Pacific Notes: Clippers, Ebanks, Nash, Malone
The Pacific was the only Western Conference division to send just two teams to the postseason, but it may also be the only division to send multiple teams to the West's second round. The Clippers and Lakers have both taken commanding 3-1 leads in their series, and look poised to join the Spurs and Thunder in what should be an outstanding second round.
While we wait to see if the Clips and Lakers can finish off their respective opponents, here's the latest out of the Pacific:
- Clippers GM Neil Olshey tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that Chris Paul's arrival has turned the Clippers into a franchise that players "want to" join rather than "have to" join.
- Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times wonders if Devin Ebanks' increased role with the Lakers in recent weeks bodes well for his return next year. Ebanks' agent said earlier this season that the restricted free agent probably would seek a situation where he could play more rather than re-signing with Los Angeles.
- Canada Basketball is holding a press conference at Air Canada Centre today, and the announcement is expected to involve Suns guard Steve Nash taking on a major role with Team Canada, according to FAN590's Eric Smith.
- Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer hopes there's real, mutual interest between Warriors assistant Michael Malone and the Bobcats.
Top 5 New Additions For Playoff Contenders
Many of the teams currently in the playoffs made key offseason or trade deadline acquisitions with hopes of enjoying postseason success well into June. Some have fared well while others have flopped. Here are the top five playoff contributors who have filed for a change of address in the past year.
- Bulls: With an increased workload in the playoffs, Richard Hamilton has been effective for the Bulls over the first three games against the Sixers. The former Pistons shooting guard has averaged 30.3 minutes per game which has brought an increased offensive output along the lines of 15.3 PPG and 5.3 APG. The Bulls will continue to look to rely on Hamilton's hot hand with Derrick Rose sidelined for the rest of the season and Joakim Noah out for Sunday's game with an injured ankle.
- Heat: Former Duke star Shane Battier has been a defensive stalwart in the playoffs for Miami especially in Game 3 where he shut down Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. While the former Rockets small forward failed to score any points of his own, he kept Anthony to 22 points, which the former Syracuse star had to work for as he shot 7-23. Battier contributed offensively in the first two games of the series where he averaged 9.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG.
- Pacers: The Pacers have gotten vintage play out of David West in three of their first four games against the Magic. West, who signed with the Pacers in the offseason, has averaged 16.8 PPG and 10.0 RPG during the playoffs this season. Indiana will look to close out the series with a win against the Magic at home on Tuesday.
- Lakers: Looking to upgrade the team's aging backcourt, the Lakers acquired Ramon Sessions from the Cavs at the trade deadline. Sessions has proven his mettle thus far in the playoffs with strong play at the point guard position. The former Nevada star is currently averaging 14.3 PPG and 5.0 APG through three games against the Nuggets.
- Clippers: After willing his team to a stunning comeback victory over the Grizzlies in Game 1, Chris Paul has led the Clippers to a 2-1 lead in the series heading into Monday night's game in Los Angeles. Acquired in the offseason by the Clippers, Paul put up MVP-like numbers during the regular season and has continued to elevate his level of play during the playoffs. The former Wake Forest star is averaging 22.3 PPG and 9.3 APG through three games.
Los Angeles Notes: Bynum, D12, Del Negro, Butler
One Los Angeles team took a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter yesterday, while the other faced a 21-point deficit. Both clubs ended up with Game One wins though, as the Lakers cruised to a 15-point victory over the Nuggets and the Clippers came back in dramatic fashion to top the Grizzlies 99-98. As the two teams prepare for Game Two of their respective series, let's check in on a few updates out of Los Angeles….
- The Lakers were willing to part with Andrew Bynum at the trade deadline in a deal for Dwight Howard, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. However, the Lakers wanted an assurance that D12 would sign a long-term extension, and he wouldn't give it, according to Wojnarowski.
- In a separate piece, Wojnarowski writes about how Clippers GM Neil Olshey's decision to trade for Chris Paul continues to pay dividends. Within the column, Wojnarowski says Olshey never considered firing coach Vinny Del Negro this season.
- The Clippers' miraculous comeback victory in Memphis came at a price: Caron Butler fractured his left hand and could miss four to six weeks, according to a Reuters report. There's been no official word from the team yet on how long Butler will be out, but it's possible we won't see him again this season.
Injuries Take A Starring Role In 2012 Playoffs
With horrific injuries spelling an early end to the season for Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert, let's take a look at the other 14 playoff teams to see how a missing player may mean the difference between a Finals appearance and a first-round exit.
