- Veteran forward Taj Gibson returned to the lineup for the Thunder but head coach Billy Donovan thought he lacked a certain something, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman writes. The big man didn’t play with “the same kind of pop”, Donovan told Horne, so his second-half minutes were reduced.
- Carelessness with the ball could be hurting Russell Westbrook‘s MVP chances, Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman writes. The Thunder guard has been turning the ball over more often of late, forcing the issue on passes.
Kevin Durant believes it’s unfair to criticize the top players for sitting out games, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays. “The truth about it is, it’s only for a couple of players in the league,” Durant told Haynes. “They don’t care if the 13th man on the bench rests. It’s only for like [LeBron James], [Stephen Curry], [James Harden], [Russell Westbrook]. It’s only for like five players. So you want a rule just for those five players?”
“It’s hard for you to just craft a rule out for the top players. I’ve seen guys that’s not even in the playoffs resting, sitting out for the rest of the season. And it’s nothing against those guys. I’m not trying to bash them or anything. [Suns center] Tyson Chandler is out. They got him sitting out for the rest of the year. I’m sure he wants to play, but they’re not saying anything about Tyson Chandler, so it’s hard for me to really talk about this. It’s not a league-wide rule. It’s not a league-wide concern.”
Durant added that he empathizes with fans who miss out on seeing their favorite player when they come to the arena. “I see it from the fans’ perspective and the players’ perspective,” Durant said. “I’m caught right in the middle.”
While the 2013/14 league MVP feels bad for those fans who show up the arena, he gives the situation some perspective.
“On the other hand, there’s a lot of people that can’t even afford tickets to the game. So, I kind of feel sorry for you, but then I don’t when I look at it that way,” he added. “Your parents spend hard-earned money, I understand you want to see your favorite players, but there’s some people who don’t even get a chance to watch a game live.”
Durant hasn’t played since February because of a knee injury, but the team recently announced that he has made “very good progress.” The small forward could see court-time again before the end of the season.
While we wait for Durant to get healthy so his fans can see him play, check out some notes from around the league:
- ESPN.com examined every front office in the league and ranked them from top to bottom based on the guidance and leadership each organization provides and how it affects success on the court. Unsurprisingly, team president Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford received the highest mark. Which team received the worst mark? The Kings came in slightly below the Knicks for worst front office in the league.
- Thunder assistant GM Mike Winger, Spurs assistant GM Brian Wright, Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon are among the executives who are viewed as potential nominees for GM roles should they become available, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writes. Arnovitz adds that Wright may be a few seasons away from landing a gig, but those within the league believe he has what it takes to do the job well.
- JK Management announced that it will hold the first annual Professional Basketball Combine at IMG Academy. The PBC will take place in the days following the league’s official combine in Chicago.
MARCH 30: Dayton is hiring Grant as its new head coach, reports Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The school has officially confirmed the decision (Twitter link).
MARCH 29: Thunder assistant Anthony Grant is being considered for the head coaching job at Dayton, according to Dave Jablonski of The Dayton Daily News.
The 50-year-old Grant has been with Oklahoma City for the past two seasons. He is a former player at Dayton and has a decade of college coaching experience. He compiled a 76-25 record as head coach at Virginia Commonwealth from 2006-09 and was 117-85 at Alabama from 2009-15.
The Dayton job opened Monday when Archie Miller left to take over at Indiana.
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan would be supportive if Grant decides to leave for Dayton, relays Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman.
“He’s a good coach, and there’s gonna be people that are gonna want to inquire about him,” Donovan said. “Dayton is his alma mater. He went to school there, he’s got connections and ties there. So it wouldn’t surprise me for them to want to go down the road and at least talk to him.”
Grant served as an assistant to Donovan at Florida for from 1996-2006. They rejoined forces in 2015 when Donovan accepted the job with Oklahoma City.
“I think for him right now it’s really more than anything else just trying to evaluate situations,” Donovan added. “I know he’s very, very happy here. I’ve enjoyed being back with him [after] being with him for so long.”
Swingman Anthony Brown has a stress fracture in his left ankle and will miss the remainder of the D-League season, Chris Reichert of The Step Back tweets. The No. 34 overall pick by the Lakers in the June 2015 draft was averaging 20.3 PPG in 24 games for the Erie BayHawks. Brown was the last cut by the Lakers during training camp this season, then had a brief stint with the Pelicans. He also played for the Magic on a 10-day deal in late January but wasn’t re-signed.
In other news around the league:
- La Salle’s B.J. Johnson will test the draft waters but has not hired an agent, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. The 6’7” swingman averaged 17.6 PPG and 6.3 RPG during his junior season. He’s not considered a top 100 prospect by DraftExpress or ESPN’s Chad Ford.
- Michael Porter Jr., the nation’s top recruit, has been granted a release from his letter of intent by the University of Washington, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports. Porter Jr., a 6’10” forward, asked for a release after Lorenzo Romar was fired as Huskies coach last week. Porter Jr.’s father, Michael Porter Sr., has accepted an assistant coaching job at Missouri, according to Borzello, fueling speculation that his son will land there. As Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders notes, Porter Jr. said in a conference call he would seriously considers the Tigers even before news broke of his father’s new job. “It could be something real, real special to be able to come home and do my thing there,” Porter said of possibly playing at Missouri.
