Elfrid Payton Among Three Suspended For Knicks-Grizzlies Fight
The NBA has handed out the punishments for the fourth-quarter scuffle between the Knicks and Grizzlies brawl on Wednesday night.
According to the league, Knicks guard Elfrid Payton has been suspended one game for pushing Jae Crowder at the end of the contest. Grizzlies players Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marko Guduric have each been suspended one game for leaving the bench.
Crowder, who took the late-game three-pointer that irked the Knicks, did not get suspended but instead will receive a $25K fine. Marcus Morris has also been fined $35K for his role in escalating the fight.
The Memphis players will serve their suspensions on Friday when the team plays the Pelicans in New Orleans. Payton will miss Saturday’s contest against the Pacers.
For more details on the altercation, be sure to check out our earlier story.
NBA Announces 2020 All-Star Reserves
The NBA has announced the 2020 All-Star reserves. Let’s take a look at which players are going to Chicago from each conference.
Eastern Conference Reserves:
- Bam Adebayo, Heat
- Jimmy Butler, Heat
- Kyle Lowry, Raptors
- Khris Middleton, Bucks
- Domantas Sabonis, Pacers
- Ben Simmons, Sixers
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics
As a reminder, here are the starters from the East:
- Trae Young, Hawks
- Kemba Walker, Celtics
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
- Pascal Siakam, Raptors
- Joel Embiid, Sixers
Western Conference Reserves:
- Rudy Gobert, Jazz
- Brandon Ingram, Pelicans
- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
- Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
- Donovan Mitchell, Jazz
- Chris Paul, Thunder
- Russell Westbrook, Rockets
As a reminder, here are the starters from the West:
- James Harden, Rockets
- Luka Doncic, Mavericks
- LeBron James, Lakers
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
- Anthony Davis, Lakers
Do you agree with the selections or should another player have gotten the nod? Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!
NBA Revises Cap, Tax Projections For 2020/21
3:15pm: The NBA’s new projection is a $115MM salary cap and $139MM tax line, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links). That’s not as significant a drop from the previous projection as some front offices feared, so it shouldn’t have a noticeable impact on teams’ plans at the deadline.
3:07pm: The NBA has informed teams that new projections for 2020/21’s salary cap and luxury tax threshold are on the way, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks of ESPN. Those new numbers haven’t been revealed yet, but teams are expected to receive that info shortly in order to ensure they’re as informed as possible as they consider deadline trades.
When the NBA last updated its projection in September, it called for a $116MM cap and a $141MM tax line in 2020/21. Each of those numbers would represent a substantial jump up from the figures for 2019/20, which are $109.14MM (cap) and $132.627MM (tax).
However, those estimates were issued before Rockets general manager Daryl Morey published a tweet supporting protestors in Hong Kong. That tweet instigated a controversy between the NBA and China that cost the league sponsors and television partners. The ordeal is believed to have cost the NBA approximately $150-200MM, league sources told ESPN.
Although the cap is still expected to increase beyond this year’s figure, front office executives are preparing for a more modest jump, according to Wojnarowski and Marks, who hear that some teams believe the new projection could dip as far as $113MM. Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets that some team executives have referred to the expected drop as the “Daryl Deduction.”
A smaller cap increase than expected may not have a massive impact in free agency, since most teams are expected to be over the cap anyway. Still, every dollar counts when it comes to creating cap flexibility and avoiding the tax. Wojnarowski and Marks point to the Celtics, Nets, Warriors, Rockets, and Sixers as teams that could be taxpayers in 2020/21 and would be on the hook for a larger bill if the tax threshold is a few million dollars lower than anticipated.
Players who have signed maximum-salary contract extensions that take effect for the 2020/21 season will also take note of the league’s new cap estimates, since it will have an impact on their projected earnings.
Sixers guard Ben Simmons and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, for instance, signed maximum-salary extensions that will start at 25% of the cap next season, assuming neither player earns an All-NBA spot in 2019/20. When they signed those deals in July, the league was projecting a $117MM cap, which would have made them worth $169.65MM over five years. A $113MM cap would reduce their projected value to $163.85MM apiece.
Several other figures – including the rookie scale, mid-level exceptions, minimum salaries, and cash available in trades – are also linked to the percentage the salary cap increases from year to year and would be affected by an adjusted 2020/21 projection.
NBA Changing All-Star Game Format, Adding Kobe Tribute
Having made changes in recent years to the way that All-Star rosters are built, the NBA is now tweaking the format of the All-Star Game itself, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The league has confirmed the news in a press release.
As Reynolds explains, each of the first three quarters will essentially function as its own mini-game, with the score reset to 0-0 at the start of the second quarter and again at the start of the third quarter. The team that wins each of those quarters will earn $100K (up to $300K in total) for a Chicago-area charity of its choosing.
At the start of the fourth quarter, according to Reynolds, the cumulative game score will be restored and the team that’s ahead will need to score 24 more points to win the game, a tribute to Kobe Bryant‘s uniform number. For instance, if Team LeBron is leading Team Giannis by a 100-90 margin after three quarters, the first team to 124 points would win the game — and an additional $200K for its charity. Unlike the first three quarters, the final quarter will be untimed.
