- After two months on the job as coach of the Cavaliers, Tyronn Lue hasn’t cured the team of its pre-existing inconsistencies on the court, which makes judging his performance difficult, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes. The ESPN scribe does note that the team’s defense has taken a hit since Lue took over the reigns, with Cleveland ranked 14th in defensive rating and a woeful 20th in defensive field goal percentage under the new coach. Cleveland was ranked fifth in defensive rating and ninth in field goal defense before David Blatt was fired. Lue is still adjusting to being a head coach, a move that is more challenging than he believed previously, Windhorst adds. “When I was a player for Doc [Rivers], I never used to understand why he got mad at the little things,” Lue said. “Now I see why coaches get mad about little, small things. It happens a lot. Things I want to do, things I want [to] implement, it’s been tough to do it midway through the season.”
- The Cavaliers weren’t exactly comfortable with LeBron James‘ unexplained decision to unfollow their official Twitter account Monday, but a source who spoke with Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com said James told him he unfollowed the Cavs, among others, so that he could start to narrow his focus in advance of the playoffs. That still leaves several questions unanswered, as Vardon explores, pointing out that James skipped a media session Monday for the first time since he returned to Cleveland, barring occasions when he was sick or wasn’t playing. A healthy James posted a triple-double against the Nuggets on Monday night.
Team president Pat Riley says the Heat are taking an “open-minded” stance on the health of All-Star big man Chris Bosh, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Riley added that there is no expectation about whether Bosh will play again this season. “We’re just supportive of Chris and what he’s going through,” Riley said. “We’re just going to wait and see what the future holds. There really isn’t any comment. I have great empathy for the man. I know how much he wants to play. We’ll just see where it goes.”
Bosh, who hasn’t played since the All-Star break due to blood clots in his left calf, released a statement earlier this month saying that the condition has subsided and indicating that he plans to return before the end of the season. Jackson reports that Bosh has received mixed medical opinions, and Heat officials want to be fully convinced that there’s no danger before they let him play again. Last month, the Heat were reportedly trying to convince Bosh to sit out the rest of the season. The team has reason to be concerned about Bosh’s health, as blood clots in his lungs cut last season short for him and he still has three years and nearly $76MM remaining on his contract.
There’s more news out of Miami:
- Riley also marveled at the progress of center Hassan Whiteside, Jackson relays in the same piece. Whiteside signed with Miami in November 2014 after two seasons out of the NBA, and he quickly became a shot-blocking and rebounding force who now has a shot at a maximum contract in free agency. “In my 50 years in the NBA, I’ve never seen that kind of phenomenon,” Riley said. “I know that’s hurting me right now as far as his free agency goes, complimenting him. But he’s really grown a lot.”
- After the Heat crushed the Cavaliers on Saturday, LeBron James offered a hug to his former coach, Erik Spoelstra, and some kind words for the rebuilding job the Heat franchise has done since he left for Cleveland in 2014, writes Ethan Skolnick of The Miami Herald. “They’ve opened up the floor a lot more now, with them being able to put Luol [Deng] at the four, and it definitely benefits [Goran] Dragic for sure. He looks to play in the open floor. It definitely helps their tempo,” James said. “And then the kid coming off the bench, Josh Richardson, really gives them a boost as well.”
The Heat’s up-tempo offense was enough to convince Joe Johnson to choose Miami over Cleveland, according to Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. When he was hired to replace David Blatt, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue announced that he wanted to speed things up, but Johnson apparently preferred the fast-paced approach already established in Miami. “Style of play was probably the biggest difference,” Johnson said. “[The Heat] told me they wanted to get up and down the floor and run, and I mean it enticed me. I thought it was the best fit.” The Cavs will face Johnson on Saturday night for the first time since he made his decision.
- Channing Frye‘s former coach in Orlando believes he will be a valuable asset for the Cavaliers in the postseason, Lloyd adds in the same piece. “When he’s on the floor, they’re looking for him,” Scott Skiles said. “So much attention is on other players, and that’s Channing’s game. He just kind of finds spots, and when he gets his feet set, he’s as good of a big man shooter as there is.” Cleveland picked up Frye from the Magic last month in a deal at the trade deadline.
- Cavaliers star LeBron James has posted another cryptic Instagram message, according to Luke Kerr-Dineen of USA Today Sports’ For The Win. James put together a montage of photos of him, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and others with the message, “Who cares what others say that don’t agree with decisions we make because it doesn’t matter, this is our journey, the path we was giving and we’ll continue to walk it heads high guarding each others back throughout it all!”
