Atlantic Notes: Mitchell, Barrett, VanVleet, Brogdon
The Knicks are about to get their first look at Donovan Mitchell since spending much of the summer trying to trade for him, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Buoyed by Mitchell’s addition, the Cavaliers are tied for second in the East at 4-1 and they’ll try to improve that record when they host New York on Sunday.
The Jazz and Knicks held protracted trade talks through the offseason, but they weren’t able to finalize a deal, allowing Cleveland to swoop in with an offer for the three-time All-Star. Mitchell has been everything the Cavs thought he would be, averaging career highs in points (31.0), rebounds (4.8) and assists (6.4) through the first five games of the season.
“The one thing he does extremely well is he stops on a dime. When he drives hard to the basket and he stops, with the speed and agility he has, he always creates separation,” said Evan Fournier, who was rumored to be in several versions of the Mitchell trade. “He’s really hard to guard. He’s very streaky. He can be not efficient at times. But when he gets it going, it feels like he can’t miss.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks‘ RJ Barrett has struggled with his shot this season, but he’s making up for it with defense, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Barrett, who was also rumored to be part of proposed packages for Mitchell, will likely get the first chance at slowing him down on Sunday. “Ever since (coach Tom Thibodeau) got here, the whole defensive intensity kind of picked up, and just me being that guy on certain players every night,” Barrett said. “It’s been a fun challenge. Watching the film, trying to get better every day. Really, that’s it. … Just a commitment. Coming in locked in and focused every day. I think it’s more mental than physical.”
- The Raptors risk burning out Fred VanVleet if they can’t find some backcourt help, warns Dave Feschuk of The Toronto Star. VanVleet is averaging a team-high 38 minutes per game, and Toronto doesn’t have a reliable point guard replacement off the bench.
- Malcolm Brogdon is playing fewer minutes with the Celtics than he did with the Pacers, but his new teammates appreciate everything he does when he’s on the court, per Jay King of The Athletic. “To be able to come in and accept a role that he’s not used to — and I know from experience that’s not easy to do,” Marcus Smart said. “But he’s done it, he’s been professional. And then to come in and be able to not miss a step when he does come in, it’s like he’s been with us ever since day one.”
Eastern Notes: Crowder, Bucks, Claxton, Williams, Mitchell
What kind of trade package could the Bucks put together for the Suns’ Jae Crowder, considering they’re one of the teams reportedly interested in the veteran forward? Eric Nehm of The Athletic explores that topic, speculating that Milwaukee could deal some combination of Grayson Allen, George Hill and second-round picks.
However, dealing Allen would remove one of the Bucks’ top shooters and it’s questionable whether Crowder would be part of the team’s crunch time unit.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Nets big man Nic Claxton posted back-to-back double-doubles in the team’s first two games. His teammates and coaches want to see him do that consistently, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I’m happy he played well, we want him to keep it up, but now as a young player in the league he has to show consistency,” Kyrie Irving said. “And we have to be right there with him.” Claxton re-signed with Brooklyn this summer on a two-year, $20MM contract.
- Bulls forward Patrick Williams has gotten off to a rough start this season, but he’s not discouraged, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago relays. “They (coaches and teammates) know, obviously, I want to play well, and I want them to play well, and they want to play well for themselves as well. But just can’t get too down when you don’t play well,” he said. “Just reminding, that was what, game three? Of at least 82. Obviously we want to play past 82. But that was game three of 82.” Williams averaged 5.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in the first three games.
- The Cavaliers have already embraced Donovan Mitchell as a leader, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “He’s just a good dude,” center Jarrett Allen said. “That’s what it boils down to. He is easy to talk to; he doesn’t boast about his accomplishments, he is one of the hardest workers every single game in the gym. It’s easy to root for a guy like that and easy to follow somebody’s lead like that.”
Central Notes: LaVine, Mitchell, Garland, Lopez
Bulls coach Billy Donovan provided more insight into Zach LaVine‘s condition during a session with reporters before Saturday’s game, tweets Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Donovan admits that the team didn’t expect LaVine to miss the first two games before making his season debut tonight. However, he said decisions will have to be made based on LaVine’s level of pain and stressed that his left knee is strong after arthroscopic surgery in May.
