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Hoops Links Vol. 5: Shirley Temple Lies, Milkshake Theft, More

May 18th, 2017 at 8:49am CST by Austin Kent

Welcome to the fifth installment of Hoops Links, where we round up our favorite content from around the NBA blogosphere and shine a light on it here. Every week we set out to feature entertaining, original content powered by the blogging community.

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If you want to hit us up with a link in the future, make sure to drop me a line on Twitter (@AustinKent) or even just email HoopsRumorsTips@Sports.ws. Remember, we want to be intrigued and captivated. It also helps if the content is relatively fresh (considering we publish on Thursdays).

Without further ado…

With a roster full of young players and a negligible chance of winning a meaningful amount of ball games, the Suns made the decision with months remaining in the season to tank unabashedly. After Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, in which Phoenix dropped from a projected No. 2 seed to the No. 4 seed, Adam Maynes of Valley of the Suns wrote a spirited column suggesting that the organization got what it deserved.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Angry Earl Watsons
Author: Adam Maynes – @Adam4America
Link: Phoenix Suns tank fail

We’re all happy to buy into the quirky Joel Embiid narrative whenever the goofy big man does something like sip a Shirley Temple on live television. But what if we’re living a lie? Kyle Neubeck of Liberty Ballers revealed that the pink beverage at Embiid’s side during the Draft Lottery was little more than a prop.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Red Pills
Author: Kyle Neubeck – @KyleNeubeck
Link: Joel Embiid’s Shirley Temple prop

Are the Bulls less likely to deal Jimmy Butler to the Celtics now that Boston has landed the No. 1 pick in the draft? Vijay Vemu of Blog A Bull suggests as much, writing that Danny Ainge took a risk holding onto the pick at the deadline rather than going the safe route and dealing for an established star.

Rating: 7 out of 10 Fortunate Gambles
Author: Vijay Vemu – @VJVemu
Link: Jimmy Butler to Celtics less likely

The Hawks could have done more to involve Dwight Howard in their offense, Da’Vonte Hughes of Soaring Down South writes, suggesting that the big man had reason to be upset with how he was utilized during his first season Atlanta.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Neglected Supermen
Author: Da’Vonte Hughes – @CookieByNature
Link: Dwight Howard non-option for Hawks

Did you forget that Joel Anthony was still in the NBA? You aren’t alone. Dan Devine of Ball Don’t Lie noticed the big man’s name trending on Twitter and discovered that people all around the world were shocked to see the veteran big man suit up in the Spurs‘ blowout loss Wednesday.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Two-Time NBA Champions
Author: Dan Devine – @YourManDevine
Link: Joel Anthony trends on Twitter

There are similarities between Jimmy Butler and Stanley Johnson, including underwhelming freshman and sophomore seasons, says Luke Wolthuis of Piston Powered. Could Johnson, a well-built two-way forward, make a leap similar to that of Butler’s in Year 3?

Rating: 7 out of 10 Better Late Than Nevers
Author: Luke Wolthuis – @WolthuisLuke
Link: Stanley Johnson, Jimmy Butler comparison

Although he may not win the award, Harrison Barnes deserves a spot in the Most Improved Player conversation, Sam Guertler of Mavs Moneyball suggests. The forward’s offensive game improved dramatically in his first year as a targeted weapon in Dallas, without any compromise in efficiency.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Additional Better Late Than Nevers
Author: Sam Guertler – @SamGuertler
Link: Harrison Barnes Most Improved Player

It takes a delicate balance of usefulness and expendability for a player to suit up for three different franchises in one season. This year, Ersan Ilyasova dressed for the Thunder, Sixers, and Hawks, and still managed to set a new career high for points in a season. Miles Wray of The Step Back took a good long look at how the season stands up historically.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Bonus Points For Playing For Two Altogether Different Teams Last Year
Author: Miles Wray – @MilesWray
Link: NBA players who play for three teams in one season

It was hard to evaluate the first season in the NBA for Jakob Poeltl, a lottery pick on a reigning Eastern Conference Finals squad, but Brian Boake set out to do so anyway for Raptors Rapture. In Poeltl, the Raptors have a cheap, malleable option to audition as their Stretch 5 of the Future.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Teenage Mutant Ninjas
Author: Brian Boake – @NewmarketBrian
Link: Jakob Poeltl’s future with Raptors

Over the years, Gregg Popovich has simply owned Mike D’Antoni in the NBA playoffs, so much so that the J.R. Wilco over at Pounding the Rock had a particularly specific video commissioned just to drive home the point.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Academy Award-Winning Method Actors
Author: J.R. Wilco – @JRWilco
Link: Gregg Popovich, Mike D’Antoni History

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pachulia's MRI Negative

May 17th, 2017 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs fans may get a chance to vent their anger at Warriors center Zaza Pachulia after all. Pachulia, who became a villain in San Antonio after his collision with Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 aggravated the Spurs star’s sprained ankle, left Game 2 in the first quarter with a right heel contusion. Pachulia underwent an MRI today, which came back negative, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Pachulia is listed as day-to-day.

