Central Notes: Ellis, Cavs, Pistons
Monta Ellis, whom the Pacers signed this past offseason, is still averaging the fewest amount of points per game since his rookie season, but he has experienced an uptick in scoring recently because of treatment to his right knee, Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star relays. Ellis, 30, is averaging 18.4 points per game over his last 10 outings. Ellis recently had fluid in the knee drained, according to Buckner.
“It’s been night and day with having that knee drained as far as his energy and just the way he’s moving,” Pacers star Paul George said. “It’s a lot easier, and it’s a lot better for him. He went the whole length of this game of constant pressure on their team. You definitely notice that. I think for Monta, this is something that’s been reoccurring, so he’s dealt with it before, and he knows the difference between the two.”
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- Cavs coach Tyronn Lue has improved the team’s morale because of his straight-forward approach to handling roles, rotations and expectations, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer explains. On the court, the Cavs are playing faster and have scored at least 110 points in four straight games.
- Despite referring to this season as the most difficult challenge of his professional career, Mo Williams is not interested in playing for another team and will not request a trade, Haynes reports in the same piece. The Cavs point guard is out of the rotation and played in only five games in January. “Nah, man. I’ve moved my family around enough,” Williams told Haynes. “I’m sticking this thing out.”
- Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings is still adapting to coming off the bench after playing in 17 games so far since returning from an injury, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays. “It’s basically just me,” Jennings said. “I have to show up with a lot of energy. My role is different and I know that. I have to approach the game differently. I have to be ready and when my number’s called I have to be able to perform.”
And-Ones: Hield, Pelicans, Drummond
The rapid improvement of Buddy Hield‘s 3-point shot leaves Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com skeptical that Hield will bring his record setting accuracy to the NBA level, as Pelton writes in a collaborative piece with ESPN.com’s Chad Ford. The Oklahoma shooting guard is taking 8.3 shots from behind the arc and converting 52.4% of them. The senior hasn’t made more than 39% of his 3-pointers in any other season for the Sooners. Still, both scribes project Hield to be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Hield would be a good fit for the Pelicans and he is a realistic target for the team in the upcoming draft, Jeff Duncan of The Time-Picayune opines. The Pelicans are 18-28 on the season, owning the seventh worst record in the league, as our Reverse Standings page shows.
- The Hawks are expected to recall center Edy Tavares from the Austin Spurs of the D-League as soon as today, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
- Andre Drummond, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, was the first Piston to be selected to the All-Star game since Allen Iverson, who was voted in by the fans in 2009, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. Ellis notes that Drummond’s accomplishment represents a sign that the team is taking the right steps forward. The last time the Pistons had an All-Star was also the last time they made the postseason.
Central Notes: Hoiberg, Lue, Turner, Van Gundy
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is downplaying the possibility of a major deal before next month’s deadline, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “We’re comfortable with this group,” Hoiberg said. “Unless something earth-shattering comes up, I don’t anticipate anything happening.” Chicago’s trade prospects have been limited by the shoulder injury to Joakim Noah and the acute appendicitis that struck Nikola Mirotic.
There’s more tonight from the Central Division:
- Cavaliers GM David Griffin thought Tyronn Lue had the potential to become a great NBA coach ever since Lue’s first interview, according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Griffin decided to go with 54-year-old David Blatt over Lue, who was 37 at the time, but that first impression stuck with Griffin when he decided to make a coaching change last week. Pluto also notes that Blatt’s problems relating to players carried over into this season, and many players believed Lue was ready to be the head coach.
- The Pacers have established an identity by making rookie big man Myles Turner a starter, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. After spending the first half of the season working toward a small-ball approach, Indiana replaced Lavoy Allen with Turner in the starting lineup Thursday and responded with a blowout of the Hawks. “It’s something I believe will be good for us,” said coach Frank Vogel. “We dominated the glass, dominated with defense, and I think this team will be able to score the ball better than any team we’ve had.”
- The Pistons are suffering from “midseason malaise” and coach Stan Van Gundy’s abrasive style is starting to wear on the players, David Mayo of MLive writes in his mailbag column. Mayo says the players and Van Gundy could use some time apart from each other, but the team has a crowded schedule until the All-Star break. The columnist also credits GM Jeff Bower with making the bulk of the personnel decisions, leaving Van Gundy free to concentrate on coaching.
Central Notes: Noah, Anderson, Turner
The Bulls would have preferred to have traded Joakim Noah rather than Taj Gibson, hoping to extract value of some sort from Noah before he has the chance to depart in free agency this summer, executives from around the league said to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The injuries to Noah and Nikola Mirotic have made a Gibson trade even less likely, sources confirmed to Stein. Noah is expected to be out four to six months while Mirotic isn’t likely to return until after the All-Star break.
Here’s the latest from out of the Central Division:
- The Pistons have interest in Ryan Anderson as a free agent this summer but not as a trade candidate, preferring not to have to relinquish assets to snag him, sources tell Stein in a separate piece. ESPN colleague Zach Lowe of ESPN.com previously reported that Detroit was eyeing the Pelicans stretch four.