“There’s nothing wrong with him structurally, he’s fine,” Donovan said. “It’s just something that we’ll have to manage. We knew we were going to have to manage that going into the season. We just didn’t know when or what it will look like.”
Donovan didn’t rule out back-to-backs for LaVine for the rest of the season, but he said it’s something else that will be “managed.” He explained that those decisions will be made by the medical staff in consultation with LaVine. Donovan added that the team understood that pain issues might persist even after the operation.
“But it’s not a situation where it’s going to limit him from playing,” Donovan said. “It’s just a matter of, OK, how much are all these loads and the build-up of 82 games, how much of an effect does that have on him and how does the medical staff and Zach and all of us help him get to a place where he can be really effective.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Donovan Mitchell was surprised to wind up with the Cavaliers when the Jazz decided to pull the trigger on a trade. During an appearance this week on JJ Redick’s podcast, Mitchell talked about spending the summer playing in pro-ams in Florida and thinking he might be headed to the Heat. “Miami, New York, where else?” Mitchell said. “Maybe Washington. Those were the three in my head that I thought, ‘Okay, if anything were to happen, it would probably be on that side.’”
- Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, who missed another game tonight with a laceration of his left eyelid, hopes to return on Friday, although a source tells Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that he may be out even longer. There’s no structural damage, Fedor adds, and Garland won’t need surgery. Fedor’s source said the swelling has eased up and Garland was able to open the eye slightly today for the first time since the injury.
- The return of Brook Lopez is making a difference for the Bucks‘ defense, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Lopez is fully healthy after playing just 13 games last season due to back problems. “You kind of forget how important he is for our defense,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “This is my year five with him. You kind of take it for granted. But the games he didn’t play last year, you kind of realize the load you have to carry when Brook is not on the floor. Like me and Bobby (Portis), we had to do everything.”
Central Notes: Mitchell, Garland, Turner, Bayno
Despite dropping their season opener at Toronto on Wednesday, Donovan Mitchell was outstanding in his regular season debut with the Cavaliers, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Mitchell finished with 31 points (on 12 of 21 shooting), nine assists, two steals and was a team-high plus-10 in 35 minutes in the team’s 108-105 loss.
With backcourt mate Darius Garland sidelined due to a lacerated eyelid, Mitchell put his foot on the gas, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff says it’s nothing new for Mitchell to carry a heavy load.
“He’s comfortable. I think it’s that easy,” Bickerstaff said. “This isn’t something he hasn’t done before. He’s carried teams on his back, so he understands the moment and he’s capable of it. It’s not new. It’s what we expect of him.”
In addition to his on-court production, Mitchell also provided leadership for the Cavs, giving them a positive message in the locker room after the game.
“I told them that this is our first time as a group going against a really tough playoff team,” Mitchell said, per Fedor. “It’s good to win a game but when you have a lesson about fixing this and that, and only lose by three, it’s about finding ways to improve day by day and throughout the game. This was a really good test and I think we’re all pleased with how things went. Obviously pissed off that we couldn’t execute down the stretch. But it’s a game. It’s part of the learning the process.
“The one thing about this group is we fought and competed. When one man goes down, the next guy is stepping up. That’s the road to being a really good team.”
Here’s more from the Central:
- Bickerstaff said Garland’s left eye is swollen shut and he didn’t practice on Thursday, tweets Fedor. The Cavaliers are preparing like their All-Star point guard won’t play against the Bulls on Saturday but he hasn’t been officially ruled out yet, Fedor adds. Garland sustained the injury when he was accidentally poked in the eye by Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr.
- Sources tell Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic that Pacers center Myles Turner is expected to miss at least a week with his left ankle sprain. Turner says it’s a “typical ankle sprain” and it didn’t impact his foot (he missed the final 39 games last season with a stress reaction in his left foot), per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). Turner also says he’s “hoping to be able to join the team on the (five-game) road trip,” which is in line with The Athletic’s report. If Turner returns by next Friday at Washington, he’ll have missed five total games with the injury.