The importance of LeBron James‘ sometimes cryptic tweets regarding his teammates has been a source of debate among the media and fans, but with James’ social media reach exceeding his on the court presence, they certainly warrant scrutiny, argues Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. To support his assertion, the scribe notes that James has a combined social media following that tops 47 million, while last year’s NBA Finals drew approximately 20 million viewers per contest on average. James’ most recent Twitter controversy, albeit a minor one, was in response to his posts regarding heading down to Miami during an off day to work out with former teammate Dwyane Wade. “Can’t replace being around great friends that reciprocate the same energy back to you in all facets of life,” James tweeted, in what appeared to be an obvious reference to Wade and a slam of his Cleveland squad.
Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving downplayed the notion that LeBron was calling out his teammates and noted that he doesn’t pay much attention to other players on social media, McMenamin adds. “I don’t really check Twitter for people’s comments or what they’re saying or anything like that,” Irving told McMenamin. “I didn’t think it was directed toward me at all. I know everybody made a big deal about it and then I tweet and then all of the sudden it’s a subtle beef between me and Bron. No, I don’t think Bron tweets for me and I don’t think I tweet for LeBron.”
Here’s more from out of the Central Division:
- Ty Lawson has only seen five minutes of action since signing with the Pacers thanks to a foot injury he suffered during his first contest in an Indiana uniform. The point guard says he isn’t being rushed back by the team, but admitted he feels significant internal pressure to contribute to his new squad, Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star relays. “I’m not feeling pressured by the team, but I’m putting pressure on myself,” Lawson said. “I’m eager to get out there and just play. You get a chance to play and the first five minutes I get hurt. I’m pushing myself to get back. I might have pushed it too much yesterday [in practice]. Maybe I should have waited until today to push it in the game and be sore tomorrow.”
- Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson, responding to a media inquiry, indicated that he wasn’t sure what the identity of his team was, which is troubling this far into the NBA campaign, David Mayo of MLive writes. Detroit has been a remarkably inconsistent squad this season, something not aided by the roster turnover and injuries the team has dealt with, Mayo notes. The scribe also notes that while the frontcourt pairing of Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris has been successful thus far, the two players’ skill sets are similar enough that it may cause problems down the line.
Cavs center Timofey Mozgov has cost himself millions with his poor play this season, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal opines. Mozgov, who is making $4.95MM this season and will head into unrestricted free agency, has been dealing with unspecified personal problems that have contributed to his lack of on-court production, Lloyd continues. Mozgov has been particularly ineffective defensively, which has led to a drop in playing time and teammates yelling at him after breakdowns, Lloyd adds. “I’ve got a lot of [stuff] in my head,” Mozgov told Lloyd. “I’m not going to share it to nobody. You ask me what’s going on in my head, you’re not going to find out.”
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Jose Calderon will play for the Spanish National Team during this summer’s Olympic Games, but his Knicks future beyond this season is uncertain, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Calderon has one year and approximately $7.7MM remaining on his contract but the Knicks could use the stretch provision and save $5MM on next season’s cap, Berman continues, though he’s a viable option as a backup point guard. Calderon’s thoughts concerning the offseason are centered around winning a gold medal, Berman adds. “It will be my fourth Olympics,” he told Berman. “I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to play more. I think four is a good number.”
- Sixers center Joel Embiid will have restrictions if and when he returns next season, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft is expected to finally make his debut after foot surgeries wiped out his first two seasons, but the team will exercise caution with him, as coach Brett Brown relayed to Pompey. “We have to be responsible with some minute restrictions with him,” Brown said. “You would assume that he’s not going to play back-to-back games. All those things will be determined.”
- Power forward Chris Bosh returned to the Heat bench in street clothes on Monday night, his first appearance there since blood clot issues sidelined him at the All-Star break, according to ESPN.com’s Michael Wallace and The Associated Press. However, it remains unclear if Bosh will return this season, the story adds. Bosh released a statement last week in which he expressed optimism about playing again before season’s end.
Kings center DeMarcus Cousins took another verbal swipe at coach George Karl, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. After being suspended for Friday’s game following a tirade directed at Karl, Cousins remained combative following tonight’s loss to the Jazz. “That wasn’t a suspension from the organization,” Cousins said. “That was a suspension from the head coach.” Their ongoing battle has led many to speculate that neither will be in Sacramento next season.
There’s more tonight from around the basketball world:
- Veteran guard Kirk Hinrich is probably looking at a short stay with the Hawks, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Coach Mike Budenholzer said Dennis Schröder will be the backup point guard, and it’s not in the “plans” to use Hinrich in that role any more. The 35-year-old soon-to-be free agent to be has appeared in just three games since coming to Atlanta from the Bulls in a deadline-day trade.