- Heat: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade enter the playoffs healthier than usual thanks to some much needed rest during the final week of the regular season. The Heat stand to benefit the most from Shumpert and Rose's injuries as a sweep against the Knicks means less of a challenge for Wade on the offensive end and an easier path to winning a title. Look for the Heat to advance to at least the Finals if they can duplicate the success they enjoyed during the first half of the season.
- Pacers: The Pacers are injury-free heading into Game 2 against the Magic, who pulled off the upset Saturday evening in Indiana. Utilizing seven-foot-two center Roy Hibbert's size to their fullest advantage will be key for the Pacers as their big man only managed to score eight points but blocked nine shots as he dominated the paint defensively. With Dwight Howard on the shelf for the entirety of the playoffs, the Magic are severely undersized with six-foot-nine Glen Davis taking over at center for Superman.
- Celtics: Ray Allen is expected to miss Game 1 in Atlanta against the Hawks as he battles bone spurs in his right ankle. If the Celtics had missed the playoffs, Allen would have undergone surgery immediately to help alleviate the pain. The Celtics will turn to Avery Bradley and his burgeoning reputation as a solid three-point shooter for the majority of the series as Allen's status remains unknown.
- Hawks: The center position has been an area of concern for the Hawks with Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia currently sidelined with injuries. Horford, who has been out since January 11 with a torn left pectoral muscle, will miss the entire first round of the playoffs but may be able to return if the team advances. A foot injury to Pachulia that caused him to miss the team's last seven games will force the Hawks to rely on Jason Collins in order to solidify their frontcourt.
- Magic: The Magic's chances of making a run in the playoffs took a huge hit when Howard called it a season in mid-April as he elected to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Without Howard, the Magic will feature an undersized frontcourt against a much larger Pacers squad. Much uncertainty surrounds the future of the franchise given Howard's impending free agency in 2013 and his desire to replace head coach Stan Van Gundy.
- Sixers: Aside from rookie center Lavoy Allen spraining his thumb in Game 1, the Sixers feature a healthy roster as they return to action Tuesday night against the Bulls. With Rose out for the remainder of the series, the Sixers will look to capitalize on the perimeter as Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner should benefit from having to guard John Lucas III rather than the league's reigning MVP.
- Spurs: After a series of injuries cost Manu Ginobili nearly half the season, the Spurs enter the playoffs with a fresh roster looking to make a title run. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, 36, played a career-low 28.2 MPG this season but is still performing at a high level. The addition of Stephen Jackson at the trade deadline along with the subtraction of Richard Jefferson may be enough to lead the Spurs to their fifth title under Gregg Popovich.
- Thunder: James Harden returned to action on Saturday night against the Mavs after missing his last two games with a concussion suffered against the Lakers last Sunday. He appeared to be completely recovered as he scored an efficient 19 points in 35 minutes of the bench. Beyond Harden, the Thunder lost backup point guard Eric Maynor for the season due to a torn ACL in January, but remedied the situation by signing veteran Derek Fisher to a contract in March.
- Lakers: A healthy Andrew Bynum and a rested Kobe Bryant may allow for the under-the-radar Lakers to make a run in the wide-open Western Conference playoffs. While not an injury, Los Angeles will be without Metta World Peace for the first six games of the playoffs due to suspension.
- Grizzlies: Memphis lost Darrell Arthur for the season after the power forward suffered a torn Achilles tendon in practice back in December. A healthy Zach Randolph has played himself back into shape after missing time earlier this season due to a knee injury.
- Clippers: Many critics expected the Clippers to implode after Chauncey Billups went down on February 6 with a torn Achilles tendon. While the Clippers slipped to the fifth seed, they reinvented the image of the franchise and gained respect from around the league thanks to MVP-like play from Chris Paul.
- Nuggets: After spending the majority of the season abroad in China, Wilson Chandler returned to Denver for a brief stint before suffering a season-ending injury to his hip in mid-April. The Nuggets will open against the Lakers without Rudy Fernandez, who had surgery on his lower back in March to end his season.
- Mavericks: A healthy Mavs squad will face a difficult journey in defending their title as they open the playoffs against the Thunder. Saturday night saw a missed opportunity by Dallas to steal Game 1 on the road as they lost in Oklahoma City by the score of 99-98. Any chance of exploiting Harden's concussion was nullified with a strong performance by the Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
- Jazz: Small forward C.J. Miles may miss the start of the playoffs against the Spurs with a strained calf. The team will look for strong production out of star Al Jefferson, who had the opportunity to rest late last week as the center only played limited minutes in the team's regular season finale.
