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Southeast Notes: Wall, Porter, Gortat, Waiters, Ball

May 16th, 2017 at 7:03pm CST by Joshua Fischman

During the Wizards‘ Game 7 loss to the Celtics, Washington’s bench was outscored 48 to 5. That glaring disparity was certainly not lost on John Wall, writes Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. In fact, Wall’s last words before leaving the court Monday night were, “Forty-eight to five,” which he then repeated before departing with, “Our bench had five points.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast:

Despite the immense disappointment Wizards players are feeling after their Game 7 defeat, players expressed confidence that the team can continue to compete at a high level if it can keep its best players together. Otto Porter, a restricted free agent this offseason, is considered by teammates Wall, Bradley Beal, and Markieff Morris to be a vital part of the team’s core, reports Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Morris tells Buckner that Porter is worth a max contract and he hopes that he gets it.
As reported earlier today, Marcin Gortat feels underappreciated by the Wizards and may request a trade. More details and quotes on Gortat’s feelings can be found via Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
Impeding Heat free agent Dion Waiters said that the Heat do not need Lonzo Ball because they are covered at the point guard position with Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, and “other [players],” reports Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Waiters also offered advice for Ball: “He’s got to go somewhere where he’s able to play his game. He’s got to go somewhere where he’s able to make mistakes. Because I think in this game today, he’s got to be able to make mistakes and have a coach who allows you to make mistakes, and you can learn from it.”
Luke Babbitt‘s future with the Heat is written about by Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Winderman concludes that, while Babbitt likely will not be an offseason priority for the Heat, the team will consider him because of his Bird Rights and skill set.

Wizards Notes: Wall, Mahinmi, Jennings

April 22nd, 2017 at 9:55am CST by Austin Kent

The first round of the 2017 postseason has thus far served as an opportunity for John Wall to showcase his progress as an NBA superstar, Jonathan Tjarks of the Ringer writes in a new feature. These playoffs, he says, belong to the 26-year-old guard.

Up an early two games on the Hawks, Wall and the Wizards have been particularly tough on Atlanta. The relatively unheralded point guard has simply outmatched Dennis Schroder throughout their time on the court together.

Considering that Wall still doesn’t even have a signature shoe deal, as Tjarks points out, he’s flown under the radar compared to his superstar NBA counterparts. That would change if Wall is able to carry the Wizards into an Eastern Conference Finals showdown with the Cavaliers.

There’s more from Washington:

Center Ian Mahinmi didn’t play for the Wizards in either Games 1 or 2 of their first-round series and isn’t expected to be available in the next two either, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post tweets.
The NBA has come down on Kelly Oubre Jr. with a $25K fine for kicking a ball into the stands and striking a spectator, the league announced in a press release. The second-year guard kicked the ball into the air during Washington’s post-game celebration.
Acquired to provide a spark off the bench for the Wizards, Brandon Jennings did exactly that in Washington’s Game 2 over the Hawks. The eight-year veteran has been a valuable source of experience, too, writes Ava Wallace for the Washington Post.

Community Shootaround: Wall Criticizes Refs

April 2nd, 2017 at 4:00pm CST by Milo Taibi

John Wall made waves after Friday’s loss to the Jazz, going on a four-minute rant about (what he perceived to be) poor officiating. Wall received a technical foul for making contact with Rudy Gobert on a screen; a video of the play can be seen here. The play was deemed a “hostile act,” setting Wall and his teammates off after the game.

“The way they’ve been officiating today doesn’t make no sense,” Wall told reporters, including Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “It’s getting out of hand. If you want us to compete at a high level like we’ve been doing – we didn’t lose this game. The refs made us lose this game. We fought hard, we gave ourselves a chance but you don’t shoot no 31 free throws to 16 the way we attack the basket as a team. I tried to get some (technical fouls) rescinded before, it never works for my favor. Other players have and they got it. So, all I can do is just keep my mouth shut like I’ve been doing. I could see if I would’ve got a flagrant-1 but a technical off of that? That’s outrageous.”

Likely adding fuel to Wall’s flagrant-1 argument was Draymond Green‘s wrist punch to James Harden; an act Green admitted to performing in retaliation, and only received an offensive foul for. As Wall alluded to, the chances of his technical foul being overturned are slim-to-none.

