Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Dudley, Gasol, Williams
The Sixers failed to contain the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam on Saturday, two major reasons why the team lost Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Leonard and Siakam combined to score 74 points, shooting 28-for-38 from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
“Two really good players,” said Joel Embiid, who shot just 5-of-18. “Their two best players showed up. I didn’t tonight and I have to do a better job.
“I have a lot of respect for those guys. They showed up. … They did a good. Next time maybe just like they are doing to me and double-teaming me. Throw some double-teams and have a better game plan.”
Philadelphia wound up losing the game 108-95, holding just a 39% shooting mark with 14 turnovers. They can still steal homecourt advantage by bouncing back for Game 2 on Monday, though the team recognizes how important is is to slow down the Raptors’ top two offensive threats.
Besides Leonard and Siakam, Toronto was supported by Kyle Lowry (nine points, eight assists), Marc Gasol (eight points with tremendous defense) and Serge Ibaka (seven points, six rebounds off the bench) to help seal the Game 1 victory.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Veteran NBA forward Jared Dudley has interest in joining the Celtics this summer, a league source told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Dudley, who’s coming off a successful season with the Nets, is scheduled to reach unrestricted free agency on July 1. Dudley turns 34 this summer and averaged 4.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 20.7 minutes per game with Brooklyn this year, shooting 35% from 3-point range.
- Marc Gasol is the long-awaited final piece to the Raptors‘ puzzle, Michael Pina of SB Nation contends. Toronto made a surprising deal for Gasol prior to the trade deadline, acquiring a veteran center capable of giving strong play on both ends of the floor. Head coach Nick Nurse has sported a starting lineup that consists of Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Gasol this postseason.
- Celtics rookie Robert Williams denied receiving money at Texas A&M, despite his name surfacing in a Thursday testimony by financial adviser Marty Blazer that he was given money by agent Christian Dawkins and assistant coach Amir Abdul-Rahim in 2017. “I’ve been saying, never took anything from anybody during my college career,” Williams said on Friday, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports. “Honestly, just trying to focus on these playoffs. I tend to stop social media because it gets to you during playoff time, but, like I said, never took anything from anybody. Hope this goes away as fast possible.”
Nets Notes: Free Agency, Dudley, Russell, Tsai
The Nets‘ 2018/19 campaign came to an end on Tuesday night, as the club lost its fourth straight game to the Sixers and dropped the series by a 4-1 margin. Still, the season has to be considered a success for Brooklyn, a team that wasn’t expected to make the playoffs coming into the year. The Nets’ unexpected postseason berth figures to be one of the franchise’s many selling points as it pursues top free agents this summer, writes Seerat Sohi of Yahoo Sports.
The Nets will have a handful of their own free agents to make decisions on as well, but role players like Jared Dudley recognize that they won’t necessarily be the club’s top priority in July. Dudley, at least, is okay with that, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays.
“I loved my New York situation here. … I’d have no problem coming back here. I don’t say that on every exit interview,” Dudley said. “Brooklyn has to do what’s best for them. If I’m them, I’m going big-game hunting for the big fish, then you can fall in line.”
Here’s more on the Nets as their offseason begins:
- League sources have intimated that D’Angelo Russell will be seeking a maximum-salary contract as a restricted free agent, according to Lewis. It’s not yet known if the Nets will be willing to go that high, or if they’ll be forced to by a rival offer sheet. However, Russell told Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News this week that “everybody is on the same page” regarding his free agency.
- Nets GM Sean Marks wasn’t the only one to face discipline as a result of his decision to enter the referees’ locker room after the club’s Game 4 loss over the weekend. Brooklyn minority owner Joseph Tsai was fined $35K for tweeting support for Marks (link via The Associated Press). “My partners and I have spoken and the entire Nets ownership group support our GM Sean Marks for protesting the wrong calls and missed calls,” Tsai wrote. “NBA rules are rules and we respect that, but our players and fans expect things to be fair.”
- In an interesting piece for The Athletic, Michael Scotto spoke to executives, agents, and players about the pros and cons of the contrasting rebuilding models employed by the Nets and Sixers.
- The trade that sent Jeremy Lin to Atlanta last summer was viewed primarily as a salary dump for the Nets, but the club also acquired the rights to draft-and-stash prospect Isaia Cordinier in the swap. NetsDaily explores whether Cordinier could become a sneaky-useful asset for Brooklyn.
Jimmy Butler, Jared Dudley Fined For Game 4 Scuffle
Sixers guard Jimmy Butler and Nets forward Jared Dudley have each been fined for their involvement in a Game 4 scuffle between the teams on Saturday, the NBA announced today in a press release.
Dudley received a $25K fine for shoving Joel Embiid and escalating an on-court incident which spilled into the stands, while Butler received a $15K fine for pushing Dudley and escalating the matter further. The incident occurred at the 7:42 mark of the third quarter and started when Embiid delivered a flagrant foul to Nets center Jarrett Allen near the baseline.
Both Butler and Dudley were ejected from the game, an advantageous trade-off for Brooklyn that the team couldn’t capitalize on. The Nets wound up losing the game 112-108 and now trail the Sixers 3-1 heading back to Game 5 in Philadelphia this Tuesday.
