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Raptors Notes: Practice, Sabonis, Turner, Achiuwa, Banton

December 9th, 2021 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Like the Pacers, the Raptors opted to cancel their practice on Thursday due to an “abundance of caution” related to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic.

As was the case with Indiana, Toronto didn’t provide any additional details to explain the decision. However, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) hears that it’s “not a player issue,” which suggests that perhaps a staff member either tested positive for COVID-19 or is a close contact of someone who did.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

  • The Raptors will have to decide in the coming weeks whether they intend to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, Grange writes for Sportsnet.ca. As Grange observes, upgrading the center spot or adding a reliable backup point guard could help make Toronto a more legitimate playoff contender, but the team could also decided to take a longer-term view toward the future and shop a couple veterans.
  • A league source tells Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca that the Raptors have had “their eyes on” Pacers big men Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner for years, so they’ll likely at least kick the tires on the two veteran centers. Doug Smith of The Toronto Star (subscribers only) argues that Toronto should seriously pursue either Sabonis or Turner in an effort to solidify the five spot.
  • Raptors center Precious Achiuwa is once again sidelined due to shoulder tendinitis, and head coach Nick Nurse isn’t sure how long Achiuwa will be out, writes Lewenberg. “Obviously, it’s aggravated again,” Nurse said of the injury. “I don’t know what to say. Hopefully it’s short-term, but you never know.”
  • Rookie guard Dalano Banton is pulling double duty this season, playing frequently for both the Raptors in the NBA and the Raptors 905 in the G League. As Smith writes for The Toronto Star, Banton welcomes that challenge, knowing that current Raptors stars like Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam spent plenty of time with the 905 when they first entered the league. “I’m not getting tired of it,” Banton said. “I’m just kind of trusting in the process that they have going on for me. … I trust in the development of the Raptors and I’ve seen it countless times of guys who came before me.”
  • Eric Koreen of The Athletic addressed a handful of Raptors-related topics in his latest mailbag, including Yuta Watanabe‘s future and what the team could get back in a trade involving Chris Boucher.
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Pacers Rumors: Turner, Sabonis, Trade Candidates, Protocols

December 9th, 2021 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

Pacers big man Myles Turner, who has heard his name included in trade rumors for multiple years, told Jared Weiss of The Athletic that he loves playing in Indiana and wants to win with the team. However, he has also been frustrated with playing what he views as a limited role.

“It’s clear that I’m not valued as anything more than a glorified role player here, and I want something more, more opportunity,” Turner said to Weiss. “I’m trying really hard to make the role that I’m given here work and find a way to maximize it. I’ve been trying to the past two, three seasons. But it’s clear to me that, just numbers-wise, I’m not valued as more than a rotational role player, and I hold myself in a higher regard than that.

“… I’ve been given many roles in the years that I’ve been here, and I feel like I’ve been able to produce at a high level in the roles I’ve been given,” Turner added. “I’ve shown that I can do the things they ask me to do, and I think it’s time to put that all together and be a more prominent night-in, night-out guy on the offensive side of the ball instead of someone who is asked to be a floor spacer and hide in the shadows.”

Turner has enjoyed the occasional offensive outburst this season, scoring 40 points in Washington on October 22 and knocking down seven 3-pointers vs. New York on November 3. However, his modest season-long scoring average of 12.9 PPG is right in line with his career rate (12.7 PPG).

Head coach Rick Carlisle told Weiss that Turner, a talented rim protector, has a significant impact on winning whether he’s scoring or not, noting that the big man’s 40-point night may have “kind of skewed what the day-to-day expectations are” for him offensively. Carlisle and the coaching staff met to discuss Turner’s role this week and vowed to make an effort to get him involved in more actions as a roller. However, sources tell Weiss that Turner remains unconvinced that any positive changes to his role will stick.

“Myles has always wanted a bigger, more important role on the offensive end, but we absolutely know his value overall,” president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard told Weiss. “Sometimes with Myles, we know how good he is and how dominant he is on the defensive end, and I think he wants to be a more complete player, not just a defensive player. I respect the s–t out of that. You know I do.”

