seven from deep) in Denver’s 131-124 win over the Warriors.
Reed is 30-for-64 from three-point range on the season, good for 46.9%. He says he puts in the work to stay ready for when his number is called.
“If I don’t play, I’m upstairs after every game getting shots up. I’m getting my work in every day. All I can do is control what I can control by staying ready,” Reed said. “It’s not going to happen like this every night. But shots were able to go in. It’s a testament to the work.”
Reed’s impressive work ethic has earned praise from superstar teammate Nikola Jokic, as Fredrickson relays.
“I always respect that,” Jokic said. “It’s something that shows to me that he cares. That he wants to be here and wants to be part of the team. He wants to get better. He performed well today. He knocked down some threes and played really (well). Just the respect of staying ready.”
In case you missed it, our JD Shaw interviewed Reed back in January.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Nuggets assistant GM Tommy Balcetis has had an unusual path to the NBA, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes as part of his 40 under 40 series. Balcetis immigrated to the U.S. from Lithuania as a teenager, then played high school and college hoops. Unfortunately, his playing career was ended prematurely when it was discovered he had a heart condition. He was determined to work in the league, taking a pay cut work in the international media division a couple years after college, as Vorkunov details. Balcetis met president of basketball operations Tim Connelly at a Basketball Without Borders event in Russia in 2012, and sent Connelly a congratulatory text when he was hired by Denver in 2013. They’d only met once, but Connelly remembered him and asked for his résumé. “He impressed me with his passion and intelligence and knowledge of the game,” Connelly said, recalling what made him reach out. “I thought his story was really cool.”
- Josh Okogie has seen scant playing time this season for the Timberwolves, but he’s providing leadership off the bench, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “He has the same approach every single day,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I know a lot of times he’s been frustrated not being able to play or not being able to hold a consistent role as things changed around him, and sometimes it wasn’t his fault. … But he’s been a great pro. Really mature, into the game, into the practice and the preparation, and he has a bright future in this league.” Okogie will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Wolves tender him a qualifying offer.
- Spurs guard Josh Richardson has embraced his new role as an elder statesman, but it’s unclear if he’ll remain in San Antonio beyond this season, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. At 28, Richardson is the second-oldest player on the team behind Doug McDermott (30). “When you come to a team that has a rotation set already, it’s going to be a little different,” Richardson said of his limited role thus far. “I knew that coming here. You’ve got to be professional and stay ready.” Richardson has one year left on his contract after signing an extension last summer. He’ll earn $12,196,094 in 2022/23.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Caruso, Vogel, Magic, Augustin, Gabriel
LeBron James dropped 56 points on the Warriors Saturday night, leading the Lakers to a 124-116 win and ending a four-game losing streak, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. James shot 19-of-31 from the field, 6-of-11 from three, and 12-of-13 from the line while adding 10 rebounds and three assists in nearly 39 minutes of action.
The 56-point effort tied Trae Young‘s NBA season-high and is the most points LeBron has scored in a game for Los Angeles, Buha notes. James said he was just happy to get a win.
“It’s funny, our guys were following me off the floor tonight going into the locker room and they asked me, ‘How does it feel to score 56?’” James said. “I said, ‘Right now, I don’t give a damn about the 56. I’m just happy we got a win.’ That’s just literally the first thing that came to my mind.”
James’ spectacular performance was historic for a couple other reasons, Buha writes. He passed Karl Malone for the most combined regular season and postseason minutes, and became just the fourth player to record 50-plus points in a game at age 37 or older, joining Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford.
“There’s really no words for it,” coach Frank Vogel said of James’ 56-point game. “An incredible performance by the best to ever do it, in my opinion, and as I’ve said.”