Assessing The 2011/12 Waiver Claims
The vast majority of players placed on waivers go unclaimed and become free agents, but this year, there have been more waiver claims than usual, including a pair of players claimed after their previous teams waived them using the amnesty clause. Last month, Luke Adams provided a rundown on how teams can claim players off waivers, so now let's take a look at how this season's waiver claims have worked out.
- The most prominent example is Jeremy Lin, who was twice claimed off waivers this season after originally being let go by the Warriors. The Rockets claimed him December 11th, waived him a couple weeks later, and the Knicks made their claim December 27th. Left knee surgery will likely keep him out for the rest of the season unless the Knicks make a deep playoff run, but he'll wind up averaging 14.6 PPG and 6.2 APG, not too shabby for a player twice on the NBA scrapheap.
- Knicks GM Glen Grunwald struck gold with yet another waiver claim in Steve Novak, whom they picked up December 21st. Novak’s rise coincided with Lin’s, as he broke loose for 19 points in Lin’s first start, and has kept up his consistent long-range bombing even without Lin on the floor. He led the league in three-point percentage at 47.2%, but his shooting has never been in question. The difference this year was that he did enough in other phases of the game to warrant significant playing time. A career 4.9 PPG scorer, he averaged 10.4 PPG in 21.7 MPG beginning with that 19-point game on February 6th. We can only imagine how much better the Spurs would have been had they not waived him December 19th.
- Waiver claims are so infrequent that teams will sometimes agree to terms with players before they clear waivers. That’s what appeared to happen in March, when J.J. Hickson was dressed in Warriors gear and ready for a shootaround with Golden State when word hit that the Blazers had claimed him. We’ll never know how it would have worked out for him with the Warriors, but Hickson has thrived since joining Portland on March 21st, more than tripling the scoring average he put up in the first half of the season with the Kings (15.1 PPG to 4.7 PPG). He averaged 17.6 PPG and 10.6 RPG as a starter over the final eight games, and will be a sought-after commodity this summer, particularly if the Blazers fail to extend a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- Chauncey Billups warned teams not to claim him when the Knicks amnestied him before the season, hoping he could sign with a contender as a free agent, but the Clippers claimed him anyway December 12th. It all worked out, as the Clippers became the sort of contending team Billups wanted to play for anyway when they traded for Chris Paul a few days later. Billups slid over to shooting guard and adjusted smoothly to his new position, averaging 15.0 PPG before going down with a season-ending Achilles’ tendon tear on February 6th.
- The Kings had much less success with claiming an amnestied player, saddling themselves on Dec. 17th with Travis Outlaw for $12MM over the remaining four years of his contract. He was even less of a factor in Sacramento than he was for the Nets before they waived him, averaging just 4.3 PPG in 12.8 MPG, his worst numbers since he was a rookie in 2003/04.
- The Warriors tried to replace Jeremy Lin when they claimed Ish Smith, another backup point guard, off waivers from the Grizzlies on December 16th. Smith was there for only six games and 63 total minutes before the Warriors put him back on waivers on January 14th. He went unclaimed this time, and was signed as a free agent February 2nd by the Magic, with whom he’s played the rest of the season.
- The Blazers quietly let go of backup big man Chris Johnson at the trade deadline, and amid rumors the Celtics were interested, the Hornets snapped him up off waivers March 19th. Depleted as the Hornets were along the front line this year, Johnson still only saw 82 total minutes over seven games before New Orleans put him back out on waivers April 18th. He remains unsigned since.
- Rod Higgins, the president of basketball operations for the Bobcats, gave son Cory Higgins quite a present on Christmas Day when the team claimed him off waivers from the Nuggets. The undrafted 22-year-old rookie from Colorado stayed on the Bobcats roster the entire season, averaging 3.9 PPG in 11.1 MPG.
Pacific Notes: World Peace, Olshey, Smart
When the NBA announced yesterday that it had suspended Metta World Peace seven games for his elbow on James Harden, it was a lesser punishment than many expected. Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote last night that the Association missed its chance to send a strong message by hitting the Lakers veteran with a more significant penalty, perhaps banning him from the postseason.
NBA commissioner David Stern defended the league's decision today, saying that a number of factors were considered and that seven games were "larger than some people might have thought from just an elbow" (Twitter links). Stern also hinted that the suspension may have been longer during the regular season, since seven games at this time of year is more significant than it would be earlier in the season (Twitter link).
As we debate whether the punishment for the forward formerly known as Ron Artest was too lenient, too strict, or just right, here are the rest of today's notes out of the Pacific:
- World Peace will forfeit nearly $348K in salary due to the suspension, according to Mike Breshanan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Does Neil Olshey have a chance to win NBA's executive of the year award? Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com examines the case for the Clippers GM.
