Former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth Discusses Denver Exit
Appearing on The Kevin O’Connor Show with Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, former Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth spoke at length about his time as the head of Denver’s basketball operations department and the factors that led to him and former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone being let go on the same day last April, with just three games left in the regular season.
While friction between Booth and Malone was the the reason most frequently cited as the reason why Denver made such a significant change with the 2025 postseason around the corner, Booth downplayed that conflict to some extent, suggesting it wasn’t unique to the Nuggets and was just one of several factors why he lost his job.
In Booth’s view, another one of those factors that led to his exit is that the Nuggets’ ownership group doesn’t value its front office executives as highly as other teams do.
“Whether it’s Mark Warkentien or Tim (Connelly) or Masai (Ujiri), there’s always gonna come a point where they don’t value executives like that,” he told O’Connor. “I’ll probably disagree with their take on executives, but who am I? They’ve been so successful, so maybe it’s the right way to operate.”
Booth also suggested that he might have made the general manager job “look too easy,” as O’Connor relays.
“Anybody that’s really good at something, when they make it look easy, that was really, really hard to get to,” Booth explained. “(It took) a lifetime’s worth of playing basketball, coaching basketball, having conversations, scouting. For me to go in there right away, assemble a championship team, win a championship.”
While those remarks may open up Booth to criticism, it’s worth noting that his track record in the GM role was pretty strong. After Connelly built the core of the roster, Booth added several valuable complementary pieces in his first offseason on the job in 2022, trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, signing Bruce Brown, and drafting Christian Braun and Peyton Watson outside the top 20. The moves helped Denver win its first NBA championship in 2023.
The Nuggets lost several of their veteran role players in subsequent summers, with Brown and Jeff Green departing in free agency in 2023 and Caldwell-Pope doing the same in 2024. Denver’s front office took some flak for not doing more to re-sign those key contributors, but Booth argues that doing so would’ve impeded the progress of some of the team’s most promising prospects.
“The reality of the thing is if we sign Bruce Brown back, we sign KCP back, or if they leave and we sign veterans … do Christian Braun and Peyton Watson do what they’re doing right now?” Booth said. “Definitely not.”
Despite limited draft resources, Booth continued to bring in young players – including Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, Hunter Tyson, Collin Gillespie, DaRon Holmes, and Spencer Jones – and his desire to develop those youngsters clashed with Malone’s preference to lean on win-now veterans, which was a primary source of the tension between the two men.
Still, Nuggets ownership’s aversion to operating deep in the tax meant that Booth had to try to find cheap talent to fill out the roster, and while not every one of his draft picks and UDFA signings was a success, many of those players have since developed into solid NBA rotation pieces in Denver or elsewhere.
“In most situations when somebody’s running a team, I don’t think the expectation is to bat 1.000,” Booth said. “For some reason, I started to get the feeling that that was the expectation for me from whoever was in and around the Denver Nuggets community.”
Here are a few more of Booth’s most notable comments from his appearance on O’Connor’s podcast, which is worth checking out in full for Nuggets fans:
On why his “idealism” might’ve clashed with Malone’s “realism” due to the nature of their respective roles:
“I have to take accountability whatever way that narrative grew legs and my part in it, I’ve learned from that. There’s such a weird paradox with NBA coaches. They’re in the midst of the lion’s den. They’re dealing with players, some of the most formidable size-wise and ego-wise in the world, and they’re managing them. Those guys buy in. And then these coaches have to report to a general manager who maybe doesn’t have the gravitas they do. I just think it’s a human nature thing.”
On the job that Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace have done running the Nuggets’ front office since last spring:
“They’re great. A lot of (the roster moves they made) we talked about when I was there. We thought we were gonna get (Jonas) Valanciunas at the trade deadline. Obviously, they did their own unique things, but the one thing about the new CBA, there’s only so many trades that can be done. It’s kind of like paint-by-numbers, in that sense. So anybody sitting in that seat in Denver is going to have some kind of Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson concept, because that’s just one of the better deals that was out there.”
On whether he’d like another chance to be an NBA general manager:
“Nobody’s entitled or owed an opportunity to run an NBA team. There’s 30 jobs. All those guys in their own way deserve to be in that seat. I’d be foolish to say that for the right scenario I wouldn’t be willing to work for somebody.