Here’s more out of Indiana:

  • Pritchard told Pacers players this week that the team is fielding trade calls for Turner and Domantas Sabonis, but still believes the pairing can work and would be fine seeing it through this season, sources tell Weiss. Carlisle also remains convinced Turner and Sabonis can succeed alongside each other, pointing to their net rating as evidence, Weiss notes. The Pacers have a +10.9 rating when the two big men share the court this season.
  • Turner and Sabonis told reporters on Wednesday that they’re unfazed by the trade rumors and have grown accustomed to them, writes James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “We want to be here,” Sabonis said. “And as long as we represent the team and have that jersey on our backs we’re gonna come out and compete.”
  • If the Pacers move one of their two big men, Turner appears to be the more likely trade candidate. However, Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer wonders if it should be the other way around, exploring whether Indiana ought to be more open to the idea of building around Turner.
  • There are people in the Knicks‘ front office who like the idea of pursuing a Turner trade this season, Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes in a follow-up to his recent report on the Knicks and Turner.
  • In the latest episode of the HoopsHype Podcast, Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan identified the Warriors and Hornets as two teams they view as logical suitors for Turner.
  • The Pacers canceled their practice on Thursday out of “an abundance of caution” related to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, tweets ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. The team didn’t offer any additional details, so it’s unclear whether a member of the organization tested positive. Currently, Justin Holiday is the only Pacers player in the league’s health and safety protocols, having been unavailable since November 30.
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Pacers Notes: Carlisle, Simmons, Duarte, Turner

December 8th, 2021 at 4:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rick Carlisle planned to coach a contender when he was hired by the Pacers in June, but he’s not having second thoughts now that the franchise is giving serious consideration to rebuilding, writes Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Off to a disappointing start that has them 13th in the East, the Pacers have let it be known that they’re willing to move veterans Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert. It’s not what Carlisle was expecting, but he indicated that he’s committed to his job no matter what the front office decides to do.

“Listen, I’m am hour-to-hour, day-to-day guy,” he said. “I like this roster. These guys are wonderful people, damn good players. We’ve had some bad luck with a lot of different things. Now it’s injuries and some other stuff. It’s all about trying to get it a little better each day. One percent better, two percent better and if you look at our season and all the close games, a lot of it comes down to one or two percent. We just got to keep pushing in that direction to keep doing a little better.”

Agness was at practice on Tuesday as all three players were informed of an impending story from The Athletic about them being on the trade market. Meeting with players amid trade rumors is a policy that Kevin Pritchard adopted when he became president of basketball operations in 2018, and Carlisle said honesty is important.

“It’s just communication,” he explained. “Letting those guys know that we’re trying to win games. We want to make this thing work. Beyond that, it’s just basic communication and talking to your top players.”

There’s more from Indiana:

  • The Pacers have called the Sixers several times about Ben Simmons, including once before signing Malcolm Brogdon to a two-year extension in October, Agness adds. In a discussion of Indiana’s situation, Athletic writers Seth Partnow, Sam Vecenie and Danny Leroux explore whether a deal can be made involving Simmons and the chances of Sabonis being shipped to a third team in such a trade.
  • As a 24-year-old rookie Chris Duarte may attract some attention from contenders, Vecenie suggests in the same piece. Duarte is making $3.749MM on the first year of his rookie contract and will carry an affordable salary for several years.
  • The Pacers may find Turner the most in demand of their available veterans, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. The 26-year-old center can block shots and make three-pointers and he doesn’t need to handle the ball a lot to be effective. With a $17.5MM salary for both this season and 2022/23, Turner could be a good fit for the Hornets, Pincus states, with Charlotte sending back Mason Plumlee and a prospect such as PJ Washington, James Bouknight, Kai Jones or JT Thor. Pincus sees the Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks and Spurs as other teams that might bid for Turner.
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Pacers Open To Roster Shakeup, Intend To Be Active On Trade Market

December 7th, 2021 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

After getting off to a slow start this season, the Pacers have become receptive to the idea of pivoting to a rebuild and trading multiple veterans, sources tell Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic. According to The Athletic’s duo, the team intends to be “very active” prior to the February 10 trade deadline.

Charania and Kravitz identify swingman Caris LeVert and big men Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis as some of the Pacers’ potential trade candidates. All three players have generated “significant interest” from rival teams, per The Athletic’s sources. It’s unclear if Indiana would be willing to move both Turner and Sabonis or just one of the two, but Charania and Kravitz suggest a breakup of the two centers “now appears on the horizon.”

T.J. Warren, who is on an expiring contract, could also theoretically be a trade chip, but he continues to recover from a foot injury and has told team management that he’d like to remain in Indianapolis, sources tell Charania and Kravitz. Malcolm Brogdon is ineligible to be traded this year after recently signing an extension.

The Pacers would like to open up more playing time for rookies Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson. The team raved about Jackson during the preseason and Duarte has quickly become a favorite of head coach Rick Carlisle, according to The Athletic.