- Pistons assistant coach Bill Bayno underwent successful prostate cancer surgery on Tuesday and will be away from the team recovering for the next four-to-six weeks, Detroit announced. Bayno has been an assistant with the Blazers, Wolves, Raptors and Pacers in addition to the Pistons. 2022/23 will be his fifteenth season as an NBA assistant. The Hoops Rumors staff wishes Bayno well in his recovery.
Northwest Notes: Murray, Porter, Jazz, Collison
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday about Jamal Murray‘s impending return to the Nuggets‘ lineup, reigning MVP Nikola Jokic attempted to keep expectations in check for his star teammate with a tongue-in-cheek assessment of what he expects from Murray.
“I love to play with him, of course,” Jokic said, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “I know he’s gonna be really bad for the next 20 games, but we’re gonna survive.”
Jokic’s answer wasn’t a serious one, but there’s some element of truth to it, Singer observes. While Murray may not be “bad,” he’s also unlikely to look like his old self right away following an 18-month rehab from an ACL tear. Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets seem to recognize that a return to normalcy for Murray will take time, and don’t want to put pressure on him coming out of the gate.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Michael Porter Jr. knows that he and the Nuggets faced criticism when he went down last fall with a season-ending back injury shortly after signing a five-year, maximum-salary extension, but he remains determined to prove the team made the right call signing him to that deal, as he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “I’m trying to be the best draft pick Denver’s ever had,” Porter said. “We got a lot of really good players, and my goal is to be one of those guys who they look back on drafting me and they’re very thankful that they took a chance on me.”
- Asked whether Donovan Mitchell asked the Jazz for a trade before being sent to Cleveland, CEO Danny Ainge declined to say one way or the other, writes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. “You know, I’m not going to even comment on that, just because those are private conversations,” Ainge said. “If he doesn’t want to say it to you … You can keep asking him that question, but I won’t divulge our private conversations.”
- Former Thunder big man Nick Collison, who worked last season as a special assistant to GM Sam Presti, will be in a new role this year, having earned the title of amateur evaluation scout, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.
Cavs Notes: Mitchell, Garland, Small Forward, Okoro
New Cavaliers backcourt mates Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland showed off instant chemistry in their first game together on Wednesday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before the game that he wanted the two guards to look for their opportunities in the flow of the offense instead of taking a “your turn, my turn” approach, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN, and Bickerstaff was pleased with what he saw vs. Philadelphia.
“I thought it was pretty seamless the way they played together, the way that the ball moved and everybody got involved,” Bickerstaff said, per Fedor. “As long as we play in the same style we want to play where it isn’t just based on one guy, but it’s based on the team, I think it’s gonna work out well for us.”
While more time will likely be required to ensure that the two high-scoring guards are firing on all cylinders, Mitchell was pleasantly surprised with how quickly he and Garland meshed.
“I think we did a lot of things well,” Mitchell said. “You walk up the floor and it’s like, ‘He’s got it.’ But it’s not like, ‘He’s got it in isolation.’ It’s like, ‘He’s got it, make a play, create.’ I said in the locker room, we really didn’t call a lot of plays in the first half and it just speaks to our ball movement, playing together and trusting each other. It looked better than I anticipated.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Caris LeVert got the first chance on Thursday to start at small forward alongside Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, but the team is still evaluating which player will be the best fit at the three, as Bontemps outlines in an ESPN story. Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro are among Cleveland’s other possible options at small forward. “It’s just going to be truly about the fit, and that’s going to be who makes those four guys better,” Bickerstaff said. “Who helps them on the offensive end of the floor? Who helps them on the defensive end of the floor? Who can protect guys in certain situations defensively? How does it help our matchups? Offensively, how does it help us space the floor? Those are all things we’re taking into consideration.”
- Okoro spent the offseason focusing on his ball-handling, shooting, and finishing around the basket, as the defensive stalwart aims to become a more complete offensive player, writes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic believes the Cavaliers may still be one year away from taking a big jump forward, but believes they’re capable of another step in the right direction in 2022/23, projecting a 47-35 record and a sixth-place finish in the East.
NBA GMs High On Cavs’ Offseason Moves, Bucks’ Title Chances
The Cavaliers‘ acquisition of Donovan Mitchell made their offseason the most successful of any NBA team, according to the league’s general managers. In his annual survey of the NBA’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 41% of the GM respondents picked Cleveland as having made the best offseason moves, while 59% chose the addition of Mitchell as the move that will have the biggest impact.