“They said it was a ‘hostile act,’” Scott Brooks said after the game. “I’ve been around a lot of fights back when I played. Come on. ‘Hostile act?’ Really? It’s ridiculous.”

What do you think: was Wall’s strike to Gobert a “hostile act”? Should the decisions of referees be held to a higher standard, and if so: how? If Wall receives a penalty from the league, should Draymond as well?

Let us know what you think in the comments section!

John Wall: League Has Gotten “Softer” Due To Players Resting

March 17th, 2017 at 9:49pm CST by Milo Taibi

Healthy players sitting out games has been a point of contention this season, particularly following a nationally televised game in which Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich opted to rest their stars. Additionally, the Cavs were subject to criticism earlier this month when LeBron James and Kyrie Irving sat out a blowout loss to the Heat. After the game, Tyronn Lue acknowledged LeBron James didn’t like sitting out, but told the Associated Press “he [James] understands the big picture and what we’re trying to accomplish.”

John Wall offered his two cents on the matter, saying he isn’t a fan of high-profile players receiving scheduled days off.

“That’s the difference about our league now. It’s kind of gotten a little softer,” Wall told CSNmidatlantic.com. “Guys sit out and rest. I understand the coach made a decision, you can’t go against what the coach said or the doctor said.”

Wall continued, citing the issue of depriving fans from a complete NBA experience.

“I’m not the type of guy who wants to sit down and rest. I think you owe it to the fans. They paid money to come see us play. That’s how a professional goes out there and competes. If nothing is hurt, you can play go play. I missed games I didn’t want to miss in the past because I was injured. I make up for the time I can make up.”

Wall has backed up his words, playing in all but two of the Wizards‘ games this season. A four-time All-Star, Wall’s comments likely won’t make him many friends around the league. In a June, 2016 article from Baxter Holmes and Tom Haberstroh of ESPN, several players stated the case to shorten the league’s 82-game schedule.

“At at the end of the day, we want to protect the prize, and the prize is the players. We have to continue to promote the game, and if guys are being injured because there are so many games, we can’t promote it at a high level,” James said at the time.

David Aldridge of TNT recently discussed the “conundrum” of helping players find rest opportunities, suggesting teams inform the league of rest games 24 hours in advance. “Doing so allows fans who otherwise might buy tickets a better opportunity to bail,” Aldridge writes, “or at least sell their tickets in hand if they want.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Wall, Beal, McRoberts

March 15th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks haven’t settled on their point guard rotation for the rest of the season, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Jose Calderon, who was claimed off waivers earlier this month, has been the backup to Dennis Schroder in the past four games, but that doesn’t mean the job is his to keep. Coach Mike Budenholzer said Malcolm Delaney, who had the role before Calderon arrived, will also be part of the mix. “No doubt that Jose has been great,” Budenholzer said. “Jose is so positive and talking and in Dennis’ face, in everybody’s face. He’s like wow. To have both of those guys, I wouldn’t under-sell what Malcolm does. I think he’s been real good next to Dennis.”

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

Wizards point guard John Wall is downplaying claims that he and backcourt partner Bradley Beal had a strained relationship. In an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Wall says much of the dissension stemmed from a misunderstanding over Beal’s contract talks. “Everybody said I tried to play him or something. I was watching his money. I was mad. That wasn’t it,” Wall said. “All I said was, ‘Let him be healthy. Let him earn his money.’ It’s the same way they said I didn’t earn my money. ‘How did he get $80 million? He didn’t deserve it.’ But then all of the sudden when everybody was getting paid, nobody was saying nothing.” Beal agreed to a five-year, $127MM contract last summer.
Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld reached out to the Nets in the trade that sent Bojan Bogdanovic to Washington, tweets NetsDaily.com. Brooklyn was hoping for a first-round pick in return and wound up with Washington’s first-rounder along with Andrew Nicholson and Marcus Thornton in exchange for Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough.
A stress fracture in his left foot has kept Heat forward Josh McRoberts out of action since December 27th, but he still might play this season, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Coach Erik Spoelstra offered an update today, saying, “He’s on the court a little bit now, and we’ll just have to see how he progresses.” McRoberts missed the preseason with a stress reaction in the foot, then returned to start 14 straight games before being sidelined again. He has a player option for 2017/18 worth slightly more than $6MM.