“My door wasn’t knocking down with people waiting to hire me. That’s where this whole thing got blown out of proportion. If you look tangibly at what I did — my win percentage, what I drafted, working with a coach like Coach Malone as a first-time GM — I just don’t know how my door isn’t knocking. … You could put 100 GMs in my position. I don’t know what, three or four of them do as good as I did.”
On whether he thinks Malone wants to find another NBA head coaching job:
“He doesn’t mind commentating games. But he would probably die to coach an NBA team tomorrow. And he deserves it. He’s a championship coach.”
Southwest Notes: Bagley, Flagg, Coward, Plumlee
With the announcement that Kyrie Irving would not play this year, the rest of the Mavericks’ season is expected to function as something of a fact-finding mission, Mike Curtis writes for the Dallas Morning News.
Dallas has five players set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, and one newcomer who has shown enough to warrant long-term consideration is Marvin Bagley III, who was a part of the Anthony Davis trade between the Mavs and Wizards.
“He’s a really good player,” coach Jason Kidd said of the former No. 2 overall pick. “He’s a grown-up and understands the NBA game a little bit. Sometimes it takes time. We all want it to happen overnight. I think the coaching staff, the media, everyone that’s been on this road trip or with him, has made him comfortable and you can see the way he’s playing.”
Since arriving in Dallas, Bagley has averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in six games as a reserve and has three double-doubles in that span. Curtis points to the 26-year-old’s energy on the glass as a major factor in his success. Bagley is averaging 3.7 offensive rebounds per game with the Mavs and is a different archetype of big man than their top two centers, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.
Curtis writes that Bagley has yet to find a franchise that will commit to him, but a deal to keep him in Dallas as a reserve center could be mutually beneficial.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- Cooper Flagg remains out for the Mavericks‘ game against the Kings on Thursday, Curtis notes (via Twitter). This will mark the fifth absence in a row for Flagg, who is dealing with a midfoot sprain, after he had previously missed just four games all season. Even if Flagg were to miss extended time, he’s not in danger of missing out on any end-of-year awards, as the 65-game rule does not apply to Rookie of the Year or All-Rookie.
- Having traded Jaren Jackson Jr. for picks and unproven players and with Ja Morant‘s future with the team still up in the air, the Grizzlies may be in need of a new face of the franchise, prompting Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal to wonder if Cedric Coward can step into that role. As Cole writes, Coward is notably self-assured for a rookie. “He’s a very mature kid for his age,” coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “I think that’s a very valuable commodity to have.” Coward has been injured since early February, but has still been very engaged with the team, both during games and practices, teammate Jaylen Wells noted. For his part, Coward is trying to keep a level head with the prospect of such expectations being placed on his relatively inexperienced shoulders. “You just try to make the best of whatever situation it is,” he said. “Whether it’s franchise cornerstone, whether it’s a building block — no matter what it is, the title doesn’t mean anything to me.“
- Mason Plumlee knows he won’t be playing major minutes with the Spurs, but he’s excited to take advantage of whatever opportunities present themselves, Tom Orsborn writes for the San Antonio Express-News. “I think I’ve seen guys check in for five minutes and turn a game around,” he said. “That’s the way I look at it.” The soon-to-be 36-year-old is inactive due to “return to competition reconditioning” as he makes his way back from groin surgery, but he says he feels great and is ready to get started with an organization he’s long admired. “When I came into the league (as a late-first round pick in 2013), the Spurs had all the guys that were winning championships, and I just remember them being so sharp in everything they did on the court, and you hear about how well it’s run behind the scenes and everybody gets hired (to become head coaches) out of here,” he said. “So you kind of know coming in that there’s something that works, there’s something unique.”
Northwest Notes: Bailey, Jazz, Nuggets, Cissoko
Ace Bailey knows that not everyone is a fan of his game or his approach to the 2025 draft. However, coaches and players who know him sing a different tune, Kevin Reynolds writes for the Salt Lake City Tribune.
“If anybody calls about Ace Bailey, I f—ing call back right away,” said Steve Pikiell, Bailey’s coach at Rutgers. “I’ve been coaching 42 years, and he’s as good of a kid I’ve had.”
Pikiell adds that he believed that certain teams that had been heavily scouting Bailey and then fell in the lottery might have helped contribute to some of the negative narratives surrounding him on draft night. According to Reynolds, Bailey has rewarded Utah’s faith in him on an interpersonal level.