The Timberwolves and Jazz were on opposite ends of one of the summer’s other blockbuster trades, but the two clubs tied for second (along with the Sixers) in the GM vote for which teams made the best overall offseason moves. Minnesota’s trade for Rudy Gobert was the second-leading vote-getter for the offseason’s most impactful single acquisition, earning 31% of the vote.
The team viewed by the majority of GMs as the title favorite for 2023 didn’t earn any votes for having the best offseason. According to Schuhmann, 43% of the poll respondents picked the Bucks to win next year’s Finals, with GMs apparently betting on continuity in Milwaukee. The Warriors (25%), Clippers (21%), and Celtics (11%) also received votes.
Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:
- NBA general managers expect the Clippers – who will have Kawhi Leonard back – to be the most improved team in 2022/23. L.A. received 41% of the vote, with the Cavaliers and Pelicans at 17% apiece.
- The Celtics‘ trade for Malcolm Brogdon earned the most votes (28%) for the summer’s most underrated acquisition. The Sixers‘ signing of P.J. Tucker and the Clippers‘ addition of John Wall were the runners-up, with 14% each.
- Asked which team has the most promising young core, NBA GMs overwhelmingly chose the Cavaliers (41%) and Grizzlies (38%). The Pistons (10%) were the only other club to get multiple votes.
- NBA GMs view Magic forward Paolo Banchero as the best bet to win Rookie of the Year (79%) and also chose him as the 2022 draftee most likely to be the best player in five years (31%), narrowly edging Thunder big man Chet Holmgren (28%). As for the steal of the draft, GMs were split between Pistons big man Jalen Duren and Rockets forward Tari Eason (14% apiece), among many others.
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic was picked as the favorite to win MVP, earning 48% of the vote from NBA GMs. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks came in second with 34%.
Cavs Notes: Mobley, LeVert, Mitchell, Wade, Gibson
The Cavaliers will open the season with three 2022 All-Stars – Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland – on their roster, but it’s a fourth player who may ultimately determine how far the team goes, in the view of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
As Kelsey Russo of The Athletic details (via Twitter), Bickerstaff identifies second-year big man Evan Mobley as a crucial ceiling raiser for the franchise. As Bickerstaff explains, among the Cavaliers’ core players, Mobley is the one who still has the most room for growth.
“Without trying to put too much on him, he is the guy who can help take us to the next level,” Bickerstaff said. “We understand the value of the guys who have done it, right? Darius has been an All-Star. Jarrett was an All-Star. Donovan has been an All-Star. (Caris) LeVert, Kevin (Love), like we understand and have an appreciation for those guys.
“… His skill set and tools can help take us to the level where we want to go. And the expectation that it happens overnight, probably not. But I expect from year to year, and month to month, you’re going to see improvements from him because that’s who he is.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Caris LeVert feels as good as he has in years, following a “transformative” summer that saw him reevaluate everything from his diet to his workout regimen, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. LeVert said he battled some nagging injuries last season and during the summer, but finally feels fully healthy entering the fall. As Russo writes for The Athletic, LeVert wants to prove to the Cavs that his down year in 2021/22 was a fluke.
- Improved conditioning and an attention to detail are keys for Donovan Mitchell as he attempts to show this season that he can be a reliable defensive player, Russo writes in a separate story for The Athletic. “It’s not the ability,” Mitchell said this week. “I can play defense. I know that for a fact. I haven’t shown that and that is what I’m looking forward to doing here.”
- Dean Wade‘s three-year, $18.5MM contract extension features cap hits of $5,709,877 in 2023/24, $6,166,667 in ’24/25, and $6,623,456 in ’25/26, Hoops Rumors has learned. Wade’s third-year salary is currently only partially guaranteed for $4,623,458, but that figure will increase if Wade meets certain performance-based criteria in the next three seasons — he can boost the third-year guarantee by up to $666,666 per year, based on three separate achievements worth $222,222 apiece.
- Former Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson will be working this season with the Cleveland Charge, the team’s G League affiliate, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Gibson’s exact title and role are unclear.