According to Reynolds, the idea of a target score at the end of the game – a variation of The Basketball Tournament’s “Elam Ending” – is something NBPA president Chris Paul has suggested in the past. The hope is that it will make the game more competitive, since there will be something at stake in each quarter and the losing team will be more incentivized to make defensive stops as the target score nears.
“We’ve been very focused on making it more competitive, making it more exciting and making it fun,” NBA president for league operations Byron Spruell said of the All-Star Game, per Reynolds. “And we’ve had a great collaboration with the union. For this year’s game, we really focused on what new things we could do to make it a really competitive game where each quarter mattered in this case.”
Tying the target score to Bryant’s number is just one of a number of tributes the NBA has planned for All-Star weekend, as the league honors Kobe, his daughter Gianna, and the seven others who died in Sunday’s helicopter crash in California.
According to Reynolds, the format change is just a one-year experiment for now. However, the NBA is hoping that both the quarter-score for charity aspect and the target-score ending will become fixtures in future All-Star Games.
Dramatic Shot Marks Victor Oladipo’s Return
Oladipo was sidelined for 375 days after suffering a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee last January. He practiced extensively with the Pacers’ G League affiliate over the past few weeks to help get him ready to return to action.
Three weeks ago, Oladipo announced that January 29 was his target date, raising the hopes of Pacers fans, who have watched their team remain competitive without their All-Star guard. With tonight’s win, Indiana is 31-17, tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Oladipo arrived at the game wearing a Kobe Bryant All-Star jersey. Afterward, he credited Bryant for providing inspiration.
“Mamba mentality, Mamba mentality, Mamba mentality,” he said. “That was for Kobe, Gigi, all those people on the helicopter, that was for them.”
The Pacers plan to have Oladipo play in seven of their remaining eight games before the All-Star break, but he won’t be used in back-to-backs. Coach Nate McMillan said his condition will be examined during the break to determine his role for the rest of the season.
“We’re not putting pressure on him to go out there and do anything but get a feel, start to trust your body,” McMillan said. “Work on things. Catch up to what we’re doing out on the floor. There are no real expectations.”
Rockets Being Aggressive On Trade Market
It’s never surprising that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is looking to make a deal, especially around the trade deadline, and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reports that a shortage of assets hasn’t prevented Morey has being as active as ever.
A source tells Feigen that the Rockets are hoping to trade their 2020 first-round pick for a player who can help right away. They haven’t targeted a specific position, but Feigen assumes point guard is off the table with Russell Westbrook and James Harden handling the playmaking duties.
Morey doesn’t seem to mind parting with a first-rounder, even though the team will be short on them in upcoming years. Houston sent first-round picks in 2024 and 2026 to the Thunder in the Westbrook deal, along with the option to switch picks in 2021 and 2025.
Feigen speculates that the team may be more interested in adding someone in the frontcourt rather than at the wing, where Rivers, Eric Gordon and Ben McLemore are all available and Thabo Sefolosha has been seeing an increase in playing time.
In addition to the first-rounder, Houston has Nene‘s contract, along with trade exceptions valued from $1.5MM to $3.6MM, as assets to try to get a deal done. Feigen notes that beyond the Rockets’ core, Austin Rivers and Gerald Green both have restrictions that enable them to veto any trade, while Chris Clemons can’t be moved because he just signed a three-year contract in late December.
Feigen adds that the Rockets also have a history of being aggressive on the buyout market and may have hopes of landing Andre Iguodala if they can’t find a deal they like.
Carmelo Anthony: Portland Is “Where I Want To Retire”
Carmelo Anthony only needed a couple of months with the Trail Blazers to decide that he wants to finish his career in Portland, writes Kerry Eggers of The Portland Tribune.
The Blazers gave Anthony a chance to re-establish himself in the NBA after a year out of the league. He quickly proved he has plenty of game left, averaging 16.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in 32 games since joining the team in November.
“I feel like this is the place for me to end my career,” Anthony said. “It could have happened earlier, but it didn’t. Now, where I’m at in my life and my career — this is where I want to retire.”
Anthony and the Blazers will have to decide this summer how long they want their arrangement to be. He is playing on a veteran’s minimum contract that expires at the end of the season. Portland will have some cap room to work with, and Anthony, who turns 36 in May, has to determine how much longer he can keep playing.
His addition has been one of the few bright spots for a team that is tied for 10th in the West with a 20-27 record after reaching the conference finals last season. The Blazers weren’t the first team to express interest in Anthony, but they were the first to offer the type of situation he was looking for. Anthony had a long phone conversation with coach Terry Stotts before agreeing to sign.
“We were both very open and honest,” Anthony said. “I was candid with him about how I was feeling. He was very transparent with what he wanted from me. The conversation was different than it had been (with other teams). I felt welcomed and wanted as opposed to me pitching myself to somebody. When you feel that, it’s hard to turn that down.”
Anthony sometimes thought his NBA career might be over during the long layoff and said he reached a point where he was “going to accept whatever was going to happen.” However, he never stopped training and kept himself mentally and physically ready in case the right opportunity came along. He credits that preparation for helping him to succeed in Portland.
