Miles Bridges Hopes To Play Entire Career With Hornets
Hornets forward Miles Bridges, a restricted free agent this summer, says he wants to spend the rest of his career in a Hornets uniform, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges recently appeared on The QC Hornets’ Nest, Boone’s podcast for the Observer. Here are some highlights from the chat:
On his desire to stay with a rising Hornets squad long-term, hopefully forever:
“If I could, I’d pull a Dirk (Nowitzki) or a Kobe (Bryant), you know. I love being in Charlotte. I love the fans, I love the atmosphere and I want to be a part of something that’s building, you know. I feel like we’re building something and eventually we want to win a championship. That’s the goal.”
On improvements he hopes to make going forward:
“Defense. Do better at defense, do better at leading. Staying more consistent during games. My body language, that type of stuff. Mental stuff. I feel like I could be more consistent there. And just being more consistent as a leader. Even when things are going bad, I don’t put my head down. I’m the one to pick everybody up.”
On his partnership with LaMelo Ball:
“I love playing with ‘Melo. I knew from the first preseason game that we were gonna be a good group of guys in the game together. I love playing with him. He’s elevated his game, I’ve elevated my game. We push each other. It’s just a brotherhood for me and him. It’s like my brother.”
On LaMelo’s passing ability:
“I played with Kemba (Walker) and Devonte’ (Graham) and those guys are great scorers and they can pass, but Melo, he’s a great passer. He finds people even when you’re not looking. So, it’s great playing with him.”
On Charlotte making a playoff push in the second half of the season:
“It’s gonna be fun for us. We’re just gonna have to double down on everything that we’ve been doing to make this playoff push. The fans haven’t seen the playoffs in a long time so we want to give them that and we want to experience it for ourselves. We’re definitely gonna be more locked-in coming in after the All-Star break and leading up to the All-Star break.”
Bridges has been a breakout star this season, averaging career-highs in several categories, including: 19.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steal. He’s played in 50 games (35.8 minutes) to this point, with a shooting line of .486/.316/.784.
Pelicans’ Didi Louzada Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out 6-8 Weeks
FEBRUARY 4: Louzada announced today (via Twitter) he has undergone surgery on the torn medial meniscus in his left knee and that he’ll go through a process of “rest and rehab” (hat tip to Andrew Lopez of ESPN).
Louzada’s expected recovery timetable is six-to-eight weeks, the Pelicans announced.
JANUARY 23: Pelicans wing Didi Louzada has suffered a torn medial meniscus in his left knee and is out indefinitely, the team announced. Louzada suffered the injury during the second quarter of a game between the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, and the South Bay Lakers on Friday. A surgery date has yet to be determined.
Louzada was suspended for 25 games without pay in November for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. He returned from the suspension less than two weeks ago, but hasn’t suited up for a game with New Orleans since the incident.
A 22-year-old from Brazil, Louzada was the 35th overall pick in the 2019 draft. After spending his first two seasons in Australia, he signed with New Orleans in late April 2021. The Pelicans turned down their team option on him last summer in order to sign him to a new four-year contract that includes two fully guaranteed seasons.
Louzada has logged just seven minutes in two games this season after appearing in three contests as an NBA rookie last spring.
He appeared in four games with Birmingham this season, averaging 11.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.3 minutes per contest.
2021/22 Rising Stars Team Rosters
As we previously relayed, the NBA announced a new format for its Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend, which will take place on Friday, February 18. The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament (two semifinals and a final).
The player pool is comprised of 12 NBA rookies, 12 sophomores, and four players from the G League Ignite, while the games will be played to a target score: 50 points in the semifinals and 25 points in the final, in honor of the league’s 75th anniversary season.
The rosters were announced on February 1, but now the four honorary coaches (75th anniversary team members Rick Barry, Isiah Thomas, Gary Payton and James Worthy) have selected their seven-man teams, per our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Here are the rosters:
Team Barry:
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Dyson Daniels (GLI)
- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
- Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers)
- Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
- Jae’Sean Tate (Rockets)
- Franz Wagner (Magic)
Team Isiah:
- Precious Achiuwa (Raptors)
- Desmond Bane (Grizzlies)
- Saddiq Bey (Pistons)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Kings)
- Jaden Hardy (GLI)
- Isaiah Stewart (Pistons)
Team Payton:
- LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
- Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
- Ayo Dosunmu (Bulls)
- Chris Duarte (Pacers)
- Scoot Henderson (GLI)
- Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves)
- Davion Mitchell (Kings)
Team Worthy:
- Cole Anthony (Magic)
- MarJon Beauchamp (GLI)
- Josh Giddey (Thunder)
- Jalen Green (Rockets)
- Herbert Jones (Pelicans)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Jalen Suggs (Magic)
James Ham of ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat provides (via Twitter) the full draft results.