Western Notes: Davis, Johnson, Murray, Paschall, Kings
The Lakers enter the season without the pressure of being one of the favorites to win the championship. Anthony Davis relishes being in that position, he told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“We’re treating this season like we have a chip on our shoulder. We’re the underdogs,” Davis said. “Obviously, the world is looking to see what we do. But … they’re not talking about us, and that’s fine. You know, we’d rather be under the radar.”
We have more from the Western Division:
- Keldon Johnson suffered a separated shoulder this month but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expects him to return by opening night, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News tweets. Pop anticipates Johnson will return “four or five days” before the opener, adding “I think he will be fine.”
- Jamal Murray has his “swagger” back, according to Nuggets coach Michael Malone, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. Murray spent last season rehabbing from a knee injury. “He looks really good,” Malone said. “The thing I look for, obviously, is how confident is he? He’s out there playing. I don’t see him thinking about anything. He’s just playing the game.”
- Eric Paschall pondered retirement this summer before signing a two-way contract with the Timberwolves, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Donovan Mitchell, his former teammate in Utah, gave him steady encouragement through the process.
- New Kings coach Mike Brown wants to play with pace and he believes there’s enough shooting around their dynamic point man to aid that cause, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. “We want to play fast and give (De’Aaron Fox) an opportunity to get downhill,” Brown said. “If we’re asking Fox to get downhill, he needs space to do it. In order to create space around him, you need shooters. When you’re talking about Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, Terence Davis, Trey Lyles, you’re talking about some high-level shooters.”
Mitchell Trade Changed Cavaliers’ Plans For Season
The Cavaliers‘ coaching staff had to start from scratch after the team worked out a trade for Donovan Mitchell, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his assistants had just returned from a retreat where they planned out strategies for the upcoming season. Those plans had to be scrapped two days later when news of the Mitchell trade broke.
Instead of preparing for another year with a super-sized front line featuring Lauri Markkanen, Bickerstaff is excited to have two dynamic scorers in his backcourt with Mitchell joining Darius Garland.
“Most teams don’t have enough strong defenders that they can just put one guy on each of these guys,” Bickerstaff said. “We can go out and manipulate the game. We play an unselfish, up-tempo ball-movement type of game. The fourth quarter is where it’s really gonna get fun, where you get to slow the game down a little bit and then you get to play that chess match. But there’s so many threats on the floor that our guys have and how they present themselves. And a lot of times it’s just going to be take what the defense gives you because we know that guy can make you pay.”
Garland and Mitchell were friends long before the trade came together, Fedor adds. Mitchell was a strong supporter of Garland’s bid to make the All-Star team last year, and they worked out together twice during the summer. Mitchell expected to be traded to the Knicks at the time, but instead they’ll form one of the league’s most exciting backcourts.
General manager Koby Altman said one of his first moves after the trade agreement was finalized was to notify Garland.
“We were excited about the team coming back already. If we weren’t able to get this transaction done, we were excited about what we had coming back. But when the opportunity presented itself, absolutely Donovan takes us to another level,” Altman said. “It makes Caris (LeVert) more dangerous. It makes Darius more dangerous. It helps Evan (Mobley). I can’t wait to see what that looks like. It gives us an entirely different dynamic. Of course, you’re thinking about ‘What if we had Donovan in that Atlanta Hawks (play-in) game?’ Hopefully it won’t be that this year.”
It’s been widely reported that the Cavaliers and Jazz talked about Mitchell during the Las Vegas Summer League and didn’t resume conversations until late August after Utah’s negotiations with the Knicks fell apart. Fedor states that during that interval, Altman and Bickerstaff reached out to people who had worked with Mitchell to get their recommendations.
“The first thing out of everybody’s mouth was how good of a person he is,” Bickerstaff said. “I know that sounds like a small thing but in this business, being around each other so much, we impact each other’s lives in a positive or negative way. You want to be able to surround yourself with good people and people who are positive. When you don’t have to sacrifice people over talent, you give yourself an opportunity to build something special. The second thing they all talked about was his work ethic. All he wants to do is work on his game and get better. He wants to be great. That translates to games. He doesn’t take nights off.”