Pacers owner Herb Simon, who is 87 years old, has historically resisted the idea of rebuilding due to concerns that any extended period of losing could substantially hurt attendance in one of the NBA’s smaller markets. However, with the Pacers already second-last in the league in attendance this season, Simon – apparently recognizing that it can’t get much worse – has become more willing to get on board with a rebuild, per Charania and Kravitz.

The Athletic’s duo clarifies that the Pacers don’t intend to embark on a years-long “tankathon” akin to the Sixers’ “Process,” but president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard and the front office are prepared to make some major roster changes and look ahead to the future after starting the season with a 10-16 record (13th in the East).

It’s worth noting that Indiana has been hurt this season by poor showings in crunch-time minutes and perhaps isn’t as bad as that 10-16 record suggests. Despite missing Warren – their top scorer in the 2020 Orlando bubble – the Pacers have a positive point differential through their first 26 games. However, even with some better late-game luck and a healthy Warren, the current roster probably doesn’t have the upside to legitimately contend for a title.

Rival teams aren’t sure how soon the Pacers will be ready to make deals, according to Charania and Kravitz. The expectation is that the front office will exercise patience and wait for the best offers to materialize, so it’s possible Indiana won’t do anything major until closer to the deadline. Trade talks around the league figure to start picking up a little next Wednesday, when more than 100 players become newly trade-eligible.

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Pacers Notes: Jackson, Carlisle, Brogdon, Sabonis

September 30th, 2021 at 8:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers traded up in the draft to take rookie big man Isaiah Jackson, viewing him as an elite athlete and rim protector, writes Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star. Jackson, 19, has a 7’5″ wingspan and head coach Rick Carlisle believes he will eventually be able to guard every position on the court.

“His defensive versatility is absolutely breathtaking,” Carlisle said. “I just have not seen a guy, move, block shots, change shots, be able to guard in any position the way I’ve seen him be able to do it.”

President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard was effusive in his praise as well, noting that although Jackson had no practice time for Summer League, he had an outsized impact, tying a Summer League record with seven blocks in his final game.

“I’m not trying to compare him to Paul George right now but as a pure athlete he does some things that I’ve not seen in the gym in a long time,” Pritchard said. “He is a fast-twitch athlete. He’s at the rim all the time and I don’t know if it was fair the way we looked at him. I thought he played great this summer, but when you look at how it came to play, I mean it was like no practice — in the games — and I don’t know if we saw the full Isaiah Jackson, but we have really high hopes for him. I think he’s got super talent, he’s a good worker, and I think sky’s the limit for him. We got a diamond in the rough there.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

  • Guard Malcolm Brogdon is focused on developing as a leader entering his third season with the team, writes Brendan Rourke of Pacers.com. Brogdon says that the team’s leadership void was obvious last season, and he’s taking it upon himself to step up. He hosted a team-bonding trip in Los Angeles in August, playing pick-up games and holding team dinners, in order to build team chemistry.
  • Back-to-back All-Star Domantas Sabonis is hoping to improve his three-point shot, writes Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com. Hotchkiss notes that Carlisle has implemented more five-out sets in training camp, which were effective in his time in Dallas, and believes that having big men space the floor helps everyone offensively.
  • Be sure to check out our Pacers team page for more updates out of Indiana.
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Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Madar, Nets, Wizards

August 4th, 2021 at 8:14am CST by Luke Adams

While it’s not out of the question that the Pacers will make a major trade this offseason, the team isn’t any rush to move Myles Turner or Malcolm Brogdon, the two names that pop up most frequently in Pacers-related trade rumors, writes J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star.

Of those two players, Turner is less likely to be dealt, according to Michael, who suggests that new head coach Rick Carlisle would like to try to figure out the best way to maximize the Turner/Domantas Sabonis duo. It’s possible Carlisle will split up the two Pacers bigs and have Turner come off the bench to start the season, Michael adds.

As for Brogdon, the Pacers have been trying to determine whether he’s the right long-term fit as the team’s point guard and leader, according to Michael. As Michael details, Indiana had some locker room issues in 2020/21 and president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard suggested at the end of the season that the club lacked vocal leadership. The Pacers may expect more in that regard from Brogdon going forward.