“He’s such a great kid, man. Off the court, he’s such a joy. On the court, he’s putting it together,” former teammate Kyle Anderson said. “I didn’t pay attention to the noise during the draft process, but I’m glad to see that really hasn’t surfaced.”
While Bailey has learned to fit into Utah’s locker room, the coaching staff has worked to make sure he plays a role that will benefit him the most long-term.
“We want to help him get through this season and be a way better player than when he started,” coach Will Hardy said. “I’m not pro Ace just bombing away to get stats and clicks.”
The strategy seems to be working, as Bailey has played some of his best basketball of late, averaging 15.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game since mid-January.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- The Jazz were furious about being fined $500K by the NBA, Tony Jones reports for The Athletic, as they believe they were singled out for a widespread practice among tanking teams of resting players in key situations. Jones writes that while Utah has tanked in recent seasons, they had plans to make at least one substantial win-now trade roughly three years ago, but it fell through when the player’s agent informed them that he would rather play elsewhere.
- The Nuggets currently have a disconcerting trend going: they are falling apart in clutch situations, and it only seems to have gotten worse with Nikola Jokic back, Bennett Durando writes for the Denver Post. Denver is 26th in clutch net rating at -9.9, and the number falls to -19.3 when Jokic is playing. Coach David Adelman acknowledged the issue and said he’s looking to add wrinkles to get Jokic and Jamal Murray easier looks while Aaron Gordon is out and not occupying his usual area in the dunker spot. “We’re trying to maintain who we are, playing the two-man game without the things that matter behind it,” Adelman said. “Like, if we play a two-man game with Aaron Gordon, it’s a very different rotation (in help defense) for teams. So you don’t want to scrap something that you know you’re gonna do (in the playoffs), and you’re presupposing that those guys are gonna be out there. … We have to figure out a way to finish games when teams are full-rotating to (Jokic and Murray). Sometimes three guys, sometimes four.” Durando notes that the sample of clutch games with Jokic playing is small, but it can still impact the playoff race.
- The two-year standard contract that Sidy Cissoko recently signed with the Trail Blazers is a minimum-salary deal that’s non-guaranteed in 2026/27, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype notes (via Twitter). In order to promote Cissoko, the Blazers had to waive Rayan Rupert, his best friend on the team, making the move bittersweet, writes Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (subscriber link). “For me, it’s tough because he’s the guy that helped me with everything when I got here. I’ve got a lot of experience with him,” Cissoko said. “We’ve played together since we were 16 or 17.” Cissoko added that the promotion to the standard roster represents a step toward his goal of playing in the NBA for over a decade. “I’ve done great by being myself,” he said. “I’m not going to change because of my contract. It’s the same Sidy. I’m going to play the same way.”
Injury Notes: Tatum, Antetokounmpo, Garland, Thompson
Jayson Tatum, who is making his way back from an Achilles tear he suffered last spring, has been a full participant in five-on-five scrimmages for the Celtics, Shams Charania said on ESPN’s NBA Today (YouTube video link).
According to Charania, the keys for Tatum physically are building his conditioning and strengthening his calves through a high volume of scrimmages and practices. However, the biggest factor will be making sure he feels ready to go mentally and isn’t thinking about the injury while he’s playing.
The Celtics will not push Tatum, but they’ll get him on the floor once he feels fully like himself again, which is why there is still no set timeline for his return, Charania adds.
“A dozen people here — doctors, Celtics officials, Jayson Tatum himself — they’re going to gather in a room when he’s ready and get him to a point where he wants to be, which is, in March, and as we get closer and closer to the playoffs, make a decision about whether he’s able to make it back on the floor,” Charania said.
We have more injury news from around the NBA:
- Bucks coach Doc Rivers believes that star Giannis Antetokounmpo is nearing a return from the calf strain that has sidelined him since late January, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm reports (via Twitter). “I know he’s close,” Rivers said. “I don’t think he’s close like tomorrow, but he’s getting closer and he looked great… I can tell you what my eyes see and he looks good.” Rivers previously told Nehm that Antetokounmpo had participated in 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 work without experiencing setbacks, and that he didn’t necessarily need to progress to 5-on-5 to be cleared for return (Twitter link).
