Atlantic Notes: Bullock, Brown, Nesmith, VanVleet, Nets
Losing Reggie Bullock in free agency last summer is yet another what-if for the Knicks, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Bullock received a three-year deal worth a little over $30MM from Dallas.
New York’s front office chose to utilize the team’s extensive cap space by signing veterans Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. The Knicks also re-signed Derrick Rose, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to pricey deals.
Bullock was close with Julius Randle, and Bondy wonders if Bullock’s presence might have helped uplift Randle during his struggles this season. Coach Tom Thibodeau says Bullock’s skill set is valuable to any team in the league.
“Reggie’s gonna help any team,” Thibodeau said. “That’s who he is. He’s got a skill in shooting; he spaces the floor for your best players. He’s a great defender, and he’s got length. He’s a long wing. Wherever he’s been, he’s always helped the team. He’s a team-first guy, so he’s a good player. He’s been a good player for a long time in this league.”
It’s been reported multiple times that Thibodeau urged the front office to retain Bullock, but he denies being upset that the veteran wing wasn’t re-signed.
“I love Reggie. He’s a good player. When a guy earns the right to free agency, he has to do what he thinks is best for him and his family,” Thibodeau said, per Bondy. “I got great respect for him, so I wasn’t disappointed. I know that’s part of the business. For a guy who conducts himself the way he does, you’re always happy when they get good situations.
“So, I think he was a big part of what happened last year and a byproduct of when something good happens like that, everyone’s value goes up, so that’s the case. And then you have to decide what’s best for your organization. He’s gotta decide what’s best for him and his family. And hopefully, you can find something, but it doesn’t always work out that way. It’s part of the league.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics coach Ime Udoka said Jaylen Brown has no more limitations relating to his sprained right ankle, but Aaron Nesmith will be out “a while” longer as he deals with his own ankle sprain, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link). The second-year swingman is listed as day-to-day.
- Fred VanVleet‘s shooting is much needed for the Raptors, but his value extends beyond that, Eric Koreen of the Athletic writes. “(VanVleet) makes it easier,” Scottie Barnes said. “It opens up a lot more space. He’s a general out there on the floor. So it helps us all when he’s out there on the floor with driving lanes being more open. When he’s there, his presence is just really big for our team.”
- Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post wonders if the Big Two is all the Nets really need after the team’s 132-121 victory over Charlotte on Tuesday. “That,” coach Steve Nash said, “was about as well as we’ve played all year, both sides of the ball.” Kyrie Irving dominated the game, finishing with 50 points on just 19 shots. Brooklyn is currently 34-34, the No. 8 seed in the East.
Injury Notes: VanVleet, Grimes, Kaminsky, C. Martin, B. Lopez
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet told Kayla Grey of TSN Sports (Twitter link) that he would return Wednesday at San Antonio, saying he’s feeling good. Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports later confirmed VanVleet’s return to action (via Twitter). He finished with 26 points and six boards in Toronto’s 119-104 win.
The All-Star point guard had missed the past five games with a right knee contusion, which he’s been dealing with since before the All-Star break. VanVleet is averaging 21.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.9 APG and 1.6 SPG on .415/.398/.876 (.568 true) shooting this season. He leads the league in minutes played at 38.2 per contest.
The Raptors have gone 5-7 in VanVleet’s absence this season, including 2-3 over the past five games. Toronto is currently 35-30, the No. 7 seed in the East.
Here are some more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Knicks rookie Quentin Grimes suffered a partially dislocated right knee on February 25, but he’s staring to ramp up towards a return to the court, as Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “He’s moving around, he’s getting closer, coming along nicely,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s a phenomenal worker, and you gotta give him a lot of credit. He’s a fierce competitor. [Contact] will be the next step, but [he is] doing everything else. So far there’s no issues.” A source tells Berman the Knicks will be cautious with Grimes, but Berman speculates the guard could return in about 10 days given his progress.