Embiid managed to keep his composure during the scuffle despite being shoved by Dudley, recognizing his importance to the team and stepping away from the fray.
“I mean, first of all, he’s a nobody,” Embiid said of Dudley after the game. “When opponents try do do stuff like that, that’s just to get us out of the game. I’m too valuable for my team, that’s why I didn’t react.
“I did not do anything, and I didn’t think that was a flagrant foul because I played the ball, too. But enough with that situation. I just have to stay composed and be mature and let it go because my teammates need me more than they need him. I just got to be mature.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/28/19
Here are Thursday’s assignments and recalls from across the NBA G League:
- The Nets assigned Spencer Dinwiddie and Jared Dudley to their G League team in Long Island, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Dinwiddie (thumb) is expected to return tomorrow against the Hornets.
- The Hornets have assigned guard Dwayne Bacon to the Greensboro Swarm, general manager Mitch Kupchak announced. Bacon has appeared in 25 games with Charlotte this season, holding per-game averages of 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 10.6 minutes.
- The Grizzlies assigned Jevon Carter to the Memphis Hustle, G League affiliate of the team, according to a tweet from the club’s PR department. Carter was drafted by Memphis with the No. 32 pick last June.
- The Hawks assigned guard Jordan Sibert to the Erie Bayhawks, the team announced in a press release. Sibert, 26, has yet to appear in a game with Atlanta this season.
- The Jazz have assigned center Tony Bradley to the Salt Lake Stars, announcing the news in a press release today. Bradley has seen action in 17 games with the Stars this season, scoring 13.6 points per contest.
Atlantic Notes: Dinwiddie, C’s, Baynes, Knicks
As they fight to hang onto the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Nets will get some rotation reinforcements this week. According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (via Twitter), head coach Kenny Atkinson said today that injured guard Spencer Dinwiddie is set to return to the court for Brooklyn on Friday.
Dinwiddie, who last played for the Nets on January 23, underwent surgery a month ago to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb. At the time, the estimated timeline for his recovery was three to six weeks, so he’s ready to get back right in the middle of that window.
Dinwiddie and veteran forward Jared Dudley were assigned to the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, today in order to get some practice time in, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Both players are expected to suit up for the NBA club on Friday vs. Charlotte.
Here are a few more items from around the Atlantic:
- While Danny Ainge acknowledged during a Toucher & Rich radio appearance on Thursday that “everybody has some fault” in the Celtics‘ struggles this year, the club’s president of basketball operations offered a strong defense of his head coach. “There’s blame to share for everybody, but I will say this: He’s the least, by far, of anybody that there is to blame,” Ainge said of Brad Stevens (link via Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston).
- Aron Baynes, who has been sidelined with a left foot injury since the start of February, appears to be almost ready to play, Stevens said on Wednesday, per Taylor Snow of Celtics.com. “I would say that Friday is unlikely,” Stevens said of Baynes’ return date. “But beyond that, I think he could play any time in the days after that depending on how he comes out of (Wednesday’s) workout.”
- Knicks fans – including Spike Lee – may be happy to see the team embrace the tank and improve their draft lottery position, but losing games isn’t head coach David Fizdale‘s goal the rest of the way, as Steve Popper of Newsday writes. “I’m lucky because Steve [Mills] and Scott [Perry] and Mr. [James] Dolan have all said to me, you play every game to win and you don’t worry about where we land in the draft and all of that stuff,” Fizdale said.
- Although the Sixers are missing a couple big men and have Justin Patton for Thursday’s game, the young center probably won’t play, head coach Brett Brown told reporters today (video link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). We had more on Patton and the 76ers in an earlier round-up.
Southeast Notes: Walker, Heat, Wizards
After Kemba Walker‘s explosive 60-point performance Saturday against the 76ers, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer argues that the Hornets shouldn’t overthink things, and should offer Walker the maximum allowable contract this summer. Walker will be an unrestricted free agent as he enters his age-29 season, and Bonnell makes a case for the importance of keeping the point guard around, despite the team’s struggles in recent years.
Walker is having a career season, averaging 28.7 points and 6.1 assists per game, and is certainly capable of taking over any game with his scoring ability. Walker would certainly be expensive — his full, five-year max projects to be worth $189MM+, unless he makes an All-NBA team this season, in which the deal could be worth up to $221MM. However, Hornets owner Michael Jordan has shown that he isn’t afraid to spend to keep players in Charlotte, and Bonnell argues that this instance should be no exception for the team’s leader.
There’s more from the Southeast division:
- After the Nets defeated the Wizards on Friday, former Wizard Jared Dudley suggested that the team is in need of a shake up, according to Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington. Much of the Wizards’ core that played with Dudley in 2016 is still on the roster, but the team hasn’t had consistent success in several years.
- Goran Dragic may be out for an extended period due to a right knee issue, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The Heat are still without Dion Waiters and could use Dragic’s scoring and playmaking abilities as they look to bounce back from a slow start.
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hits on several Heat-related topics, including the conditioning of James Johnson and Waiters and the lack of interest from the team as it relates to adding Carmelo Anthony to the rotation.