The Lakers have had an undeniably disappointing season, barely clinging to the No. 9 seed in the West with a 28-35 record, but James has been consistently great on offense. He’s now tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo for second in the league in scoring with 29.4 points per game, just a tenth of a point behind Joel Embiid‘s league-leading 29.5. It’s James’ highest scoring average since 2009/10.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- A source tells Marc Stein of Substack that James was a leading supporter of Alex Caruso and badly wanted the Lakers to re-sign him, but the team declined to offer Caruso a contract comparable to the four-year, $37MM deal he received from the Bulls last summer due to luxury tax concerns. Caruso was having a strong season for Chicago, but has played just 28 games to this point and is currently sidelined with a fractured right wrist.
- Appearing on NBA Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (video link) that the Lakers haven’t moved on from Vogel due to long-term injuries to Anthony Davis and Kendrick Nunn, and more importantly the front office doesn’t think that replacing Vogel would make a difference in the team’s performance. “(The Lakers) would like to get through the rest of this season with Frank Vogel,” Wojnarowski said.
- Prior to Saturday’s game, in an appearance on NBA Countdown (video link), Magic Johnson said the trade for Westbrook “could go down as the worst trade in Laker history” if L.A. is unable to advance past the play-in tournament.
- D.J. Augustin and Wenyen Gabriel are eager to make an impact with their new club, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. “I know they haven’t been playing up to everybody’s expectations, I would say,” Augustin said of the Lakers. “But it’s the NBA, and things happen. But we’re still in a good position where we can still have a chance. And that’s all you need in this league, is a chance.”
Raptors’ Malachi Flynn Out Indefinitely With Hamstring Strain
Raptors point guard Malachi Flynn is out indefinitely after suffering a strained left hamstring, the team announced. The injury occurred during Toronto’s 103-97 loss to Orlando Friday night. He had a season-high 20 points and tied a season high with eight assists in the game.
It’s a very unfortunate setback for the second-year guard, who’s had arguably the best four-game stretch of his young career filling in for injured All-Star Fred VanVleet. In Flynn’s past four games, all starts, he averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game on .571/.500/.556 shooting. Remarkably, he only had one turnover across the four contests, good for a 22/1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Flynn, 23, was the 29th overall pick of the 2020 draft. He has struggled to crack Toronto’s rotation this season, but coach Nick Nurse recently praised his effort and gave Flynn significant playing time — 35.6 minutes per night — in VanVleet’s absence.
Strangely, Flynn had previously been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against Cleveland, but now he’s out indefinitely, Michael Grange of Sportsnet observes (via Twitter). As Grange notes, it’s terrible timing for both the player and the team, as the Raptors have an extremely difficult schedule coming up, with eight of their next nine games on the road, mostly against teams vying for the playoffs.
With Flynn and VanVleet both sidelined, rookie Dalano Banton and the newly-signed Armoni Brooks could get extended playing time for the Raptors, currently 34-29, seventh in the East.
Julius Randle Fined $50K By NBA
Knicks power forward Julius Randle has been fined $50K by the NBA, the league announced in a tweet. Randle was fined for initiating an on-court altercation with Suns forward Cameron Johnson, making contact with a game official, and for not complying with an NBA investigation.
Randle received two technical fouls and was ejected for the incident, while Johnson received a single technical. It occurred with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter of New York’s 115-114 loss at Phoenix on Friday night.
Randle had 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes when he was tossed from the game. The Knicks were leading at the time, but wound up losing when Johnson banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving New York its 17th defeat in the last 20 games.
The Knicks reportedly have concerns about Randle’s “overall psyche” after the latest in a series of incidents from the 27-year-old. Randle’s behavior is potentially a long-term concern for the franchise considering that he received a four-year, $117MM extension during the offseason, including a player option in 2025/26.
The reigning Most Improved Player, Randle has taken a step back from his second-team All-NBA performance from last season. He’s still posting nice counting stats of 19.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, but his shooting line of .417/.301/.765 has fallen off from last season’s .456/.411/.811, his turnovers are up and his assists are down. Randle has also been lackadaisical at times defensively after showing great effort on that end last season.
