Mike Conley To Remain Sidelined For Game 5
Jazz point guard Mike Conley will remain on the sidelines for at least one more game, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who hears from sources that Conley won’t be available for Game 5 vs. the Clippers on Wednesday. The team has confirmed the news.
Conley has been out since Game 5 of Utah’s first-round series vs. Memphis due to what the team is referring to as a mild right hamstring strain. Despite the strain being classified as “mild,” the Jazz aren’t taking any chances with their starting point guard, since they want to reduce the risk that he re-aggravates the injury once he returns.
With Conley on the shelf, Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles have taken on increased ball-handling and play-making responsibilities. Mitchell continues to deal with a nagging ankle injury himself, though he hasn’t missed any time since the first game of the postseason.
While the Jazz have clearly felt the effects of Conley’s absence over the last couple games – both Clippers wins – the team will be back at home tonight and will face an L.A. squad that will also be missing an All-star. Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for Game 5 due to a right knee injury, which the Clippers fear is an ACL issue.
Conley has been initially listed as questionable for every game in this second-round series so far, and head coach Quin Snyder said this week that he’s “making progress,” but it remains unclear when the 33-year-old might be cleared to play.
Pelicans Part Ways With Stan Van Gundy
11:08am: The Pelicans have officially announced Van Gundy’s exit, stating in a press release that the two sides mutually agreed to part ways.
“On behalf of Mrs. Gayle Benson and the Pelicans organization, I would like to thank Stan for the integrity and professionalism that he demonstrated during his time in New Orleans, as well as the commitment and work ethic he brought to our team,” Griffin said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision as I have tremendous respect for Stan both personally and professionally, but we agreed it is in the best interest of our team to move forward in a different direction. We wish Stan, Kim and their family all the best in the future.”
9:57am: Stan Van Gundy will not return to the Pelicans for the 2021/22 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez of ESPN, who report (via Twitter) that Van Gundy is out after just one year as New Orleans’ head coach.
Van Gundy and Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin have met regularly since the end of the regular season to discuss the team’s future, and a divorce between the team and its coach began to feel like an inevitable outcome around the organization, tweets Wojnarowski.
Van Gundy, who previously coached the Heat, Magic, and Pistons, spent a couple years as an NBA analyst from 2018-20 before returning to the head coaching ranks in 2020, when he was hired by the Pelicans. He had a disappointing season in New Orleans, however — a team that entered the year with playoff aspirations finished with a 31-41 (.431) record, missing the play-in tournament.
Replacing Alvin Gentry on the Pelicans’ sidelines, Van Gundy emphasized improving the team’s defense, but failed to do so, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com. New Orleans ranked 23rd in points allowed per 100 possessions, two spots worse than in 2019/20. The Pels also had trouble closing out games, losing 14 times when they held a double-digit lead.
Clark writes that Van Gundy struggled to connect with many of the Pelicans’ young players, who didn’t adapt well to the drastic shift from Gentry’s coaching style to Van Gundy’s. Sources tell NOLA.com that Van Gundy’s relationship with star forward Brandon Ingram was “strained” for much of the season.
Van Gundy joins Nate Bjorkgren, formerly of the Pacers, as the head coaches who were let go this spring after just one year on the job.
The fifth team to launch a head coaching search since the regular season ended, the Pelicans are expected to look both inside and outside of the organization as they seek Van Gundy’s replacement.
Several reporters – including Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Will Guillory of The Athletic, and Marc Stein of The New York Times (all Twitter links) – say that current Pelicans assistant Teresa Weatherspoon is a strong contender for the position, while O’Connor also identifies Fred Vinson as a candidate.
As for external candidates, Wojnarowski names Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, and Nets assistants Jacque Vaughn and Ime Udoka as possibilities, noting that the Pelicans considered some of those coaches a year ago before hiring Van Gundy.
Van Gundy, meanwhile, could receive some consideration from the other four teams with head coaching openings, but may prefer to step away again after a trying season. A return to broadcasting is one possibility for the veteran coach.
Kawhi Leonard To Miss Game 5 Due To Knee Injury
10:05am: Leonard has been diagnosed with a right knee sprain and will be out for Game 5, the Clippers announced this morning. There’s no timetable for Kawhi’s return, the team added.
8:13am: The Clippers may be without one of their two All-NBA forwards on Wednesday night, according to Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who report (via Twitter) that Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss Game 5 vs. the Jazz due to a right knee injury.
