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And-Ones: Doncic, Gee, Mexico City, NBPA

December 15th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

A highlight of Real Madrid star Luka Doncic crossing over former Trail Blazers forward Victor Claver went viral on Thursday, and representatives from a number of NBA teams were on hand to see it in person. According to international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link), the Sixers, Suns, Clippers, Magic, Mavericks, Pelicans, Wizards, and others all had officials in attendance.

Of course, given how highly regarded Doncic is, most of these teams are unlikely to have a shot at him in the 2018 NBA draft. In singling out some of the risers and fallers in the latest update to their 2018 big board, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) explain why Doncic is at the top of their rankings.

According to Givony and Schmitz, who refer to Doncic as “the most productive European prospect of all time,” the 6’8″ guard could have a legit chance to win the EuroLeague’s MVP award this season. Some scouts worry about his athleticism, his defense, or his ability to create shots, so it’s not a lock that he’ll go No. 1 in June. But Doncic, at age 18, is already one of the best scorers and facilitators in Europe, in the eyes of Givony and Schmitz.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Veteran NBA swingman Alonzo Gee is headed to the G League, according to Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, who tweets that the Heat‘s affiliate (the Sioux Falls Skyforce) has claimed Gee off waivers. The 30-year-old, who has appeared in regular season games for six NBA clubs, last played for the Nuggets in 2016/17.
  • After reporting last week that the NBA intends to establish a G League franchise in Mexico City, Marc Stein of The New York Times takes a deep dive into the issue and outlines why the league is more seriously considering the viability of eventually expanding to Mexico — not just with a G League team, but with an NBA club. The fact that Mexico City shares a time zone with so many current NBA clubs is a major plus, as commissioner Adam Silver observes.
  • The players’ union and former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter have reached a settlement in their legal battle, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links). After the NBPA fired Hunter in 2013, the longtime executive director sued the union for $10MM+, and the union counter-sued. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed, but Hunter said in a statement that he’s happy about “moving forward after years of hard-fought litigation on both sides.”
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DeMarcus Cousins Talks Future With Pelicans

December 15th, 2017 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

While DeMarcus Cousins has put up excellent numbers throughout his entire NBA career, he has taken his game to another level this season, recording 26.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 1.5 SPG through his first 29 contests.

If the Pelicans continue to hold a playoff spot and Cousins stays hot, he could even be in the MVP consideration at season’s end. However, the big man tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that’s not a priority. Suggesting that he’d be happy with a Pelicans win even if he took just two shots all game, Cousins said he doesn’t care about “numbers” or “All-NBA.”

In addition to addressing the MVP conversation – he views the award as a “popularity contest” – and griping about how quickly referees are willing to slap him with a technical foul, Cousins also weighed in on a few topics related to his potential short- and long-term future with the Pelicans. Here are some of the highlights from his comments to Spears:

On whether he thinks the Pelicans could trade him before the deadline:

“I am confident in my team. I am starting to understand this business a lot more than I did before. You can kind of tell when things are about to come about. We’re a very competitive team. A talented team. I don’t think that will be the case at all.”

On teammate Anthony Davis encouraging him to re-sign with the Pelicans:

“A.D. hits me with little jabs about free agency all the time, but he also understands. It was Jrue [Holiday] in that situation last [offseason], and we understood his situation. Of course, they throw their little jabs. They throw their little jokes. But they are serious at the same time. They are respectful about it at the same time. … They have been great about it. It’s never been like a pressure thing. But I know where their heart is and they know where mine is. We have a great understanding.”

On the prospect of making the postseason for the first time in his NBA career:

“It would definitely be a special moment for me. I am a super competitive guy. I come out to play every night no matter who it is in front of me. And I love to win. I hate losing more than I love to win. To be able to reach that goal, something I haven’t been able to do in my career, which is sad, that would be one of the more special moments of my career so far.”

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Tony Allen Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks

December 12th, 2017 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans swingman Tony Allen likely won’t be back on the court until the new year, according to a press release issued today by the team. Allen has been diagnosed with a non-displaced left proximal fibula fracture and is expected to be sidelined for the next three or four weeks.

While Allen has been a fairly regular part of the Pelicans’ rotation this season, appearing in 22 games so far, he isn’t seeing a ton of action. His 12.4 minutes per game represent a career low, as do his 4.7 PPG and 2.1 RPG. Still, while the sample size is small, New Orleans has better numbers with Allen on the court than off it, particularly on the defensive end.

With Allen on the shelf, Ian Clark and Darius Miller are among the Pelicans who could see slightly increased roles.

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Southwest Notes: Rondo, Bickerstaff, Mavs, Grizzlies

December 9th, 2017 at 8:48am CST by marksuleymanov

Rajon Rondo is making his mark on the Pelicans, using his veteran presence and playmaking abilities to help the team, William Guillory of NOLA.com writes. Rondo missed the start of the season due to a sports hernia but is now drawing praise from his teammates for his teammates.