Nuggets Notes: Cousins, Malone, Barton, Gordon, Jokic
DeMarcus Cousins had a stellar game on Friday night for the Nuggets, putting up a season-high 31 points on 14 shots in just 24 minutes of action. Cousins also contributed nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the team’s 116-101 win over the Rockets. Cousins started in place of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who was out with a non-COVID illness, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post relays.
Cousins said he was released by the Bucks earlier in the season due to a calf strain, giving Denver the opportunity to pick him up. Coach Michael Malone says he’s never lost faith in Cousins, even if others have. “Most people had given up on him,” Malone said after Friday’s game. “All you need is somebody to believe in you.”
Malone said Cousins lost eight-to-10 pounds after arriving in Denver, per Singer. Malone also said Cousins’ strong recent play could help lessen the load on Jokic, who’s having another MVP-caliber season. “He keeps on playing like this … you don’t have to run Nikola into the ground,” said Malone, who suggested the Nuggets might have the best center tandem in the NBA.
“It’s very satisfying,” said Cousins when asked what it’s meant to him to take advantage of his latest stop. “It’s even a better feeling to have a coach that believes in you, an organization that believes in you.”
Here’s more from Denver:
- Advice from his basketball idol Kobe Bryant helped Will Barton become the Nuggets’ all-time leader in three-point field goals, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports. “Kobe told me, ‘If you get a jump shot, you’re going to be deadly,'” Barton said. “Once he told me I had talent and all I had to do was work on my jumper, it further solidified what I already thought about myself.” The former second-round pick struggled with his shot early in his career, but transformed himself into a solid marksman over the past eight seasons with Denver, making 36% of his 3-pointers. Barton set the franchise mark with his 769th trey in the team’s win over the Rockets on Friday, breaking a record held by J.R. Smith.
- Aaron Gordon has developed impressive chemistry with Jokic, writes Singer in a separate article for The Denver Post. “Jok’s IQ is through the roof,” Gordon said. “He’s a basketball savant. Just genius. It’s great talking to him, understanding how he sees the game. How we can make it easier for him and where he needs us to be.” Gordon is taking advantage of Jokic’s elite passing by making smart cuts to the basket, leading to a career-best 51.7% from the field, including 60.6% on two-pointers. Gordon told Singer that he’s “seeing the game differently.” “Just angles,” he said. “Attacking angles. Making reads. I finally feel like I’m making better reads.”
- Jokic gave a typically self-effacing reply regarding his conversations with Gordon, Singer relays in the same piece. “I don’t know the right answer,” said Jokic. “I’m just trying to help him. … I’m just telling him what I know. If that helps him, or not, I don’t know. I’m just trying to tell him what I see.” Singer notes that a quarter of Jokic’s assists this season have gone to Gordon, the highest mark on the team.
Celtics Sign Kelan Martin, Malik Fitts To Second 10-Day Deals
MARCH 5: The Celtics have officially signed Martin and Fitts to their second 10-day contracts, the team announced (via Twitter).
MARCH 4: The Celtics are expected to sign Kelan Martin and Malik Fitts to a second pair of 10-day contracts, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). Both players’ current 10-day deals will expire on Friday night.
Fitts, 24, is a second-year power forward out of Saint Mary’s. He had a two-way deal with the Jazz earlier this season, but was waived by Utah in January after fracturing his right wrist. He later signed an NBA G League contract prior to catching on with the Celtics.
Across seven contests with the Jazz this season, Fitts averaged 5.0 MPG. In seven games with the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBAGL this season, Fitts averaged 15.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 BPG and 1.0 SPG, on shooting splits of .396/.267/.846.
Martin, 26, played for the Pacers the past couple years, but Indiana waived him in January before his contract for the rest of this could become guaranteed. Through 27 games with Indiana this year, the third-year small forward out of Butler averaged of 6.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG.
Martin and Fitts have each made one appearance with the Celtics, receiving just three minutes apiece. The Celtics are currently 38-27, fifth in the East.