- Josh Richardson is shaping up as a major bargain for the Heat, writes Ethan Skolnick of The Miami Herald. He has settled into Miami’s rotation and now trails only the Sixers‘ Richaun Holmes in minutes played among 2015 second-round picks. Richardson is signed through 2017/18 and will make a little less than $875K next season.
- Anderson Varejao is still adjusting to the idea of not being with the Cavaliers, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon-Journal. After 12 years in Cleveland, Varejao was shipped to the Blazers in a deadline-day trade, and he signed with the Warriors after Portland released him. “If you told me at the start of the season I’d be here, I never would’ve believed it,” he said. “With my contract, how could anyone have predicted this?”
- The Warriors were honored as the“Best Analytics Organization” at this year’s MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. The Chicago Blackhawks, Houston Astros and FC Midtjylland, a Danish soccer team, were the other finalists for the award.
- The Hornets have assigned rookie guard Aaron Harrison to Erie of the D-League. Harrison is averaging just 4.3 minutes in 16 games with Charlotte, along with 0.8 points and 0.6 rebounds.
The Mavericks haven’t been a real contender for a few seasons, but owner Mark Cuban isn’t ready to shift gears and begin the rebuilding process, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. Dallas lost Saturday to the Pacers to drop to .500 and just two games up in the loss column on ninth-place Utah.
“We’ll always be opportunistic,” Cuban said. “It takes a little bit of luck. I don’t care who it is. Then you look at the teams that said, ‘OK, let’s just blow it up.’ Who’s it worked for lately?”
The Mavericks are nonetheless stuck on the mediocrity treadmill, having no clear path to becoming legitimate contenders, MacMahon contends in the same piece. MacMahon examines the team’s decisions since winning the title in 2011 and doubts that Dallas can attract marquee free agents during the upcoming summer due to the plethora of teams set for ample cap flexibility. See more on the Mavs amid news from the Lone Star state.
- Kevin Martin was linked to the Mavs, Rockets, Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat and Thunder as he worked a buyout with the Timberwolves a couple of weeks ago, but he said the Spurs were his choice all along, according to The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link). “There was only one team I’d do a buyout for and it was here [San Antonio],” Martin said.
- Andrew Goudelock believes he significantly expanded his game in the nearly three years that passed between the end of his time with the Lakers in 2013 and his signing with the Rockets this week, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “My basketball IQ has grown,” Goudelock said. “I’ve seen a lot of different things. I’m able to read offenses and defenses better. I’m able to handle the ball a lot better. I’m able to play both guard positions. I’m able to see things on the floor I wasn’t able to see before. I was just a scorer. That’s all I brought to the game. Now, I’m passing the ball and defensively I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve come a long way defensively. That was one of the knocks on me. I’m a pretty decent defender now.”
- Critics could argue that Peter Holt, who transferred control of the Spurs to his wife this past week, simply rode the wave of success that coach/president Gregg Popovich built, but Holt’s faith in Popovich amid difficulty early in his coaching tenure shows that the outgoing owner deserves credit, opines Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy downplayed the idea of a Brandon Jennings trade in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but Steve Blake nonetheless readied himself for more playing time in case a Jennings trade happened or a deal that sent Blake himself to another team took place, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Of course, the Pistons traded Jennings to the Magic and kept soon-to-be free agent Blake, who’s glad he’s stuck around.
“I easily could have ended up somewhere else,” Blake said, according to Mayo. “I was praying it wouldn’t happen but I knew it could happen. I knew it was a possibility.”
Reggie Jackson is a fan of his backup, acknowledging that he seeks advice from Blake, a 13th-year veteran, as Mayo also relays. See more on the Pistons amid news from the Central Division.
- The Pistons aren’t worried about the implications of a grievance that the union is reportedly giving strong consideration to filing in the wake of the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade, Van Gundy said, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Pistons want to cultivate a reputation as a player-friendly organization, but they don’t think the flap over the failed deal, which prompted some harsh words from Motiejunas, will hurt the team.
- Jordan McRae‘s potential to develop was one of the reasons the Cavaliers signed the 58th overall pick from 2014 to a two-year deal this week, GM David Griffin told Sam Amico of Amico Hoops. The sides decided against a second 10-day contract to strike a long-term deal after only a single 10-day stint. “He has fit in well, understands his role and embraces the opportunity he has to improve,” Griffin said. “Jordan has a unique combination of length and scoring ability, and we are intrigued by his versatility and upside.”
- The Bulls have fallen flat this season, but injuries have played a major role in that, and the team would be unwise to execute a major overhaul in the summer, argues Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Jimmy Butler is a legitimate centerpiece and Derrick Rose is probably better than anyone they could trade him for, so the Bulls should concentrate on marginal changes instead, using their rookie contracts and Taj Gibson as trade bait, Berger contends.