The top 10, in order, were: Edwards, Mobley, Ball, Anthony, Giddey, Barnes, Cunningham, Bey, Bane, and Wagner. It’s worth noting that Worthy and Anthony both went to the University of North Carolina, so Anthony’s selection at No. 4 is less surprising given that context.
What do you think of the teams? Who do you think will come out on top? Head to the comments section and let us know your thoughts!
Pelicans Sign Zylan Cheatham, Miye Oni To 10-Day Deals
The Pelicans have signed Zylan Cheatham and Miye Oni to 10-day contracts via a hardship exception, the team announced in a press release.
The Pelicans currently have three players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per our tracker, making the signings possible. New Orleans subsequently announced (via Twitter) that Cheatham has been assigned to the Birmingham Squadron, the team’s G League affiliate.
Cheatham, who went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019, spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Pelicans. However, he appeared in just four NBA games for the club and was sent to Oklahoma City in a sign-and-trade for salary-matching purposes during the 2020 offseason.
He spent most of this season in the G League, splitting time with the Salt Lake City Stars and the Birmingham Squadron. Through 12 GL games (31.1 MPG), he averaged 15.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.3 SPG and 1.2 BPG on .571/.364/.733 shooting.
That performance earned Cheatham a 10-day contract with Miami just before Christmas, but he didn’t play at all for the Heat and entered the COVID-19 protocols before his deal expired. He has since cleared the protocols. A couple weeks later, he signed a 10-day hardship deal with Utah, appearing in one game for five minutes. His contract with Utah expired January 21.
Oni, 24, appeared in 80 games for the Jazz across three seasons, but never developed into a consistent, reliable rotation player. He averaged just 1.8 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 8.4 minutes per contest in those three years.
Utah sent Oni to Oklahoma City last month in order to reduce their projected end-of-season luxury tax payment. The Thunder were incentivized to make the deal because they got a future second-round pick out of it, but Oni wasn’t part of their on-court plans, so they ended up waiving him. After he cleared waivers, he became an unrestricted free agent.
Due to the deals coming via a hardship exception, they won’t count towards the Pelicans’ team salary for salary cap or luxury tax purposes.
Nassir Little Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Done For Season
FEBRUARY 1: Little underwent surgery this morning in Florida, with Dr. James Andrews repairing the torn labrum in his left shoulder, the Blazers announced in a press release. According to the team, Little is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp in the fall.
JANUARY 31: Little will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder and will miss the rest of the season, the Blazers confirmed today in a press release.
JANUARY 27: Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little has a labral tear in his left shoulder, the team announced in a press release. Little was hurt in the fourth quarter on Tuesday against Minnesota. An MRI taken Wednesday revealed the injury.
Portland said an update on Little’s status would be provided when available, which is standard among NBA teams. However, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that the forward is likely to miss the remainder of the 2021/22 season.
Little, who turns 22 in a couple weeks, in his third year in the league after being selected by the Blazers with the 25th overall pick of the 2019 draft. He was having the best season of his career to date, averaging 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.9 blocks on .460/.331/.734 shooting through 42 games. Little had been particularly effective in January, putting up 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds on .454/.403/.727 shooting this month.
An athletic, energetic defensive presence, Little has blossomed into a rotation regular this season after receiving limited playing time during his first two seasons. He reportedly had a terrible bout with COVID-19 at the beginning of last season, losing 20 pounds and suffering grinding headaches, which impacted his development. However, he got back into shape and made a strong impression in the offseason, earning a huge minutes increase — going from 13.3 per game last season to 25.9 this season.
As a third-year former first round pick, Little is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. The injury might hurt his leverage in contract negotiations, but Portland has likely seen enough to know that his improvement is legitimate. The Blazers picked up their fourth-year team option on Little in October, a few weeks before the season started. He’ll make $4,171,548 in 2022/23.