- Kings coach Keith Smart plans to bring back his entire coaching staff next season, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Most of Smart's assistant coaches were in place before he took over for Paul Westphal.
Odds & Ends: Humphries, Carmelo, Woodson, Paul
Tonight's Clippers/Hawks game will affect playoff seeding, and the Hornets/Warriors contest has lottery implications. But the one to circle on tonight's schedule is Suns vs. Jazz in Utah, a game Al Jefferson calls the biggest of his life (via Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune). A Utah win clinches the Jazz a playoff spot, while a Suns win would mean the two teams are tied for the eighth seed with one game remaining. Before the two teams get underway, let's check in on some other notes from around the NBA….
- Kris Humphries would like to re-sign with the Nets if possible, he tells Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. You'd have to think the Nets will prioritize Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, and Brook Lopez over Humphries, though they could still have room for their leading rebounder.
- Carmelo Anthony endorsed Mike Woodson for the Knicks' permanent coaching job, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Amare Stoudemire echoed that sentiment later in the day, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
- Anthony told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) that he believes his friend Chris Paul will eventually sign a long-term extension with the Clippers.
- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott is unsure whether he wants to bring Semih Erden back for next season, says Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- A Bloomberg report details the role that nepotism is playing in the current players' union conflict, though executive committee member Maurice Evans downplayed the union's concerns on the subject (Twitter link).
Courtney Lee Wants To Return To Rockets
Courtney Lee will be a restricted free agent this summer, but he'd "love to stay" with the Rockets, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
“Houston is always going to be my first choice," Lee said. "It’s up to those guys, if I get an offer, whether they match it or if they just come out and give me an offer.”
The Rockets acquired the former first-round pick as part of a four-way trade before the 2010/11 season, and used the 6'5", 200-pound shooting guard primarily as a backup until starter Kevin Martin got hurt midway through this season. Lee has averaged 14.2 PPG in 25 games as a starter this year, well above his career mark of 10.0 PPG.
A few teams, including the Pacers, Bulls and Clippers, were reportedly interested in trading for Lee this season, but the Rockets' price was too high. Houston's qualifying offer on Lee is $3.22MM, but he figures to command significantly more than that. The Pacers, in particular, will have plenty of cap room if they are still interested in pursuing him, and other teams in need of a shooting guard, like the Timberwolves, could get involved. The Rockets will have tough decisions to make on Lee and fellow free agent Goran Dragic. Both entered the season as backup guards, but emerged as starters and played well in the second half of the season.
Minor Moves: Clippers Recall Travis Leslie
We'll track today's D-League and international news here, with the latest up top:
- The Clippers have recalled Travis Leslie from the Bakersfield Jam, where he has averaged 10.2 PPG and 3.2 RPG in two separate stints this season, reports InsideHoops.com. Leslie, 20, has played in 10 games for the Clippers in which he has produced 1.4 PPG and 0.9 RPG in limited action. The former Georgia star was a 2011 second-round draft pick by the Clippers.
Pacific Notes: MVP, Clippers, Evans
With a busy Sunday on tap for all of the Pacific Division teams minus a Suns squad who blew an opportunity to shore up their muddled playoff picture, we'll head out west to check in on the latest news and headlines.
- Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation says that while LeBron James and Kevin Durant have had excellent seasons, the real MVP is Clippers point guard Chris Paul. Monroe points to Paul's ability to take the Clippers from a perennial doormat to one of the top four teams in the conference as the main reason why the former Wake Forest star deserves the nod as most valuable player. In his first season in Los Angeles, Paul is averaging 19.3 PPG, 9.0 APG and a league-leading 2.45 SPG.
- The Clippers have received the better end of the deal that saw the Hornets send Paul to Los Angeles in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and the Timberwolves' unprotected first-round pick, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. Paul's MVP-level play aside, the Hornets spent most of the season without Gordon, the centerpiece of the trade, who has only played in eight games this season. As a result, the Clippers and Hornets have nearly swapped roles from a season ago as Los Angeles is playoff-bound with New Orleans looking to continue to rebuild through the draft.
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee suggests Kings guard-turned-small forward Tyreke Evans is at a crossroads in his young career. Sacramento will consider trading the former Memphis star, not because of his lack of production, but because the team has struggled mightily over the past six seasons. Regardless of where he ends up this offseason, Evans has to figure out if he is willing to do whatever it takes to elevate his play to the next level given his boundless talent.