Here’s more from around the East:

  • The Knicks, who remain on the lookout for another point guard, have some interest in Dennis Schröder, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman also says New York contacted Elfrid Payton at the start of free agency, though it’s unclear if the club views him as a viable fallback option.
  • Yam Madar, the 47th overall pick in the 2020 draft, hopes to play for the Celtics this season, he told reporters on Tuesday. As Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets, Boston’s plan is to see how Madar’s Summer League stint goes and to evaluate its options from there.
  • Nets star Kevin Durant is thrilled that Blake Griffin is set to return to the team for another season, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “To have Blake back, I’m so excited,” Durant said from Tokyo. “I mean, as soon as the season was over, I was telling him that we want him back and telling him that, you know, we should try to do it again. And I was glad to see it get done.” In a separate story, Lewis confirms that James Johnson‘s new deal with Brooklyn is worth the veteran’s minimum.
  • After recently announcing a new deal for NHL star Alex Ovechkin, the centerpiece of his other franchise, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis discussed the contrast between how things played out with Ovechkin and Russell Westbrook, per Emily Kaplan of ESPN. “We had a superstar player with the Wizards, he had an opportunity and wanted to be traded to the Lakers,” Leonsis said. “And I was dealing with that as we were announcing Alex. I couldn’t help but self-reflect on what a difference it is. Here’s a great player in Russell Westbrook, played in OKC, wanted to be traded, went to Houston, wanted to be traded, came to D.C., wanted to be traded and is now in L.A. He’s an unbelievably great person and an unbelievably great player. But that’s the difference between the NBA and the NHL, I suppose.”
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Pacers Notes: Fizdale, Collins, Pritchard, Turner, Sabonis, Workouts

June 30th, 2021 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

David Fizdale turned down more money from the Pacers to be one of Rick Carlisle’s lead assistants in order to take a similar job with the Lakers, according to Marc Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). Indiana’s interest in Fizdale was previously reported. Former Warriors assistant coach Jarron Collins is being considered for an assistant coaching position with the Pacers, Spears adds.

We have more on the Pacers;

  • President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said the hiring of Carlisle is a signal that the franchise is intent on winning a title, according to Michael Marot of The Associated Press. “We’re in a win-now mode, we’re trying to win and so we identified some traits or characteristics we wanted in a coach,” Pritchard said. “Those characteristics were first of all multiyear experience, we really wanted to have someone who had a championship pedigree and that can be challenging to find all of them in one person. What happened in this year’s search is Rick became available.”
  • Myles Turner‘s name has often been tossed into trade rumors but Carlisle believes he can get more out of the frontcourt duo of Domantas Sabonis and Turner, Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com writes. “When my teams have played them over the last few years, we’ve always felt like it was a physical beating that we were taking with them, both defensively and offensively,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of making it work.”
  • The team is bringing in Brandon Boston Jr. (Kentucky), Matt Coleman III (Texas), EJ Onu (Shawnee State), Austin Reaves (Oklahoma), Jaden Springer (Tennessee) and Moses Wright (Georgia Tech) for pre-draft workouts on Thursday, according to a team press release. Springer, a point guard, is ranked No. 27 on ESPN’s Best Available list. Shooting guards Boston (No. 41) and Reaves (No. 44) are also ranked in the Top 50.
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Rosters Announced For Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

June 28th, 2021 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

Four qualifying tournaments to determine the final four teams in the men’s basketball pool at the Tokyo Olympics are set to tip off on Tuesday. In advance of the Olympic qualifiers, the 24 teams involved have officially set their 12-man rosters, according to a press release from FIBA.

More than two dozen current NBA players are participating in the tournament, and 11 of the 24 teams competing for Olympic spots have at least one current NBA players on their respective rosters. Of those clubs, Team Canada has the biggest contingent of NBA players — eight of the 12 players on Nick Nurse‘s squad finished the season on an NBA roster. Turkey is next with four NBA players.

The four qualifying tournaments will take place in Serbia, Lithuania, Croatia, and Canada. Only the winner of each six-team group will advance to Tokyo. Those four winners will join Japan, Nigeria, Argentina, Iran, France, Spain, Australia, and the U.S. in the 12-team Olympic tournament.

The teams that move onto the Olympics may tweak their rosters for Tokyo, depending on the availability of certain players. For instance, if Greece were to win its qualifying tournament, perhaps Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo – who remains active in the playoffs for now – would make an effort to join the team in Tokyo next month.

Here are the NBA players on the OQT rosters:

Belgrade, Serbia

Kaunas, Lithuania

Split, Croatia

Victoria, Canada

There are also many former NBA players among the 24 rosters, including Mario Hezonja (Croatia), Milos Teodosic (Serbia), Jan Vesely (Czech Republic), Timofey Mozgov (Russia), and Anthony Bennett (Canada).