Atlantic Rumors: Rozier, Dudley, Chandler, Knicks
Unless Kyrie Irving has a change of heart about staying in Boston, the Knicks won’t have a shot at signing the Celtics’ starting point guard. They might have a chance at Boston’s other talent point man, Marc Berman of New York Post speculates. Terry Rozier would be a good fit for them, since they’re still trying to choose among Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke. Ntilikina, Noah Vonleh, Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson are some of the young players New York could dangle as trade bait for Rozier, Berman opines. Rozier will be a restricted free agent in July.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Veteran forward Jared Dudley has been a pleasant surprise on and off the court for the Nets, Chris Milholen of Nets Daily writes. Dudley, acquired from the Suns in an offseason deal, has posted modest numbers but he’s started every game and he’s served as a mentor to the team’s younger players. “He’s doing it in the locker room and he’s also doing it with his play, because he doesn’t need the ball in his hands,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. Dudley’s $9.53MM salary comes off the books at the end of the season.
- Sixers forward Wilson Chandler will remain on a minutes restriction as he works his way back from a hamstring injury, Sarah Todd of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Chandler will play approximately 15 minutes until coach Brett Brown is satisfied that he can handle a back-to-back situation. “I think the minute restriction won’t be long, a couple weeks or so, it’s not long term, I’m not worried about that at all,” Chandler told Todd.
- The Knicks’ trio of president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry and coach David Fizdale have put a plan into action designed for the long-term health of the franchise, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. They are focused on player development and building through the draft rather than the quick-fix solution that have dragged down the franchise for so long.
New York Notes: Ntilikina, Kanter, Dudley, LeVert
New York Notes: Knox, Lee, Kurucs, Dudley
The Knicks will have to adjust their lineup to compensate for the loss of first-round pick Kevin Knox, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knox went down with an ankle sprain in Saturday’s game and will miss at least two weeks. He will stay behind for rehab work as the team embarks on its upcoming road trip, and his condition will be re-evaluated in another week.
Guard Damyean Dotson took Knox’s rotation spot after the injury, but coach David Fizdale has other options. He played centers Mitchell Robinson and Enes Kanter together at one point and could also give more minutes to Mario Hezonja.
“It’s the ugly thing about the sport,” teammate Trey Burke said. “Kev is going to be a big piece of this team. I talked to him back in the locker room. I told him to keep his head up. We’re going to need him back and get that ankle well. I’m sure he’ll be back out there soon.”
There’s more this morning from New York City:
- Courtney Lee‘s physical condition continues to be a concern, Berman adds in the same story. Tests are scheduled today to determine the cause of the neck pain he has been experiencing, which has now expanded to his chest. Lee has been dealing with the condition since getting fouled early in training camp. The Knicks reportedly would like to trade Lee, but they need him to get back on the court first.
- The Nets have been impressed by the early performance of rookie Rodions Kurucs, but it may be difficult for him to find playing time with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson returning to the lineup, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Kurucs is averaging 8.7 PPG in about 14 minutes per night while shooting 47% from the floor and 40% from 3-point range. He has put aside any thoughts of sending him to the G League. “Rodi, he plays hard,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s some good and some bad. He does everything full-out and we love his energy.”
- Jared Dudley was expected to bring a veteran presence when the Nets acquired him this summer, but he has been surprised to find himself in the starting lineup, relays Ben Stinar of AmicoHoops. Dudley didn’t play much with the Suns the past two years, but Atkinson has been using him with the starters while Hollis-Jefferson is out. “Obviously, two years with limited playing time in Phoenix, to get out there and dust the cobwebs off, and something that felt good,” he said.
Atlantic Notes: Hezonja, Miles, Dudley
The Knicks have given offseason addition Mario Hezonja the green light to shoot more, an opportunity the 2015 lottery pick didn’t exactly have throughout three seasons in Orlando.
According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, head coach David Fizdale plans to “hammer” the swingman about shooting more threes and wishes that he’d be greedier with the ball.
Hezonja understands that he’ll be shouldering some of the offensive load, especially as a potential starter, but wants to make a point of serving as a playmaker for his teammates.
“I’m new here, so I want to get used to other guys, which I’m pretty used to right now,” Hezonja said. “I just want to find them more, get them more involved, get them more shots, get them to feel more comfortable in the game. I know my stuff is going to come regardless.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have plenty of depth on the wing which could limit the opportunities that C.J. Miles gets to bounce back after a disappointing 2017/18 season. Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes about Miles’ defensive struggles last season and the competition he’ll be up against to get significant minutes this season.
- The Nets will pay Jared Dudley $9.5MM this season but the 33-year-old could be more than just an expiring contract. Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes about Dudley’s defensive IQ and ability to provide leadership in the locker room as major assets. The slimmed down veteran could also earn minutes as the lone stretch four on the roster.
- Well aware of the opportunity that the Celtics have to win the Eastern Conference and compete for a title, potential 2019 free agent Al Horford is focused exclusively on playing basketball this season. “We have such a big opportunity that we can’t allow ourselves to look ahead or look at any of that,” Horford told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “I’m really locked in with this season.“