Central Notes: Sabonis, Lonzo, Vucevic, Holiday, Stewart
Pacers center Domantas Sabonis returned to action Friday at Oklahoma City, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets. Sabonis put up 24 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and two blocks in Indiana’s 113-110 overtime victory. Sabonis missed four games with a sprained left ankle suffered Jan. 19 against the Lakers. We noted earlier this week that a weekend return was a possibility.
The two-time All-Star is having another strong season for Indiana, putting up 19.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per contest on .577/.327/.744 shooting through 44 games (34.9 minutes).
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Bulls guard Lonzo Ball had successful knee surgery to repair his torn meniscus, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. If he returns within the projected six-to-eight week recovery period, Ball could be back in mid-to-late March.
- Two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic is having a disappointing individual season for Chicago, and James L. Jackson of FiveThirtyEight writes that the banged-up Bulls need the version of Vucevic they traded for last year. Vucevic is shooting just 33% from deep after shooting 40% last season, and his 49% mark on two-pointers is his lowest since 2016/17.
- Pacers wing Justin Holiday is unvaccinated against COVID-19 and plans to remain that way, which could limit his appeal on the trade market somewhat because certain NBA cities have vaccine mandates, as James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star relays (via Twitter).
- Second-year Pistons center Isaiah Stewart is a meticulous student of the game, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Stewart has recorded notes in a binder for every game he’s played in his young career, frequently watching film to monitor his progress. He said not afraid to ask questions to improve his game. “Growing up, I’ve just always asked questions,” Stewart said. “I want to learn more. I know I don’t know it all. If there’s something I don’t see or understand, I’m definitely going to ask instead of acting like I know it all. Bottom line: I want to learn.”
Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Pelicans, McCollum, Porter Jr.
Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal lists five players the Grizzlies should target at the trade deadline. Memphis is reportedly on the lookout for wing depth, and Cole has three wings among his list: Terrence Ross, Eric Gordon and Justin Holiday. He acknowledges that trading for Gordon would be tricky, because he has a large contract ($18.MM this season, $19.5MM in 2022/23), so Ross or Holiday might be more feasible options.
Cole believes Robert Covington would fit in seamlessly with Memphis and should be the team’s top target, while Robin Lopez could solidify an already great offensive rebounding team (the Grizzlies are first in the league in offensive rebounds and total rebounds per game).
Here’s more from the Southwest:
- Speaking of the Grizzlies, backup point guard Tyus Jones earned a $776,286 bonus when the team beat San Antonio 118-110 on Wednesday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks relays (via Twitter). The criteria was Memphis reaching 33 wins, so Jones has received the bonus in each of the past three seasons, Marks notes. Jones has quietly led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio four seasons in a row, averaging 5.4 assists for every turnover committed this season (per TeamRankings.com).
- The Pelicans have been active in trade talks and have been the team most frequently linked to Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum. Scott Kushner of NOLA.com believes the Pels should trade for the 30-year-old because the team’s backcourt has struggled to consistently make outside shots, which is something McCollum excels at — he’s a career 40% three-point shooter. New Orleans has never been a free agent destination, so the fact that McCollum is under contract through 2023/24 is also appealing to Kushner.
- Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The 21-year-old has had an up-and-down third season thus far, averaging 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.6 turnovers per contest on .381/.344/.642 shooting through 32 games (30.0 minutes).
Pacific Notes: Moon, Barnes, AD, LeBron, Johnson
Xavier Moon, who recently completed three 10-day hardship contracts with the Clippers, is determined to make it back to the NBA, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Moon’s last game was in New York City against the Knicks, and he said it was a surreal experience.
“Watching these games on TV, Madison Square Garden, everybody doing what they do and getting a chance to take the court?” Moon said. “Man, surreal.”
The 27-year-old NBA rookie has plenty of international experience, having made stops in France, England, Israel and Canada. Upon hearing that some G League teams were interested in his services late last summer, Moon decided to buy out his contract with an Italian club and give things a shot closer to home, Greif writes.
“I was like, I think I’ll hold off from going overseas this year,” Moon said. “And I think that was probably one of the better decisions that I made.”