- Darius Garland has yet to suit up for the Clippers since arriving in Los Angeles as the cornerstone of the James Harden trade, and that won’t change in Thursday’s game against the Timberwolves. However, there are encouraging signs, as Law Murray of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Garland is participating in 5-on-5 workouts. With the two-time All-Star injured, the Clippers have been relying on Kris Dunn and, occasionally, rookie Kobe Sanders to man the starting guard spots.
- Amen Thompson is sitting out the Rockets‘ game against the Kings with a quad injury, but Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle writes that coach Ime Udoka doesn’t believe it will be a long-term issue (Twitter link). Udoka said that Thompson has been playing through the injury and that he hopes that this absence will only last one game.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Towns, Shamet, Sochan, Yabusele
Jalen Brunson recently said he hoped the Knicks would “do right by me” in his next contract discussion, a quote that caught some fans’ attention. Recently, he clarified his hopes for his future with the organization, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post (subscriber link).
“I would love to be here for the rest of my career. I love this place,” Brunson told Bondy. “They’ve welcomed me with open arms. They’ve been behind my back since day one. I built a life here. And I love the city, I love the fans, I love everything this place has offered me, on and off the court. So I just love it here. And I’d love to stay.”
He added that his comments about doing right by him did not mean he felt that the Knicks owed him, but that he hopes they recognize the financial sacrifice he made to help the front office build the team.
Brunson will be extension-eligible in the summer of 2027 or could reach free agency in 2028.
We have more on the Knicks:
- Karl-Anthony Towns‘ inconsistent play is a lightning rod of sorts for Knicks fans, but despite his down shooting year, he’s been much more productive than given credit for, Peter Botte writes for the Post. Botte also notes that while New York has struggled against some of the stronger teams in the East, especially the Pistons, the same was true last year, when they posted a 1-6 record against Detroit and Boston before beating both teams in playoff series.
- Landry Shamet‘s consistency as a scorer and defender has forced changes to the Knicks’ rotations, and no one is bearing the brunt more than Mikal Bridges, Bondy writes. “You’ve just got to sacrifice, find your moments and play the right way,” Bridges said. Bridges’ presumed place in the closing lineup has been taken by Shamet three times this month, though Bondy notes that all the starters’ minutes are down lately as coach Mike Brown has been trying to incorporate the bench more. “It’s give and take where if somebody is playing well, we’ll try to keep them on the floor, but that might mean others will see their field goal attempts and their minutes may go down because they’re not on the floor as much,” Brown said.
- New acquisition Jeremy Sochan has struggled in his first few outings for the Knicks, but he’s not concerned, Bondy writes in a separate story. “It’s my first time adjusting to a different dynamic,” said Sochan, who was a Spur for his first three-and-a-half years in the NBA. “So it’s going to take some time to figure out and, of course, I haven’t been in a lot of game shape. So altogether there are going to [be] ups and downs. But I’m blessed and excited to be in this situation. And I truly believe I can add to this team.” Sochan said that learning the playbook wasn’t difficult, but learning his teammates’ tendencies and fitting into the ecosystem will take more time. He played five scoreless minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Cavaliers.
- Brown believes that Guerschon Yabusele‘s best role in the NBA is one that the Knicks couldn’t really offer him, Bondy writes. “The position he’s shown he’s best in in the NBA — the small-ball center spot — we just didn’t have the minutes consistently for him to be there,” Brown said. “And then when he was at the four. For us, because of our centers, the matchups weren’t always there. So we had to pick and choose when he was on the floor and how we were going to play him.” Bondy adds that there is speculation that the Frenchman has already locked in a lucrative deal overseas for next year.
Pacers’ Obi Toppin Upgraded To Questionable For Thursday
Pacers forward Obi Toppin is on the verge of returning to action after missing nearly the entire 2025/26 season. As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter), Toppin has been upgraded to questionable to play on Thursday vs. Charlotte.
Toppin, who will turn 28 next Wednesday, was active for just three games this fall before suffering a right foot injury on October 26 in Minnesota. He underwent surgery to place a screw in the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot after being diagnosed with a partial stress fracture and was ruled out for at least three months.
The Pacers’ roster has been decimated by injuries over the course of the season, resulting in the team tumbling down the standings after making it to within one win of a championship last spring. This year’s squad is 15-44 and could have simply given Toppin the rest of the season to recover from his foot surgery, focusing on getting him back to 100% for 2026/27.