Wizards Notes: Mahinmi, Bench, Wall, VR

February 9th, 2017 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Ian Mahinmi finally returned to the court for the Wizards on Wednesday, logging 12 minutes off the bench in only his second game for the team this season. Injury problems had previously limited Mahinmi to just a single game in November for Washington after he signed a four-year, $64MM deal with the club in the offseason.

Although Mahinmi’s contributions for his new team have been extremely limited so far, his ability to rebound and play defense could prove useful down the stretch. A report earlier this week indicated that the Wizards had also made Mahinmi available in trade talks, and while his injury issues and massive contract make him somewhat unappealing as a trade target, that could change over the next couple weeks if he stays healthy and plays well. Mahinmi, who told reporters last week that he feels “fixed,” will be worth monitoring going forward.

Here’s more out of Washington:

If the Wizards can find a way to upgrade their bench, it would significantly improve their chances to make some noise in the postseason, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Bontemps acknowledges that Mahinmi’s return will help, but says the team probably still needs to make another move, perhaps one along the lines of last year’s acquisition of Markieff Morris.
Heading into the season, John Wall was recovering from surgical procedures on both knees, and it wasn’t clear whether he’d be able to have his usual impact on the court in 2016/17. Fifty games later, with Wall in the midst of his best NBA season – including career highs in PPG (23.0), APG (10.5), and FG% (.454) – Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com revisits the point guard’s journey.
In an engaging piece for ESPN.com, Tom Habestroh takes an in-depth look at how the Wizards are using virtual reality technology to try to help the players on their roster. “I could see a lot of NBA teams starting to use it,” Wall said. “I think it’s helping so many different ways — ballhandling, shooting, moving.”

Southeast Notes: Plumlee, Waiters, Brooks

February 5th, 2017 at 5:52pm CST by Austin Kent

Though the size of his contract may skew fans’ perceptions of their newly acquired center, Miles Plumlee performed admirably in his Hornets debut Saturday, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. So long as realistic expectations are applied, it’s hard to knock what the big man brings to the table.

Plumlee arrived in Charlotte earlier this week after a trade between the Hornets and Bucks and will step into the rotation immediately as a reliable low-post presence capable of defending the pick-and-roll. As well, Bonnell notes, he’ll provide a badly needed source of physicality for head coach Steve Clifford.

The caveat with Plumlee arriving mid-season after playing sparsely in Milwaukee is that he’ll have to play himself back into game shape. According to Bonnell, Plumlee mentioned this to Clifford upon his arrival with his new team. Between November 25 and January 20, a healthy Plumlee played double-digits just one time in 27 games.

There’s more out of the Southeast:

It took a while but Erik Spoelstra and Dion Waiters finally connected in such a way that the two-guard’s game could flourish,” writes Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post. “It’s good bumping heads. It’s not anything bad,” Waiters said. “It’s like, ‘I’m challenging you. You can do more. Don’t settle for that‘”.
Credit a strong relationship between John Wall and head coach Scott Brooks as one of the main reasons why the Wizards have improved so much this season, writes Michael Lee of the Vertical. In the summer, Brooks visited Wall in the hospital following his knee surgery. “I told John, ‘You’re a three-time All-Star, you can take it one or two ways: You could say, ‘I’ve arrived in this league and I’m comfortable in this league.’ Or you can take the approach that ‘I want to get better.’ And I think he’s done a great job of taking that approach of getting better. I think he can be a top-five player in this league every year.” Currently Washington sits third in the East, 10 games above .500 at 30-20. Last year they missed out on the postseason with a 41-41 record.
Despite their bold transactions over the summer, the Magic have struggled to position themselves as contenders in the Eastern Conference. One of those offseason acquisitions, Serge Ibaka, has a particular approach to blocking out the noise inherent with the pending trade deadline in order to focus on turning things around. “I just delete my social media and focus on basketball. That’s it. I don’t read nothing,” Ibaka tells John Denton of the team’s official website. “[Trade talks] are nothing I can control“. The last time we checked in with the Magic, it was said that the club may be overvaluing its trade assets.

Southeast Notes: White, Mahinmi, Curry

January 28th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Austin Kent

The recent play of 10-day contract signee Okaro White has the Heat reconsidering their roster. Originally added as a 16th man via a league hardship provision, White has had so much of an impact on the team that the franchise is reluctant to see him go now that Josh Richardson has returned to health.