Leonard suffered that knee injury in the fourth quarter of Game 4, coming down awkwardly after a drive to the basket and grimacing in apparent pain. He told reporters after the game that he would be “good” going forward.
It seems that may not be the case after all, however. Windhorst tweets that Leonard told teammates on Tuesday night to prepare for him to potentially miss Wednesday’s game. According to Windhorst and Shelburne, Kawhi’s status for the rest of the series beyond Game 5 remains up in the air as well.
We shouldn’t assume Leonard is out for tonight’s game until we get official confirmation — after the Nets ruled out James Harden on Monday for Game 5 of their series, he ended up playing 46 minutes on Tuesday. It’s possible that Kawhi, like Harden, will end up receiving medical clearance to give it a try. For the time being though, that doesn’t seem likely.
If Leonard is unavailable, Paul George would shoulder the brunt of the offensive load for the Clippers, who won consecutive games at home to tie up the series. The Jazz, playing without Mike Conley and with a banged-up Donovan Mitchell, appeared to have lost the momentum in Games 3 and 4, but facing a Kawhi-less team in Utah on Wednesday would put them back in the driver’s seat to advance to the Western Finals.
Leonard, who was named to the All-NBA First Team on Tuesday, has been one of the league’s top performers in the postseason as well. After averaging 32.1 PPG on .612/.425/.898 shooting in the Clippers’ first-round win over Dallas, he has put up 27.3 PPG on .506/.333/.846 shooting in four games vs. the Jazz.
NBA Announces 2020/2021 All-NBA Teams
The NBA has officially announced the All-NBA First, Second, and Third Teams for the 2020/21 season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way as the lone unanimous selection for the First Team.
Antetokounmpo and Nuggets‘ MVP Nikola Jokic were the two top vote-getters, combining for 998 out of a possible 1,000 points, with Warriors guard Stephen Curry following shortly behind. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic rounding out the top five.
The full All-NBA teams are listed below, with their vote totals in parentheses. Players received five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote, and one point for a Third Team vote, so Giannis scored a perfect 500 — First Team nods from all 100 voters.
All-NBA First Team
- Guard: Stephen Curry, Warriors (496)
- Guard: Luka Doncic, Mavericks (402)
- Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (500)
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (323)
- Center: Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (498)
All-NBA Second Team
- Guard: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (372)
- Guard: Chris Paul, Suns (311)
- Forward: LeBron James, Lakers (174)
- Forward: Julius Randle, Knicks (253)
- Center: Joel Embiid, Sixers (352)
All-NBA Third Team
- Guard: Kyrie Irving, Nets (61)
- Guard: Bradley Beal, Wizards (71)
- Forward: Paul George, Clippers (89)
- Forward: Jimmy Butler, Heat (131)
- Center: Rudy Gobert, Jazz (148)
Among the players who just missed the cut were Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (69), Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (44), Nets guard James Harden (41), Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (37) and Heat center Bam Adebayo (32). A total of 12 other players received votes. The full results can be found here.
Today’s announcement has major financial implications across the league. Tatum, who received more votes than Kyrie Irving but still fell 20 votes short of a final forward spot, will lose out on a projected $32.6MM on his rookie scale extension, as his next deal will start at 25% of the cap instead of the 30% he would have received if he’d been named to an All-NBA team. Likewise, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Adebayo will all receive starting salaries worth 25% of the cap on their respective extensions as a result of missing out on All-NBA honors.
Doncic, having been named to his second consecutive All-NBA First Team, will be eligible for a 30% extension that would be worth a projected $201MM+ and is almost certain to be offered this summer. Doncic has previously made clear his intentions to sign the extension when offered. It will go into effect for the 2022/23 season.
Embiid is now eligible for a super-max contract extension, which would run for four years, starting in 2023/24, and would be worth a projected $191MM, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. It’s unclear whether the Sixers will immediately put this extension on the table this offseason.
Bradley Beal‘s deal will not change with his first career All-NBA selection, as he is already eligible for a 35% contract extension on his next deal. Jokic, having been named MVP previously this week, also sees no change in his possible future super-max extension, which will be worth approximately $241MM.
Hoops Rumors readers accurately picked 12 of this season’s 15 All-NBA players in our poll. Devin Booker, Adebayo, and Tatum were your picks who didn’t make the official list.
James Harden To Play In Game Five
6:45pm: Harden will play in Game 5, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Nets head coach Steve Nash, when asked about Harden’s condition, had previously said that the decision would come down to Harden himself, tweeted Adam Zagoria of The New York Times.