However, it appears the sixth-year forward is in the final stages of his recovery process and will get back on the floor for Indiana in the near future. Being listed as questionable doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be active on Thursday, but it suggests his return is pretty close. If he ends up being ruled out for that game vs. Charlotte, his next opportunity to play would be on Sunday vs. Memphis.
Toppin was a valuable rotation player for last season’s Eastern Conference champions, appearing in 79 games and averaging a career-high 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game with a strong .529/.365/.781 shooting line. He played in all 23 playoff games for the Pacers and averaged 9.4 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 19.1 MPG off the bench during the club’s run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Timberwolves Sign Jules Bernard To Two-Way Deal
The Timberwolves have signed guard Jules Bernard to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
A 6’6″ shooting guard who went undrafted out of UCLA in 2022, Bernard has played in the G League for most of the past three-and-a-half seasons, spending time with the Motor City Cruise, Capital City Go-Go, Cleveland Charge, and Iowa Wolves since going pro.
In 36 appearances for Minnesota’s NBAGL affiliate this season, the 26-year-old has averaged 22.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 34.7 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .429/.353/.801.
This won’t be the first time Bernard has been on an NBA roster during the regular season. He also spent most of 2023/24 on a two-way deal with Washington, logging a total of 149 minutes in 19 contests for the Wizards that year.
No corresponding roster move was required for the Wolves, who waived Johnny Juzang last week after he reached his limit of 50 active games. That create a two-way opening alongside Enrique Freeman and Rocco Zikarsky.
Bernard will be eligible to be active for up to 14 games for Minnesota for the rest of the regular season. He won’t be playoff-eligible unless he’s promoted to the Wolves’ 15-man roster.
2026 NBA Free Agent Preview: Gui Santos
Jimmy Butler's ACL tear was a devastating blow to the Warriors' chances of making a deep playoff run. Key members of the team -- including Stephen Curry, general manger Mike Dunleavy Jr., head coach Steve Kerr and owner Joe Lacob -- have expressed cautious optimism about the remainder of the season while maintaining a pragmatic view of their expectations.
Butler is an outstanding player whose style (highly efficient inside the arc, draws a ton of fouls, high-IQ play-maker on both ends, low turnovers, doesn't want to shoot threes) is pretty unique, given the prevalence of outside shooting around the NBA. Obviously, it's extremely difficult to replace a player of his level of competitiveness, skill, talent, athleticism, and size.
Curry's own knee injury has further clouded Golden State's outlook. The Warriors are 23-16 in games the two-time MVP has played this season, but have gone 7-12 without their leading scorer.
While the sense of urgency in Golden State is understandably high given the ages of their stars, injuries also create opportunities. One of my favorite things about following the league is seeing unheralded players show they're capable of playing legitimate rotation roles when they're given real minutes.
One Warriors player fitting that bill as of late is Gui Santos, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Pelicans Notes: Queen, Murray, Williamson, Murphy, Missi
Without control of their own 2026 first-round pick, the Pelicans have no reason to tank during the second half of the season despite being out of the playoff race, and that has shown in recent weeks. After opening the season with a 10-36 record, New Orleans has gone 7-6 since January 23, most recently picking up home wins over Philadelphia on Saturday and Golden State on Tuesday.
As Les East of NOLA.com writes, interim head coach James Borrego referred to Tuesday’s victory as a “big, clutch win for our group” and singled out rookie Derik Queen for his contributions. Queen scored just eight points on 4-of-13 shooting, but he was a +8 in his 18 minutes off the bench and had three straight baskets during one key run in the third quarter.
“Queen was massive during that stretch,” Borrego said. “We don’t win that game without him.”
While Queen, Zion Williamson (26 points), and Saddiq Bey (18 points) all played crucial roles in the victory, the big story of the night was Dejounte Murray‘s return from an Achilles tear. Playing for the first time since January 31, 2025, Murray was immediately reinserted into New Orleans’ starting lineup, which Borrego said “was not an easy decision.” However, it paid off, as Murray had 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting in his first game back and the new-look starting five outscored Golden State in 10 minutes of action.
“He looked like his old self. He didn’t miss a beat,” Borrego said of Murray, per Brett Martel of The Associated Press. “For that to be his first game, I felt him on both ends of the floor. … He was fantastic. Really proud of him and just happy for him to embrace this moment.”