Moon appeared in six games with the Clippers, averaging 5.5 PPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.5 RPG in 13.8 MPG. In 17 games with Agua Caliente, the team’s G League affiliate, he has averaged 13.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.6 APG, and 1.4 SPG on .489/.386/.864 shooting.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Kings are in a tailspin, losing 12 of their last 14 games to fall to 18-32 on the season, 13th in the West, and Harrison Barnes is understandably frustrated with the team’s performance, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “It’s a range of emotions: frustration, anger, embarrassment, disappointment. You can go down the list,” Barnes said after posting 28 points and nine rebounds in the loss to the Hawks on Wednesday. “No one prepares and wants to lose, wants to go through losing the way we’ve been going about it. There’s a lot of frustration, but it’s on us to get out of this.”
- Anthony Davis said X-rays on his right wrist came back negative after injuring it on a dunk over Joel Embiid in the Lakers‘ loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Davis will miss Friday’s game against Charlotte with wrist soreness, McMenamin relays in a separate tweet.
- LeBron James is also inactive Friday night for the Lakers and is considered day-to-day with left knee soreness, as Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group details. In a follow-up tweet, Goon notes that James’ knee is swollen on top of being sore, so the team is being cautious with the 37-year-old star.
- Within the same article from Goon, Stanley Johnson says he’s thrilled he was able to turn his 10-day deals with the Lakers into a standard contract that will cover the remainder of the season, with a team option for next year. “I couldn’t have dreamed of something like this in wildest my dreams,” Johnson said. “Obviously, I wanted it. … Seeing a 10-day guy with a fit like this, it’s happened before. And it will happen again. But it doesn’t happen a lot.”
And-Ones: 2022 Mock, Big Board, G League Schedule, More
Which young player will hear his name called first on June 23 at the 2022 NBA draft? In his latest mock draft for ESPN-plus, Jonathan Givony has Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren going first overall to Orlando, followed by Duke forward Paolo Banchero to Detroit, and Auburn forward Jabari Smith to Houston.
Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN also provide detailed scouting reports on several players, including TyTy Washington of Kentucky (No. 9), Ochai Agbaji of Kansas (No. 12), Kennedy Chandler of Tennessee (No. 25), Christian Braun of Kansas (No. 29), and three international prospects.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently released version 2.0 of his ’22 draft big board, with Smith rising from No. 4 back in November to No. 1. However, the biggest riser by far is Johnny Davis of Wisconsin, who went from outside of the top 100 to No. 5 (!) overall. Vecenie writes that Davis’ consistency separates him from other prospects in the class and he’s a favorite for the National Player of the Year award. He goes on to say that Davis is a great three-level scorer and solid defender.
- The NBA G League announced an update to its schedule today. The regular season was pushed back from Dec. 27 to Jan. 5, causing 49 games that would’ve been played during that window to be canceled. Three games that were postponed during that time frame have been rescheduled, and six games have been added. The full schedule for the G League regular season can be found here.
- The Athletic’s Seth Partnow explores which teams have been impacted most by “replacement minutes” from players on 10-day hardship contracts. He says that Phoenix and Cleveland have been relatively fortunate to this point, while Milwaukee and Brooklyn have been somewhat unlucky (his models account for both injuries and COVID-19 absences).
Draymond Green Joining Turner Sports While Playing For Warriors
Warriors forward Draymond Green is signing an exclusive, multi-year contract with Turner Sports, per a press release. Green will still be an active player for Golden State. Green has served as a guest analyst and interviewer for Turner the past few years, but he’ll have an expanded, official role with the company now.
“I’ve had an amazing experience working with Turner Sports in recent years and I’m a big believer in the way they entertain and genuinely connect with fans on all levels,” said Green in a statement. “Today’s announcement helps to formalize our relationship and I couldn’t be prouder to officially be a part of the of the TNT family.”
Green will make appearances on “Inside the NBA” throughout the season as an analyst, both in-person and remotely, as his schedule allows. He’ll also contribute to other content initiatives with Turner Sports and Bleacher Report, both owned by Warner Media.
“Draymond is an incredibly versatile talent, both on the court and in front of the camera,” said Tara August, senior VP of talent services and special projects for Turner Sports. “He’s a team player in every sense, while offering a distinct perspective that is highlighted by his keen basketball IQ, charismatic delivery and forthright, thoughtful opinions that include and extend beyond sports. We’re thrilled to more formally welcome him to the Turner Sports family.”
Green will make his debut Thursday night following the Warriors’ game against the Timberwolves.
Richard Deitsch of The Athletic thinks the unique deal looks like a great move for Turner. He reports that August and other executives had been trying to hire Green for months, with negotiations picking up steam in December.