- The Pacers have elected to go with a bigger lineup after experimenting with a small-ball approach earlier in the season, a move that has benefited 2015 draftee Myles Turner, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star notes. “You don’t know when you’re dealing with a rookie, a 19-year-old player, how soon it’s going to come,” coach Frank Vogel said. “There’s going to be some ups and some downs but if you look at this at what we think Myles can be. … This is what this team should look like out there.“
- The Bulls‘ backcourt tandem of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler are still working on developing on-court chemistry, since the two haven’t shared much time on the floor together thanks to Rose’s many injuries, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. Butler is excited about the potential of the duo, telling Johnson, “I love playing with him [Rose]. He’s super aggressive. He’s taking great shots. That’s what we need. As long as I follow his lead in that attacking style, we’re going to be really good.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
2016 NBA All-Star Game Reserves Announced
The NBA has officially announced the reserves for the 2016 All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th. The names of the reserves were first reported by Carron J. Phillips of The News Journal and confirmed by Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (All four Twitter links). The starters for both conferences were announced last week, with Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard voted to tip off the exhibition in the West and LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry slated to represent the East.
While the starters are selected by the fans, reserves are chosen by the coaches in each conference, though they are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Listed below are the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game for each conference:
Eastern Conference
- Chris Bosh (F) — Heat
- Jimmy Butler (G/F) — Bulls
- DeMar DeRozan (G) — Raptors
- Andre Drummond (C) — Pistons
- Paul Millsap (F) — Hawks
- Isaiah Thomas (G) — Celtics
- John Wall (G) — Wizards
Western Conference
- LaMarcus Aldridge (F) — Spurs
- DeMarcus Cousins (C) — Kings
- Anthony Davis (F) — Pelicans
- Draymond Green (F) — Warriors
- James Harden (G) — Rockets
- Chris Paul (G) — Clippers
- Klay Thompson (G) — Warriors
Who was the biggest surprise among the All-Star reserves announced tonight? Share your thoughts with a comment.
Central Notes: Drummond, Blatt, Longabardi
Andre Drummond‘s free-throw shooting leaves much to be desired, but he’s working on it with Pistons shooting coach Dave Hopla, and the deficiency is not nearly glaring enough to dissuade the team from giving him a maximum-salary contract in the summer, MLive’s David Mayo contends. Besides, failing to max him out would break the trust between team and player forged when they let the extension deadline pass in the fall for the benefit of cap flexibility in the offseason ahead, and the consequences of such a betrayal would be profound, Mayo argues. See more from the Central Division:
- The lack of pace with which the Cavs played under former coach David Blatt was a source of conflict between him and the front office, as even though Blatt was aware the team played better when it ran, he was unable to quicken the attack, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Still, members of the Cavs have told Pluto that the team could take a step back before it improves while adjusting to the new speed under Tyronn Lue.
- The Cavs formally hired Mike Longabardi as an assistant coach before Wednesday’s game, the team announced. Longabardi was one of two assistants the Suns fired a month ago. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com first reported that Longabardi would be joining the Cleveland staff as a defensive specialist.
- Mike Dunleavy will play rehab games on D-League assignment before making his return to the Bulls from back surgery, his father, Mike Dunleavy Sr., said Wednesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio, as host Justin Termine tweets.
Central Notes: Hammond, Monroe, Irving, Love
Bucks GM John Hammond said he still believes in his team’s young players despite a disappointing season so far and “can’t imagine life without” offseason signee Greg Monroe, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hammond said the Bucks are doing their “due diligence” as the trade deadline nears, but he balked at the idea that the team is in a rebuilding situation.
“Absolutely not,” Hammond said. “A rebuild is saying, ‘We don’t have players.’ We like the players we have. For that reason I say it’s not a rebuild, not even close to a rebuild. We took two major steps forward last year, going from a 15-win season to a 41-win season. Those were historic measures. Sometimes this happens. It happens in life, it happens in business, it happens in sports. Sometimes you take two major steps forward, you might take a step backward. Maybe the step backward might be healthy; maybe it’s the right thing for you. The most important thing is not to panic.”
See more from the Bucks GM amid news from the Central Division:
- Hammond identified 50-win seasons as “the mark of excellence” in the NBA, saying the team’s goal is to reach that threshold and remain above it, Gardner also relays. Nine teams won at least 50 games last season, so while it’s the domain of quality teams, it’s not necessarily symbolic of the elite.
- New Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue appears to believe that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have offered too much resistance to their roles, remarking Saturday that “it’s still about their brand,” notes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Lue tempered it a bit by later saying he encouraged the entire team to put winning before brand, Vardon notes. “Me and Kev will do a great job with adjusting to it, but our brands are the last thing we’re worried about,” Irving said. “If Kevin was worried about his brand, I don’t think Kevin would’ve came back. And for me to sign here, it was for a legitimate reason and we have a bigger goal at hand that we want to accomplish. That’s always coming first.”
- Former Pistons affiliate player Ryan Boatright has signed with Italy’s Orlandina, the team formally announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). La Gazzetta dello Sport first reported a signing was close.