“I think it is James’ decision,” Nash said. “He’s been pushing, he wants to play but he’s got to go through his pre-game routine and see if he’s able.
12:21pm: Less than 24 hours after being ruled out for Game 5 of the Nets‘ series with the Bucks, star guard James Harden has had his status upgraded again. Having originally been upgraded to “doubtful” earlier today, Harden is now being listed as questionable, the team announced.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Harden, who has been sidelined since Game 1 of the series due to a right hamstring strain, intends to play on Tuesday night, barring a pregame setback. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reported hours ago that the 31-year-old planned to go through today’s shootaround in the hopes of being cleared, says there were no issues during that session (Twitter link).
If Harden is indeed able to play, it will be a major boost to a Nets team that has lost two consecutive games and will be missing Kyrie Irving on Tuesday due to an ankle sprain.
Brooklyn has struggled to get its offense going in its last two games. The team scored just 83 points in a Game 3 loss. In Game 4, no one besides Durant and Irving (who played just 17 minutes) scored double-digit points. The series is now tied at two games apiece.
Harden missed over a month of action during the regular season due to an injury to the same hamstring before aggravating the issue during the first quarter of Brooklyn’s second-round series. The fact that he has now been upgraded from out to questionable for Tuesday’s game feels like a sign of the Nets’ desperation. Hopefully, if he does return tonight, Harden won’t tweak that hamstring again, potentially subjecting himself to an even longer absence.
Pistons To Renounce Rights To Jaylen Hands
The Pistons are set to renounce their rights to guard Jaylen Hands, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who reports that the team and player have agreed to part ways.
Hands, 22, was selected with the No. 56 pick in 2019 out of UCLA by the Clippers, who traded him to the Nets on draft night. A year later, during the 2020 offseason, Brooklyn traded Hands’ rights to the Pistons. Although Detroit has held his NBA rights since then, the 6’3″ guard has yet to sign an NBA contract.
Hands played for Brooklyn’s NBAGL affiliate, the Long Island Nets, during his first professional season in 2019/20, averaging 11.3 PPG, 3.5 APG, 2.9 RPG, and 1.0 SPG across 40 games (including 18 starts). He later signed a two-year deal with Serbian club KK FMP in January 2021.
Once Detroit formally renounces its rights to Hands, he’ll become an NBA free agent. That would allow the former five-star recruit to sign with any NBA team once his contract with FMP expires — or earlier, if that deal has an opt-out clause.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Wizards Expected To Try To Extend Beal
It is anticipated that the Wizards will attempt to negotiate a new contract extension with All-Star guard Bradley Beal this offseason, a source tells Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Beal previously signed a two-year extension, worth nearly $72MM, in 2019 — it will take effect during the 2021/22 season.
As Hughes writes, should the two parties opt to get a deal done this season, the maximum value of such an agreement would be a projected $181.5MM over four years. If Beal decides to wait until the 2022 offseason, turning down his $36.4MM player option for ’22/23 and becoming a free agent, he could sign a new five-year contract with the Wizards worth a projected $235MM.
The heftier package would be available as a result of Beal having reached his 10th season of NBA play, and thus qualifying for a higher maximum salary. If he were to change teams at that point, he’d be eligible for a four-year deal worth a projected $174MM.
Beal enjoyed a stellar season in 2020/21, helping the Wizards return to their first playoffs since 2018. Across 60 regular season games, Beal averaged 31.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.4 APG, while sporting a shooting line of .485/.349/.889.
Beal and his similarly expensive new backcourt mate Russell Westbrook guided the Wizards to a 34-38 record in the East, and qualified for the playoffs by winning one of their two play-in games. Washington would go on to fall 4-1 to the top-seeded Sixers in the first round.
NBA All-Defensive Teams Announced
The NBA has officially announced the voting results for its two 2020/21 All-Defensive teams.
Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four seasons, and Sixers guard Ben Simmons were unanimous selections for the All-Defensive First Team. Both players made the First Team lists of all 100 tallied ballots, for a perfect total of 200 points. Votes are given to 100 media members.
This marks Gobert’s fifth straight appearance on the All-Defensive First Team, and the second consecutive All-Defensive First Team honor for Simmons.
Warriors forward Draymond Green garnered 176 points (including 80 First Team votes). Green was named Defensive Player of the Year in the 2016/17 season. This year’s nod is his fourth First Team honor, and his sixth total All-Defensive team.