That means it could be somebody like Derrick Williams who the Heat release instead, says Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

“I can assure you that White has made himself a keeper,” he writes in a Heat mailbag.

In five games with the Heat, White has proven an ability to contribute across the board. More importantly, with White in the rotation, the team hasn’t lost a game. Though they remain 14th in the Eastern Conference with their 17-30 record, the six-game win streak has given the team momentum.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Since starting the year 3-9, the Wizards have emerged as a contender in the East. At the center of it all has been John Wall, finally getting the opportunity to play at full health, writes Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press. “This charge, the last seven or eight weeks,” head coach Scott Brooks said Thursday, “is because of [Wall’s] ability to lead us and get to the paint and give us a lot of open shots.”
Citing Friday’s loss to their former teammate Courtney Lee and the Knicks, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that the Hornets need to make a trade. “It doesn’t have to be splashy,” he says, just something that will “infuse some energy and scoring into the rotation.”
The Wizards have no intention of adding a big man if Ian Mahinmi will be deemed healthy enough to play during the final stretch of the season, writes J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. With regard to Mahinmi’s health, however, they’ll have to wait and see. During the summer, Mahinmi was signed to a four-year, $60MM deal. He’s played just one game of action with the team in 2016/17.
Like any star that returns to their hometown, Stephen Curry was asked about the possibility of him signing with the Hornets via free agency, writes Anthony Slater of The Mercury News. “I’ve gotten that since I’ve been in the league,” the Warriors guard said. “This is my home. So there’s obviously going to be an attachment to the city and that kind of chatter is something I’ve been asked about and dealt with since the first time I came back my rookie year. It’s fun. You know you have that support here. It just kind of is what it is.”

Blazers Duo, Embiid Fail To Make All-Star Cut

January 26th, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, the Blazers backcourt duo Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and Jazz center Rudy Gobert were among the prominent players who failed to make the cut on the Western Conference All-Star reserve unit, which was unveiled on Thursday and relayed on the NBA’s Twitter feed. Joel Embiid, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were some of the notable names who didn’t make the cut on the Eastern Conference squad. (Twitter links).

Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan and Gordon Hayward received the most votes by the conference’s coaches, who pick the reserves. Westbrook, of course, was the biggest snub among the All-Star starters as the fan voting, which counted for 50% toward the overall balloting, put him behind Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Paul George, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and John Wall were named the Eastern Conference’s All-Star reserves.

Did the coaches get it right or was there an obvious mistake on their part? Go to the comments section and weigh in.

Southeast Notes: Hezonja, Wall, Heat

January 14th, 2017 at 8:48am CST by Austin Kent

Second-year shooting guard Mario Hezonja will get a shot at reclaiming his spot in the Magic rotation, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The 21-year-old slipped out of head coach Frank Vogel‘s core lineup in mid-November.

For the next little while at least, expect Hezonja to back up starting small forward Aaron Gordon when the Magic elect to run a small ball lineup with Jeff Green at the four. After racking up 13 DNP-CDs in the first 40 games of the season, Hezonja will take what he can get.

“I’m 300% ready,” Hezonja said Friday. “I’ve got to use that in a smart way and manage all that energy. I’ve got to manage it in the right way so the team wins.”

In another piece, John Denton of the Magic’s website, explores other ways Vogel is shaking up his lineup – including returning Nikola Vucevic to the starting lineup.

There’s more new out of the Southeast Division today:

The Magic should pay, and perhaps overpay, to keep Serge Ibaka in Orlando, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz argues that the 27-year-old big man has been the team’s best player on both ends of the floor. Ibaka has averaged 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game through Orlando’s first 40.
An MRI on John Wall‘s right-hand pinkie finger came back negative, says Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. The Wizards guard is expected to play through the injury so long as he’s able to properly stabilize it and that it doesn’t impact his shot. “One thing I know about John, being around him for the six or seven months now, he is as tough as they come,” head coach Scott Brooks said. “He’s going to put himself out there, which is definitely something that I admire.”
Danuel House, Sheldon McClellan and Daniel Ochefu have been able to breath easier since Tuesday, writes Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. January 10 marked the day that the three undrafted rookies saw their partially guaranteed contracts become guaranteed with the Wizards. Buckner discusses their frames of mind prior to the deadline.
The Heat are doing their due diligence when it comes to fielding trade offers, so Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel went so far as to break down each major player’s case as an available asset.