- Appearing on the Burns and Gambo radio show, Suns general manager James Jones said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Frank Kaminsky return before the regular season ends, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets. Kaminsky suffered a stress reaction in his right knee in November which later required surgery. He was set to be reevaluated at the beginning of March, so presumably that evaluation yielded positive results. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Heat swingman Caleb Martin suffered a left knee injury in Wednesday’s 111-90 loss to Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Martin left the game early alongside Miami’s orthopedic specialist and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. Martin is having a nice season for the Heat, averaging 9.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .520/.396/.756 shooting through 51 games (23.1 MPG). He was promoted from a two-way contract to a standard deal last month.
- Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said Brook Lopez will travel with the team for the upcoming West Coast road trip. Lopez was cleared for full contact five-on-five practices last Friday. “We’ll just continue to evaluate and see how he’s doing with the 5-on-5 and he’s making good progress and just hope that continues,” Budenholzer said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Lopez has played just one game this season after suffering a bulging disc in his lower back which required surgery, but it appears he’s getting close to returning for the defending champs.
Poll: Who Will Win The 2022 Three-Point Contest?
The 2022 NBA Three-Point Contest takes place Saturday night and features eight participants (betting odds via Chad Smith of Basketball Insiders):
- Luke Kennard (+375)
- Trae Young (+450)
- Patty Mills (+500)
- Desmond Bane (+550)
- Fred VanVleet (+650)
- Zach LaVine (+800)
- CJ McCollum (+800)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (+1000)
There are two rounds in the competition; the three highest scores from the first round advance to the championship round, and the highest scoring competitor in the championship round will become the victor. A first-time winner will be crowned this year, as only Young and LaVine have made prior appearances in the event, this being Young’s second attempt and LaVine’s third.
Each participant gets 70 seconds to attempt a total of 27 shots — five from each of the traditional racks located at the corners, wings, and top-of-the-key, and two “Dew Zone” locations six feet behind the arc. The deep racks feature just one ball each, but they’re worth three points apiece.
Young, VanVleet, Lavine and Towns are all pulling double-duty, as the four players were all selected to the All-Star game. Bane is as well, as he’s a member of Team Isiah for the Rising Stars event.
Going purely by three-point percentage this season, Kennard leads the group at 44.8%, followed by Mills and Bane (41.9%), Towns (40.9%), VanVleet (40.1%), LaVine (39.9%), McCollum (38.9%), and finally Young (38.3%).
However, VanVleet leads all competitors in makes (4.0) and attempts (10.0) per game by a considerable margin — McCollum is second with 3.1 makes and 8.0 attempts.
What do you think? Who will win this year’s Three-Point Contest? Will Towns defy the betting odds and take home the crown? Will LaVine triumph in his third attempt?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Who Will Win The Three-Point Contest?
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Fred VanVleet 19% (276)
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Trae Young 17% (251)
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Luke Kennard 15% (211)
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Patty Mills 12% (171)
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Desmond Bane 11% (164)
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CJ McCollum 10% (137)
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Zach LaVine 9% (126)
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Karl-Anthony Towns 7% (106)
Total votes: 1,442
Raptors Notes: Claxton, Young, VanVleet, Offense
Reports last week indicated that the Nets were exploring possible Nic Claxton trades right up until Thursday’s trade deadline, and the young center later said he thought he might be on the move. We don’t know all the teams Brooklyn might have talked to about Claxton, but ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on his Lowe Post podcast that he believes the Raptors were one of the Nets’ potential trade partners.
“I think one thing that happened at the trade deadline that I heard was that (the Nets) were very close to a deal with Toronto that would have sent Claxton to Toronto for a first round pick and some protections on it,” Lowe said, per RealGM. “I think their intention was to sort of refit the roster by maybe flipping that pick for another wing, another shooter – (Clippers forward) Robert Covington‘s name was mentioned – and sort of balance it out. That trade fell apart and Toronto went in another direction.”
The Raptors ultimately sent their lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick and Goran Dragic‘s expiring contract to San Antonio in exchange for Thaddeus Young and Detroit’s ’22 second-round selection, while Claxton remained with the Nets.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Head coach Nick Nurse is impressed by how quickly the newly-acquired Young has been learning the intricacies of the Raptors’ offensive and defensive systems despite not going through any live practices yet, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “He looked like he’s going to be able to help us out there, like just his movement with the ball, shot creation, pass creation, those kinds of things,” Nurse said of Young, who made his Raptors debut on Monday.
- Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet underwent an MRI on his sore right knee and it came back clean, tweets Smith. VanVleet is listed as questionable for the team’s last game before the All-Star break on Wednesday — if he doesn’t play tonight, it’s unclear whether he’ll still suit up for Sunday’s All-Star Game.
- Although Young should be a solid role player for the Raptors, he’s unlikely to address the team’s biggest issue, its half-court offense, says Eric Koreen of The Athletic. As Koreen writes, Toronto didn’t make a move at the deadline to upgrade that area and will likely feel the effects of that decision the rest of the way.
LeBron Chooses Giannis, Curry In All-Star Draft; Durant Picks Embiid, Morant
After James Harden was traded away from the Nets on Thursday, former teammate Kevin Durant opted not to pick him in the All-Star draft conducted on Thursday night. Harden was the last player chosen by LeBron James for Team LeBron, as the league announced (via Twitter).
LeBron’s starters, besides himself, are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic.
Durant, who won’t play in the All-Star Game at Cleveland due to his knee injury, chose Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins as Team Durant’s starters.
James selected Luka Doncic as his top reserve. His guard-heavy team also features Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet and Harden.
Team Durant’s bench includes Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert.
Thus, numerous teammates will be on opposing clubs for the All-Star game, including the Jazz’s Gobert and Mitchell and the Suns’ Paul and Booker.
The game will be played February 20 in Cleveland.
NBA Announces Slam Dunk, Three-Point, Skills Challenge Contestants
The NBA has announced a full list of the participants for its three-point, slam dunk and skills challenge competitions ahead of the upcoming 2022 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.
Per the NBA (Twitter link), the following players will partake in the Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest, which appears to have outpaced the dunk contest as the premiere event for established stars at All-Star Weekend. Four 2022 All-Stars will compete:
- Desmond Bane, Grizzlies
- Luke Kennard, Clippers
- Zach LaVine, Bulls
- CJ McCollum, Pelicans
- Patty Mills, Nets
- Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves
- Fred VanVleet, Raptors
- Trae Young, Hawks
According to the league (via Twitter), these are the contestants in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest:
- Cole Anthony, Magic
- Jalen Green, Rockets
- Obi Toppin, Knicks
- Juan Toscano-Anderson, Warriors
Below are the NBA’s announced players for the newly revamped Taco Bell Skills Challenge (Twitter link). This year, the Skills Challenge will be divvied up into three teams: Antetokounmpo brothers (“Antetokounmpos”), Cavaliers players (“Cavs”), and rookies (“Rooks”).
- Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers
- Darius Garland, Cavaliers
- Evan Mobley, Cavaliers
- Alex Antetokounmpo, Raptors 905 (Antetokounmpos)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (Antetokounmpos)
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (Antetokounmpos)
- Scottie Barnes, Raptors (Rooks)
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons (Rooks)
- Josh Giddey, Thunder (Rooks)
These three events will take place on All-Star Saturday on February 19.
Atlantic Notes: Randle, VanVleet, Williams, Barrett
Knicks star Julius Randle is skeptical of any trade rumors involving him ahead of Thursday’s deadline, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes.
“That sounds like gossip,” Randle said when asked about those rumors, as relayed by Joshua Richards of The Knicks Wall (Twitter link).
New York has struggled this season, owning a 24-29 record through 53 games. The team is just 2-8 in its last 10 games. For his part, Randle has averaged 18.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 35.3 minutes per game — those marks are all down from last season.
“I trust (the front office), trust Jim (Dolan), everybody,” Randle said. “I feel like they’ll do what’s best for the team. I’ll ride with it whatever way they go.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic tonight:
- Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has committed to participate in the three-point contest over All-Star Weekend, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). VanVleet has connected on 39% of his three-pointers this season. The 27-year-old will also compete in the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
- The Celtics have discovered their third star in Robert Williams, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports opines. Teammate Jayson Tatum also praised Williams, mentioning he believes the 24-year-old has All-Star potential. “I feel like I talk about Rob every day,” he said. “Maybe All-Star aside, I think Rob has the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year one year, one of these days. I think that’s in his future coming up.”