To view the full rosters, be sure to visit FIBA’s official site and click through to each team from there.

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Central Notes: LaVine, Turner, Cavaliers Draft, Sabonis

June 18th, 2021 at 3:39pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine appears intent to earn a maximum contract extension with Chicago, but whether or not that happens this summer will have a significant financial impact on the deal, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. A standard extension for LaVine this offseason could only be worth up to about $105MM over four years, so he seems unlikely to accept such a deal — Chicago could offer him significantly more in a renegotiation or once he reaches free agency.

“I definitely want what I deserve, and whatever that is I’ll have it coming to me,’’ LaVine said of a possible extension after the Bulls’ 2020/21 season concluded.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago notes that LaVine’s fate this summer could be directly affected by the Bulls’ lottery luck. Should the team move into the top four in Tuesday’s lottery drawing ahead of the 2021 draft, it will be committed to paying at least $7.2MM to the rookie prospect it drafts. Depending on how some decisions shake out across the rest of Chicago’s roster, this will likely mean the Bulls, who have not made the playoffs in four seasons, will be operating over the salary cap, which would preclude a renegotiation with LaVine this season and make an extension less likely.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • Pacers center Myles Turner weighed in on his perceived snub from the NBA’s All-Defensive teams this season, writes Nat Newell of the Indianapolis Star. Turner tweeted, in part, “Right back to it next season, [I’m going to] make it to where it ain’t even a debate.” Newell notes that all of the forwards who made the cut ahead of Turner played at least five more games than he did during a truncated 72-game season, where every appearance counts that much more. Newell observes that, in the last 20 years, the league leader in blocks has not made either All-Defensive team just six times — and Turner accounts for two of those omissions.
  • A lot is riding on the Cavaliers landing some lottery luck, again, in the 2021 draft lottery next week, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Over the last two decades, Cleveland landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003, 2011, 2013, and 2014 drafts. The club hasn’t fared as well lately in the lottery, but is hoping its luck turns ahead of a starry draft.
  • Pacers All-Star Domantas Sabonis proved he was one of the best big men in the league through his play this season, per Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com. The 25-year-old deservedly made his second straight All-Star game, and boasted a sparkling stat line of 20.3 PPG (on 53.5% shooting from the floor), 12 RPG, and 6.7 APG. Hotchkiss highlights just how valuable Sabonis was on offense, both as a ball-handler and an expert pick-setter, and notes that Sabonis was often tasked with guarding players beyond the paint while Turner manned the middle, resulting in Sabonis traveling 2.7 miles a night on the floor, more than any other big man in the league. Sabonis will suit up for Team Lithuania during a six-game qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics, and potentially the Olympics themselves, before his focus returns to the NBA.
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Pacers Rumors: Turner, Budenholzer, Shaw, Bjorkgren, More

June 10th, 2021 at 11:29am CST by Luke Adams

Prior to the 2021 trade deadline, J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star reported that the Hornets, Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Pelicans were among the teams to express interest in Pacers big man Myles Turner. With Turner possibly available again this summer in trade talks, many of those teams could renew their interest in the NBA’s shot-blocking leader.

Exploring that possibility, Michael tweets that the Hornets and Timberwolves are the teams that seem to “really” want Turner. Michael speculates (via Twitter) that Charlotte would be the team most likely to make an aggressive trade offer for the 25-year-old if the Pacers are willing to move him.

Here’s more out of Indiana:

  • If the Bucks decide to move on from Mike Budenholzer after their season ends, he’d move to the top of the Pacers’ list of potential head coaching candidates, league sources tell J. Michael. Michael adds that G League Ignite coach Brian Shaw, formerly a Pacers assistant, is also expected to be a serious candidate for the job.
  • In a subscriber-only piece for The Indianapolis Star, Michael takes a look at the factors that led to Nate Bjorkgren‘s ouster after just one season. One league executive described Bjorkgren’s coaching style as “fake positivity,” according to Michael, who also provides details on Bjorkgren’s tendency to micro-manage and his failure to hold players accountable. Michael adds that the first-year coach “made sure those beneath him knew their place,” which lines up with a May report that stated Bjorkgren didn’t treat his assistants particularly well.
  • Although the Pacers haven’t ruled out blowing up their roster, team owner Herb Simon may be averse to that idea, according to Michael, who suggests the club seems likely to bring back Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, and T.J. Warren.
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