Central Notes: George, Dunleavy, Baynes
Paul George is feeling fatigued after playing heavy minutes during the first half of the season and Pacers coach Frank Vogel is mulling a reduction in minutes for his star small forward, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. George acknowledged to Taylor on Monday that he’s struggling to maintain his optimal performance level because his legs are weary. “I think a lot of it is just being overly confident that I can go out and still do the things I was doing [earlier in the season],” George said. “It’s not the case. It’s hard and it’s weighing on me right now, it’s weighing on my body, it’s weighting on my mental [approach].” George has played at least 30 minutes in every game this month except for one game when he was in foul trouble, Taylor points out. Vogel has rested George in a couple of recent practices and will monitor his minutes during the team’s upcoming homestand, Taylor adds. “It’s definitely something that’s limiting him right now and limiting us and we’ve got to keep a close eye on it,” Vogel told Taylor about George’s energy level.
In other news around the Central Division:
- Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy is targeting a February return from the back injury that has kept him out all season, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. Dunleavy will participate in a controlled contact scrimmage Tuesday after joining the team in non-contact practices for weeks, Johnson adds. Dunleavy, who signed a three-year, $14.5MM contract last summer with the final year non-guaranteed, was originally slated to return in mid-December from his offseason surgery until he suffered a setback during his rehab. “The main thing is staying on top of the exercises and the maintenance stuff I’ve got to do for my back,” Dunleavy told Johnson. “I’m not really thinking, ‘Oh, man, is this thing going to go on me?’ I’m comfortable and confident.”
- One of the underrated aspects of Aron Baynes‘ game is the hard screens he sets, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes. The Pistons’ second-unit center, who was signed away from the Spurs during the offseason with a three-year, $19.5MM deal, frees his teammates up with his big body and positioning, Beard adds. “It’s no offense to Andre [Drummond], but Aron Baynes is probably the best screener in the league,” Detroit rookie small forward Stanley Johnson told Beard. “He’s really nailing guys.”
Eastern Notes: Brown, Jackson, Jennings, Kidd
Brett Brown has made it clear in his comments to the media that he’d like for the Sixers to either stand pat or make a move that upgrades the current roster instead of one akin to last season’s Michael Carter-Williams trade, but he recognizes that it’s not his call, observes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Brown wouldn’t rule out anything when asked if he thought the roster wouldn’t be changing as much this season as it did last year.
“I’m not confident to say anything, truly,” Brown said. “That’s not because I don’t know. It’s not because I’m afraid of it. It’s because I truly feel like we’re all going to step back. From Day 1, it’s been very, very collaborative. I think that as an organization, with Jerry [Colangelo] coming into it, there’s another voice. I think that we all recognize wholeheartedly that we’re ready to move on. We want to keep moving forward where we’re not always in flux. We want some solidarity. We want some balance to what we’re doing. I can only offer that. But to stamp off on anything of certainty, I can’t do that.”
See more from the Eastern Conference:
- The idea of playing Reggie Jackson and soon-to-be free agent Brandon Jennings alongside one another in the backcourt is in the back, not the front, of Stan Van Gundy’s mind, the Pistons coach said, according to MLive’s David Mayo, and it doesn’t appear as though it’s a high priority, as Mayo details.
- Bucks coach Jason Kidd returned to practice Monday and plans to coach the team in Tuesday’s game, but he acknowledged that a blood-clot risk may keep him from traveling with Milwaukee on its three-game Western road trip next week, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- The banged-up Heat haven’t reached their potential, but Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel believes the team can still find a better way to use the talent on the roster before changing it.
Central Notes: Blatt, LeBron, Dunleavy, Boatright
David Blatt‘s camp believes that LeBron James was the sole catalyst for the Cavs coaching change, and the belief is much more than simply a fringe theory among people around the league, reports TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip for NBA.com. Still, plenty of other reasons for Blatt’s dismissal exist, including the team’s poor performance against top Western Conference contenders and the need for immediate results, that suggest that the team isn’t simply serving LeBron’s wishes, Aldridge contends. Regardless, the Cavs cast Blatt back onto the job market, and while the Timberwolves have been linked to Blatt, the team has no intention of pursuing him for a job on interim coach Sam Mitchell‘s staff, league sources tell Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). See more from the Central Division:
- Mike Dunleavy is targeting a return sometime next month from the back injury that’s kept him out all season so far, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. He’s essentially at the same point in his recovery that he was before suffering a setback in late November, but he’s more confident this time that he’ll be able to take the final steps toward getting back to game action for the Bulls, according to Johnson.
- Ryan Boatright impressed with the Nets during the preseason, but he didn’t carry that level of performance over to his tenure with the D-League affiliate of the Pistons, which waived him last week. Boatright is now poised to sign with Orlandina of Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The Pistons briefly had Boatright on their NBA roster on the fall, a maneuver designed to secure his D-League rights.
- The Pacers have recalled Shayne Whittington from the D-League, the team announced. He’s played in just two games at the NBA level this season but has appeared in 19 contests for Indiana’s D-League affiliate after re-signing with the Pacers this past summer.