Two Bucks players rounded out the All-Defensive First Team this season. Guard Jrue Holiday netted 157 points (65 First Team) and All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, earned 135 total points (43 First Team). Antetokounmpo has just made his third straight All-Defensive First Team, and his fourth All-Defensive team overall. This is Holiday’s second All-Defensive First Team appearance and his third overall All-Defensive team.
[RELATED: Rudy Gobert Named Defensive Player Of The Year]
Two All-Defensive First-Teamers have unlocked contract bonuses associated with the honor. Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets that Gobert will receive a $500K bonus for the inclusion this season. Marks adds (Twitter link) that Holiday will pocket a cool $100K for making All-Defensive First Team. Holiday has other contract incentives associated with his team’s further postseason advancement.
The All-Defensive Second Team honorees are led by Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, who each netted 111 points (37 First Team votes) apiece. Adebayo makes his second All-Defensive Second Team with the nod today. This is Butler’s fifth such honor.
Simmons’s Sixers teammates Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle also make the cut. It is the third All-Defensive team nod for Embiid and the first appearance for Thybulle. Clippers All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, a former two-time Defensive Player of the Year, rounds out the All-Defensive Second Team this season.
Here are the full voting results for the All-Defensive First and Second Teams, with each player’s point total noted in parentheses:
First Team:
- Ben Simmons, G, Sixers (200)
- Rudy Gobert, C, Jazz (200)
- Draymond Green, F, Warriors (176)
- Jrue Holiday, G, Bucks (157)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Bucks (135)
Second Team:
- Bam Adebayo, F, Heat (111)
- Jimmy Butler, G, Heat (111)
- Joel Embiid, C, Sixers (87)
- Matisse Thybulle, G, Sixers (63)
- Kawhi Leonard, F, Clippers (43)
Suns guard/forward Mikal Bridges, Hawks center Clint Capela, and Pacers forward/center Myles Turner were among the highest vote-getters who missed the cut for the Second Team. You can find the full voting results right here.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic To Interview Jason Kidd For Head Coaching Job
The Lakers have granted permission to assistant coach Jason Kidd to interview with the Magic for their head coaching position, reports Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports (Twitter link). According to Rohlin, Kidd will interview with Orlando this week.
It’s the second time today we’ve heard Kidd mentioned in connection with the Magic’s head coaching vacancy. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said this morning that the Lakers assistant is being linked to that job more and more frequently by people around the NBA.
[RELATED: 2021 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Kidd has two stints as a head coach under his belt, having led the Nets for a single season in 2013/14, then the Bucks from 2014-18. He had a combined regular season record of 183-190 (.491) during his four-and-a-half years as a head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee, with a playoff mark of 9-15 (.375), including a lone series win in 2014.
The Lakers have reportedly been impressed with Kidd’s work on Frank Vogel‘s staff during the last two seasons and believe he should be a head coaching candidate again this offseason. He has already been linked to multiple vacancies, though he withdrew his name from consideration for one position, pulling out of the Blazers’ search after being publicly endorsed by Damian Lillard.
Teams with interest in Kidd figure to take a close look at his past run-ins with the law. He pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge in 2001 and to a misdemeanor DWI charge in 2013. However, his legal history hasn’t prevented him from being hired for multiple jobs since then.
Kyrie Irving To Miss Game 5 Due To Ankle Sprain
The Nets will be without point guard Kyrie Irving for Game 5 vs. the Bucks on Tuesday, head coach Steve Nash told reporters today. Irving suffered a sprained right ankle in Brooklyn’s Game 4 loss on Sunday.
Irving underwent an MRI on his injured ankle today, but the Nets aren’t prepared to offer an exact recovery timeline, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN, who tweets that Nash said today he has “no idea” whether Kyrie will be able to return before the end of the series.
The Nets have already been playing since the first quarter of Game 1 without their other All-Star guard, James Harden, who suffered a right hamstring strain. Nash had no concrete update on Harden’s status, telling reporters that he was “working out” today, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
[UPDATE: James Harden ruled out for Game 5]
If Harden remains unavailable for Game 5, the pressure will be on the Nets’ lone remaining star, Kevin Durant, to carry the scoring load, with the help of Joe Harris and Blake Griffin, among others. The club will also lean more heavily on guards Bruce Brown, Mike James, and possibly Landry Shamet.
The series is currently tied at two games apiece. Irving’s absence opens the door for the Bucks to potentially steal Game 5 in Brooklyn and set themselves up for a close-out Game 6 at home.