- The Thunder could make a blockbuster deal this summer to land another star to pair up with Russell Westbrook, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman speculates. The team’s salary commitments prevent it from landing a top-level free agent this summer, Horne explains. Thus, the Thunder would probably have to give up its first-round pick and a player such as Enes Kanter, who enters his walk year next season, to land another All-Star talent, Horne concludes.
- The Cavaliers recalled center Larry Sanders from their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, the team announced on its website. Sanders signed with Cleveland on March 13th after Andrew Bogut suffered a leg fracture. Sanders made a brief appearance in one game with the Cavs last week and also played a game with the Charge before his recall.
- The Thunder assigned forward Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue, according to a team press release. Huestis is averaging 14.0 PPG and 6.3 RPG for the Blue, who play the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Friday.
- The Bulls assigned point guard Cameron Payne to the Windy City Bulls, according to the D-League team’s Twitter feed. Payne played against the Iowa Energy on Thursday and had 14 points and eight assists in 26 minutes.
A report from Chris Haynes of ESPN.com late on Sunday night suggested that members of the Warriors’ organization were “furious” and “bewildered” by the Thunder’s treatment of Kevin Durant leading up to Durant’s Oklahoma City return last month. According to Haynes, the Warriors felt that the Thunder’s decision not to more publicly address Durant’s return and thank him for his time in OKC – either through the media or via the in-game operations staff – played a part in creating an “unsettling, hostile atmosphere” during the Warriors’ visit to OKC in February.
Asked today about that ESPN report, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr disputed the idea that the franchise was upset or displeased by Thunder management or ownership for their handling of the Durant situation, as Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury News details.
“I don’t agree,” Kerr said. “Sam Presti’s a friend of mine. I know Clay Bennett. It’s a class organization all the way, so I don’t really pay any attention to a story like that unless there’s an actual name name that’s put on it. I assume it’s just sources. Is it ‘sources’? I don’t know who that is. It’s nobody with the Warriors. We have great respect for them. Sam’s been a friend of mine forever. They’re first-class, so I don’t know where that comes from.”
The Warriors will make their second trip to Oklahoma City tonight to play the Thunder, and Durant won’t be active this time around, as he continues to rehab his troublesome knee. Still, even with Durant and Russell Westbrook not going head-to-head on the court, there will certainly be no love lost between the two teams — Chesapeake Arena figures to be an especially hostile environment for the Warriors in the wake of Haynes’ latest report.
Here are the D-League transactions for Sunday:
- The Thunder recalled Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Through 28 games with the Blue, Huestis has averaged 14 points and 6.3 rebounds over 32.1 MPG.
- The Hawks recalled DeAndre’ Bembry from the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced in a press release. Bembry, 22, has appeared in just one NBA game since February 27, predominantly getting experience in the D-League in his rookie season. With Kent Bazemore out at least one week with a bone bruise, Bembry may receive playing opportunities.
Here are the D-League transactions for Saturday:
10:45pm:
- The Knicks have assigned forward Maurice Ndour to their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
- The Grizzlies have recalled center Deyonta Davis from Iowa, the team announced in an email.
2:17pm:
- The Raptors have assigned forward Bruno Caboclo and center Pascal Siakam to their D-League affiliate, the team’s media department reports on Twitter. Caboclo has seen limited action in just seven games with Toronto this season while Siakam has averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 52 contests at the big league level.
- The Thunder have assigned forward Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Huestis has played 27 games with the OKC Blue already this season.
- The Cavaliers recalled rookie guard Kay Felder from their D-League affiliate, the team reports on its official site. Felder has played 37 games with the franchise already this season.
- Taj Gibson has fit nicely into the Thunder‘s starting lineup, and the team’s bench has been more productive since the trade deadline, but questions still remain about OKC’s rotation, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman.
- Michael Pina of Vice Sports makes a case for why Thunder forward Andre Roberson deserves Defensive Player of the Year consideration.
Center Kaleb Tarczewski is leaving the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, to play for Italy’s Olimpia Milano. He is signing a three-month contract to join the Italian champions with an option for next year, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays via La Gazzetta dello Sport. As Chris Reichert for The Step Back tweets, this is a big loss for the Blue with the D-League playoffs on the horizon. He was averaging 10.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG for the Blue. Tarczewski went undrafted last June after he averaged 9.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG in his senior year at Arizona.
In other news around the NBA:
- Former Nuggets and Jazz guard Erick Green, who is playing for the Euroleague’s Olympiacos, could get another shot with an NBA team this offseason as a backup point, Trevor Magnotti of FanSided.com reports. Backup point guards will be at a premium this summer, Magnotti continues, and Green is a solid defender who has improved his offensive play. Green is also believed to have an opt-out clause if an NBA club comes calling, Magnotti adds. Green played in a combined nine games for the Nuggets and Jazz last season and 43 with Denver in 2014/15.
- Agent Dan Fegan has been sued by his former employer, Independent Sports & Entertainment, for alleged unfair business practices, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Daily. One of the claims in the suit filed in Los Angeles by Independent Sports & Entertainment is that Fegan operated a side business which steered business away from ISE, Mullen continues. Howard Weitzman, Fegan’s attorney, called the side business claim “a total fabrication,” Mullen tweets.
- A survey of NBA executives puts James Harden ahead of the pack for the MVP race but it’s close, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. The newspaper polled 32 executives, including 20 GMs or team presidents, and 12 voted for Harden. Russell Westbrook received eight votes, Kawhi Leonard garnered seven and LeBron James picked up five.