Borrego added that there was a “massive celebration” in the Pelicans’ locker room for Murray after Tuesday’s game. Although the veteran guard appreciated the support from his teammates, he told reporters he was already focused on “the next game” and wants to play as often as possible in New Orleans’ final 23 contests this season.
“I’m hungry,” he said. “I’m starving.”
Here’s more on Murray and the Pelicans:
- Multiple reports ahead of the February 5 trade deadline cited rumblings that Murray and his camp might not mind a change of scenery. However, Murray strongly pushed back on the idea that he or his representatives ever requested a trade out of New Orleans, denying that claim in a tweet and adding, “(Executive VP of basketball operations) Joe (Dumars) and the whole organization know I was locked in to come back better than ever to help make his play-in push and whatever comes after that.”
- While injuries have been a major issue for Williamson since he entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, he has had his healthiest stretch in years over the last two-plus months, appearing in 33 consecutive games for the Pelicans. Within an article examining what’s next for Williamson, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) notes that the forward has locked in a partial guarantee of at least 40% of his $42.17MM salary for 2026/27 by appearing in 41+ games this season.
- Williamson could increase that guarantee to 60% of next year’s salary by reaching 51 games, 80% by getting to 61 games, and the full 100% if he plays 61 or more games and meets certain weigh-related benchmarks. Even if he doesn’t lock in that full guarantee by season’s end, Williamson looks like a sure thing to be kept under contract through July 15 (either by the Pelicans or another team), Gozlan writes, which would also ensure his ’26/27 salary becomes fully guaranteed.
- Forward Trey Murphy III (right shoulder contusion) and center Yves Missi (left calf strain) will remain out for the Pelicans when they face Utah on Thursday, the team announced today. It will be a fourth straight missed game for Murphy, who hasn’t played since the All-Star break, while Missi sits out a fifth consecutive game.
James Harden Intends To Play Through Thumb Fracture
3:15 pm: The plan for Harden, who visited with a hand specialist on Wednesday, is to play through his thumb injury and not undergo surgery, ESPN’s Shams Charania said today on NBA Today (Twitter video link). As Charania explains, that doesn’t necessarily mean Harden will be available for tonight’s game, but he shouldn’t miss much – if any – time, as he and the team focus on managing the pain in his thumb with treatment.
1:43 pm: Cavaliers guard James Harden has been diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx in his right thumb, the team announced today (Twitter link). Harden sustained the injury in Tuesday’s win over New York and underwent X-rays on Wednesday to confirm the diagnosis.
Harden, who will undergo treatment and will continue to be evaluated, will be listed as questionable to play in Milwaukee on Wednesday in the second game of Cleveland’s back-to-back set, per the club.
The fact that Harden hasn’t already been ruled out for tonight’s contest suggests the injury shouldn’t require an extended absence — or possibly any absence at all. However, that’s still to be determined and will depend on the treatment plan. According to the Cavs, updates on the star guard’s status will be provided as appropriate.
Harden is left-handed, so the injury affects his non-shooting hand. The distal phalanx is the bone at the tip of the finger.
While it sounds like the news could’ve been worse for the Cavs and Harden, it remains to be seen how the injury will impact his play going forward. The 36-year-old has been highly effective since being traded from the Clippers to the Cavs at the deadline earlier this month, averaging 18.9 points and 8.0 assists in 32.0 minutes per game in his first seven outings with Cleveland. He has posted an excellent shooting line of .494/.488/.867 during that time.
As we relayed earlier today, head coach Kenny Atkinson said following the Cavaliers’ victory over the Knicks on Tuesday that adding Harden has given the club “renewed confidence.” Cleveland has won 13 of its past 15 games, including six of seven with Harden active.
“We understand we’re a better team,” Atkinson said, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “That spirit, that confidence for some strange reason, it makes you play harder, compete harder, compete harder defensively. I felt like we were kind of missing that edge, that belief. I feel like we’re regaining that. A lot of it has to do with who we added in the trade.”
Harden told reporters on Tuesday that the team is playing well but still has “a few more notches to get to,” according to Collier.
“We got what, 25 games? I think we can get there,” he said. “Matter of fact, I know we can get there. I think it’s going to start defensively because offensively we can have six guys in double figures … defensive is going to be key. If we can find a way to really hone in defensively and really get stops and limit teams to one shot, we’re going to be very, very tough.”