“I’ve said it many times, once Rondo is on the floor he makes the game easier for a lot of guys. He takes guys’ games to the next level,” DeMarcus Cousins said. “Since Rondo has been back, I think Jrue (Holiday) and E’Twaun (Moore)’s game has gone to the next level. Darius Miller, his game has gone to a whole other level. It’s just making the game easier for everybody.”

The Pelicans are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference with a 13-13 record. Rondo, 31, brings NBA championship experience and one of the most respected basketball minds in the NBA. As Cousins, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and the rest of the team compete for the playoffs, Rondo is clearly establishing himself as a vital presence for the team.

Check out other news and notes from the Southwest Division:

  • This season hasn’t gone smoothly for the Grizzlies as the team has endured the firing of head coach David Fizdale, a deteriorating relationship with All-Star Marc Gasol, and an 11-game losing streak, putting the team close to the Western Conference cellar. However, interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff thinks the team is trending in the right direction, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal writes.
  • Speaking of changes with the Grizzlies, the team hired former player Greg Bucker as an assistant coach, per Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal. Bucker has served as an analyst for FOX Sports and played for the Grizzlies during the 2008/09 season.
  • After improved play — including recent wins over the Clippers and Nuggets — the Mavericks are starting to find their identity on both sides of the floor, Eddie Sefko of Dallas Sports Day writes.
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Rajon Rondo Helps Bring Out Best In Jrue Holiday

December 7th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Austin Kent

The addition of Rajon Rondo to the Pelicans‘ lineup has helped bring out the best in Jrue Holiday. William Guillory of The Times-Picayune writes that the converted shooting guard is playing some of the best basketball of his New Orleans tenure.

Holiday has established himself as a desperately needed perimeter scoring option, especially now that the presence of Rondo allows him to focus on scoring. The extra offensive output comes at an ideal time for the Pelicans, as they’ve been without Anthony Davis for the past three games..

“I think Jrue is one of the best. He’s easily one of the top three 1-on-1 players in our game today,” Rondo, who signed with the Pelicans in the offseason, said. Since Rondo has slid into the lineup, Holiday has averaged 20 points and 4.4 assists per game with a .483 field-goal percentage.

“His aggression and just taking advantage of being a bigger guard. He’s one of the best two-way players in this league when he’s aggressive. That’s the guy we need for our team to go to the next level,” Pelicans big man DeMarcus Cousins added. “He’s been playing great, he’s taken our team to another level and we’re a tough team to beat when he’s playing that way.”

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Alexis Ajinca Likely Out For Season

December 7th, 2017 at 5:57pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pelicans have been without reserve center Alexis Ajinca all season and that isn’t likely to change for the rest of the year. As Christian Boutwell of the New Orleans Advocate writes, the 29-year-old underwent knee surgery on his right patellar tendon and is expected to miss four to six months.

While the news may not come as a surprise to the franchise, it’s an added blow to a team that has struggled to keep its big men healthy. Ajinca averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season, but that’s of little help when he can’t stay on the floor.

Ajinca has failed to play 70 games in each of his seven NBA seasons and that doesn’t include this lost campaign or the two years he bounced around Europe from 2011-2013. He has appeared in over 60 games just once.

The Pels will pay Ajinca $5MM this season – the third year of a four-year, $20MM deal he signed with the team back in 2015 – and will give him a slight raise up to $5.3MM in 2018/19.

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Davis Relieved By Injury Diagnosis

December 4th, 2017 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis is relieved that his left adductor injury is nothing more than a strain, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Davis felt a sharp pain when suffering the injury last week but is listed as day-to-day. “I‘m getting better every day, I’m not quite there yet,” Davis told Guillory. “But I’ve been getting better for the most part. … On certain movements, the main ones are fine, but a lot of cutting and stuff like that are where the pain comes up.”
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Latest On Anthony Davis

December 4th, 2017 at 11:31am CST by Austin Kent

DECEMBER 4, 11:31am: The MRI results on Davis’ injured groin came back negative, and he’ll be considered day-to-day for now, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Pelicans have confirmed that timetable, announcing that Davis will miss Monday’s game against Golden State and will be listed as day-to-day going forward. The team clarifies that the big man’s injury is a left adductor strain.

DECEMBER 3, 10:37pm: There has been an unnerving sense of uncertainty in New Orleans since Anthony Davis left the team’s Friday night loss against the Jazz with a pelvis injury. Now, Scott Kushner of The Advocate writes, the Pelicans’ season seems to hinge on the pending medical report.

Davis fell to the floor in agony after jostling with Jazz big man Derrick Favors for a rebound. Disconcertingly, despite relatively little contact between the two on the play, Davis couldn’t get off the floor on his own power and had to be taken to the locker room in a wheel chair.

An MRI conducted on Saturday failed to reveal the full scope of the injury, though there seems to be consensus that the big man has at least pulled his groin.

“He had an MRI that was a little inconclusive, but he will take one when we get back to New Orleans and we’ll find out the full depth of the injury,” head coach Alvin Gentry said.

Davis, who was spotted on crutches prior to the team’s Saturday night contest, per William Guillory of The Times-Picayune, has already been ruled out for the Pelicans’ Monday night contest

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