Stotts has been thrilled by what Anthony has been able to provide for the Blazers, who were short-handed on the front line after Zach Collins hurt his shoulder in early November and joined Jusuf Nurkic on the injured list.
“When he came in (to join the team), you don’t know what to expect, whether he feels like he has something to prove,” Stotts said. “But he fit in right away. He has taken (scoring) opportunities that are there, he’s a great teammate, he passes when we need him to. He has done everything we’ve asked.”
LaMelo Ball Leaves Australian Team
Top draft prospect LaMelo Ball has returned stateside after an abridged season with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia, according to a report from Timothy Fernandez of ABC Illawarra (hat tip to NBC Sports).
Ball’s season came to an early end when he suffered a foot injury in December and was subsequently shut down in January. Although he wasn’t going to suit up again for the team, it sounds like the Hawks were caught off guard by the timing of Ball’s departure. According to Fernandez, captain Todd Blanchfield didn’t know about it until he was asked for comment by ABC Illawarra.
“It’s news to me, but [Ball’s camp has] got an agenda they have to take care of,” Blanchfield said. “At the end of the day he’s thinking of the bigger picture and has bigger things in mind. … We were teammates for half the season while he was playing, and we had our ups and downs, but it would have been good to say goodbye.”
Team owner Simon Stratford said he was “really disappointed” that Ball didn’t say goodbye to his teammates or coach, per Fernandez. Still, when the Hawks officially announced Ball’s departure, they wished him the best in his preparations for the draft.
“LaMelo has had a big impact on our club and the league and we thank him for everything he has done for the Hawks and the Illawarra community,” Hawks general manager Mat Campbell said in a statement. “He has a very bright future ahead of him and the Hawks are proud to have played a part in that journey. LaMelo and his team will always be a part of the Hawks family and we wish him the very best ahead of the NBA Draft.”
Ball averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 6.8 APG in the 12 games he played prior to his injury, making himself a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony currently has Ball ranked atop his big board, though he notes that the guard’s work ethic and level of focus have been called into question. Ball’s abrupt departure from the Hawks could be another factor for NBA teams to consider as they evaluate his draft stock this spring.
NBA Trade Market “Sluggish” As Deadline Nears
The NBA trade deadline is just eight days away, but the market doesn’t seem particularly active at the moment, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on SportsCenter on Tuesday (link via Mike DePrisco of NBC Sports Washington).
“The one thing you’re not hearing among conversation right now, are not many front-line, significant players [are] on the move,” Wojnarowski said. “That may change next week, but right now it’s a very sluggish, slow trade deadline market.”
Wojnarowski added that one team that’s usually active around the deadline told him it has made and received fewer trade calls this season than it normally does.
While there were plenty of fireworks and roster changes at the start of the 2019 offseason, only five trades have been completed since July 16. A number of the NBA’s top contenders this season lack the assets necessary to make major moves, and teams around the league appear reluctant to make trades that would cut into their projected 2021 cap room. Plus, only three clubs in each conference are more than 4.5 games out of a playoff spot, reducing the number of potential sellers this winter.
On top of all that, the death of Kobe Bryant may put a damper on this year’s trade market. For instance, a year ago, Anthony Davis went public with his trade request on the Monday 10 days before the deadline and that week was dominated by rumors and speculation — Kristaps Porzingis was also moved a week before the deadline. As the league mourns and honors Bryant this week, I can’t imagine front offices are spending as much time on trade calls.
Although the market may not be active for the time being, Wojnarowski did caution during his SportsCenter appearance that things can change quickly, as DePrisco notes. According to Woj, Super Bowl Sunday is generally pretty quiet around the NBA, but talks often heat up on Monday as teams reconvene and regroup. So there’s still a chance we’ll get some action leading up to next Thursday’s deadline.
Victor Oladipo To Have Minutes Restriction Upon Return
Pacers guard Victor Oladipo remains on track to make his return to the NBA on Wednesday night vs. Chicago after missing the last year with a torn quad tendon. However, the team will be cautious with the 27-year-old upon his return.
According to Nat Newell and J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star, Oladipo will face a minutes restriction in his season debut and for at least the first few weeks after that. The team intends to re-evaluate that restriction at the All-Star break, at which time it could be adjusted or lifted entirely.
The Pacers haven’t indicated exactly how many minutes Oladipo will receive per game. The team was also noncommittal about his potential role, though Scott Agness of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) there’s a good chance he’ll come off the bench for now. As Agness points out (via Twitter), Oladipo still hasn’t practiced with the starters and head coach Nate McMillan is aware that an adjustment period will be necessary.
Before going down with his quad injury last January, the veteran guard had been named an All-Star in each of his first two seasons in Indiana. He has averaged 21.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.1 SPG on .461/.362/.780 shooting in 111 games since joining the Pacers in a blockbuster 2017 trade.
The Pacers have played very well in Oladipo’s absence, with Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis stepping up as the team’s leaders and making strong cases for All-Star consideration. At 30-17, Indiana currently ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference. With Oladipo back, the club will be pushing in the second half to secure a top-four seed and first-round home court advantage.