- Knicks guard RJ Barrett received support from a high-profile opponent on Saturday: Lakers superstar LeBron James. As Marc Berman of the New York Post writes, James has long been impressed with Barrett, who finished with 38 points when the teams played. “I’ve been knowing RJ for quite a while now,” James said. “I was in Toronto during the summertime, I think he was a high school junior, and there was a call to my agent, Rich [Paul] that there was a kid in Toronto that was possibly next [one]. And it was offseason. I was in Toronto, just having a good time in Toronto. But I was going to the gym to get some work in and they called Rich and asked, ‘Can he join?’ And I was like, absolutely. So, I’ve been knowing him quite a while. I followed him throughout those last few years of high school and obviously off to Duke and now as a Knick.”
Garland, VanVleet Make All-Star Team For First Time
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet were chosen for the All-Star Game for the first time in their respective careers. They were named, along with a handful of other players, to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve pool on Thursday, per the NBA (Twitter link).
Garland is averaging 19.8 PPG and 8.2 APG for the surprising Cavaliers. VanVleet has posted averages of 21.5 PPG and 7.0 APG this season.
The list of Eastern Conference reserves also includes the Nets’ James Harden, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The reserves were chosen by the league’s coaches.
Garland will be playing in front of his home fans in Cleveland on February 20.
The pool of Eastern Conference starters was announced a week ago. Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets forward Kevin Durant are the frontcourt starters, while the backcourt players in the starter pool are DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) and Trae Young (Hawks).
Injury/COVID Notes: Gobert, Mitchell, FVV, Barnes, Banes, More
Jazz stars Rudy Gobert (left calf strain) and Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol) continue to be sidelined and will miss Wednesday’s game against the Suns, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). It will be Gobert’s second consecutive absence, while Mitchell has missed five straight. Both players are having strong seasons for the reeling Jazz, who are 4-9 in their last 13 games (30-18 overall, fourth in the West).
Here are some more injury and COVID-related notes from around the NBA:
- The Raptors are playing without Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) and Scottie Barnes (swollen right wrist) on Tuesday night against Charlotte. Coach Nick Nurse called VanVleet “day-to-day,” while Barnes was a late scratch, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports relays (all Twitter links). VanVleet could be an All-Star this season, averaging 21.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals on .421/.393/.870 shooting through 41 games. He leads the league in minutes per game at 38.2. Barnes is one of the leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award.
- Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has rejoined the team after clearing the league’s health and safety protocols, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets.
- De’Aaron Fox (ankle) and Chimezie Metu (knee) were both late scratches for the Kings on Tuesday at Boston, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. Thankfully, coach Alvin Gentry said neither injury is serious. “It’s no big deal,” Gentry said. “If this was a playoff series or something, they would be playing, but it’s precautionary measures and stuff.”
- Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop has entered the health and safety protocols, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- Matisse Thybulle returned to action for the Sixers against New Orleans on Tuesday after a five-game absence. Thybulle suffered a sprained shoulder after being pushed in the back on a dunk by Dennis Schroder, resulting in a flagrant foul, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Ja Morant, Fred VanVleet Named Players Of The Week
A pair of point guards have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week, with Ja Morant of the Grizzlies winning the Western Conference award and Fred VanVleet of the Raptors earning the honor in the East (Twitter link).
It’s the second time in a row that Morant has won the award. He only appeared in four of the Grizzlies’ five games from January 3-9, but played a key role in spearheading a 5-0 week, averaging 25.0 PPG, 6.8 APG, and 6.3 RPG in 30.8 minutes per contest. He also made a series of highlight plays, including a two-handed block an Avery Bradley shot (video link) that became an immediate contender for play of the year.
Like Morant, VanVleet continued to build his case for an All-Star spot by leading his team to an undefeated week. The 27-year-old put up 30.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 4.8 RPG with a .453 3PT% (6.0 made threes per game) in four games (36.5 MPG), all Toronto wins.
The other nominees for Player of the Week were Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, and Anfernee Simons in the West, along with Joel Embiid, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis in the East (Twitter link).