Spurs To Work Out Caleb Swanigan, Tony Bradley

May 17th, 2017 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s a busy week for Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan, who will be working out for the Sixers and Spurs in addition to his previously-reported meetings with Indiana, Brooklyn, and Orlando (Twitter links via Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com). Swanigan has one more week before he has to make a decision on whether to remain in the draft, so he’s getting as much feedback as possible while he can.
Like Swanigan and Diallo, UNC’s Tony Bradley continues to test the draft waters and has a full workout schedule before next Wednesday’s decision deadline. Per Jeff Goodman, Bradley will work out for the Lakers (Friday), Spurs (Sunday), Bucks (Tuesday), and Thunder (Wednesday) within the next week, after auditioning for New York today.

Andre Iguodala Sidelined For Game 2

May 16th, 2017 at 7:34pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala has been ruled out for Game 2 against the Spurs Tuesday night due to left knee soreness, reports Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. An MRI performed Monday revealed no structural damage, but the Warriors continue to be cautious with the veteran as they have done all season.

Iguodala will not be the only former NBA Finals MVP to be sidelined for the game. Spurs leading scorer Kawhi Leonard will also miss the contest. The Warriors lead the series 1-0.

Cuban Comes To Pachulia's Defense

May 16th, 2017 at 1:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being blasted by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for his role in injuring Kawhi Leonard, Warriors center Zaza Pachulia received some support from a former employer, writes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban came to Pachulia’s defense, saying, “That’s not how Zaza plays.”

Leonard's MRI Reveals No Structural Damage

May 15th, 2017 at 9:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kawhi Leonard‘s MRI revealed no structural damage, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com tweets. Leonard injured his left ankle twice in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday, including a controversial play in which Warriors center Zaza Pachulia moved into his landing space after Leonard released a jump shot. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich ripped Pachulia on Monday for what Popovich felt was a reckless closeout. Leonard is expected to miss Game 2.

Kawhi Leonard Expected To Miss Game 2

May 15th, 2017 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

While Kawhi Leonard said on Sunday night that he didn’t believe Zaza Pachulia‘s play that re-injured Leonard’s ankle was a dirty one, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich disagreed today with that assessment. Speaking to reporters, Popovich was critical of the play, and confirmed that the team expects Leonard to miss Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals due to his ankle injury (Twitter links via Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com).

Calling Pachulia’s play on Leonard a “totally unnatural closeout,” Popovich also referenced the big man’s history of unsportsmanlike plays, particularly against the Spurs, including an elbow on Patty Mills and an arm-bar on Leonard (video link).

“The two-step lead with your foot closeout is not appropriate,” Popovich said, per Anthony Slater of The Bay Area News Group. “It’s dangerous, it’s unsportsmanlike, it’s just not what anybody does to anybody else. This particular individual has a history with that kind of action.”

While Popovich didn’t go so far as to say that Pachulia was intentionally attempting to injure Leonard on Sunday, the Spurs coach suggested that intent didn’t really matter, likening it to unintentionally killing someone while texting and driving (video links via Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News).

The Spurs have yet to announce an official diagnosis or recovery timetable for Leonard, but assuming he does sit out Game 2, he’d have a few days to prepare for Game 3. Due to a scheduling quirk, the Spurs and Warriors will have three days off after Game 2, with the series not resuming until Saturday.

Leonard Re-Injures Ankle, Exits Game 1

May 14th, 2017 at 6:07pm CST by Austin Kent

6:07pm: Team sources inform Marc Spears of ESPN that Leonard will undergo an MRI on his left ankle tonight.

5:50pm: Leonard’s ankle “doesn’t look good,” Marc Spears of ESPN tweets, adding, however, that Leonard hasn’t ruled out playing in Game 2 on Tuesday.

5:38pm: ESPN’s Michael C. Wright reports that Leonard walked to the training room without a limp and with nothing on his ankle. Wright tweets that they’re taping the ankle now. Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News tweets that Leonard is limping “a bit.”

5:30pm: The Spurs watched a 25-point lead fade away against the Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals but their biggest loss may be of a different nature. As Sam Amick of USA Today outlines, with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter, Kawhi Leonard appeared to re-aggravate his injured left ankle.

Minutes into the second half, Leonard pulled up for a three in the corner, defended by Zaza Pachulia. At that point Pachulia closed out hard and Leonard landed on the big man’s extended foot.

The injury is particularly concerning for two reasons, the obvious one being that the superstar MVP candidate missed the remainder of the game, another being that this is the same ankle Leonard hurt in Game 5 of San Antonio’s previous series.

Last week Leonard sat out Game 6 against the Rockets and it appears the forward could miss time here as well, although no official declarations have been made by the team.

Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune noted that if the Spurs rest Leonard for Game 2 on the road, he’ll have six days of recovery prior to the series shifting back to San Antonio for Game 3.

As details about Leonard’s status come in, we’ll update this post.

Community Shootaround: Patty Mills

May 14th, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The 2016/17 campaign brought a changing of the guard on the Spurs. Tony Parker may have started 63 games for the club, but Patty Mills earned the distinction of best point guard on the team this season with his accurate 3-point stroke and his ability to create offense for his teammates.

How long Mills reigns with that unofficial title depends on the front office. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and he’ll have no shortage of suitors once his camp begins to take meetings.

Coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t want to make a big deal of Mills’ play. “I don’t want to talk too much about Patty Mills because the more good things I say, the more we’re going to have to pay him,” Pop said (via Michael Lee of The Vertical).

The Spurs have roughly $73MM on the books for the 2017/18 campaign against a projected $101MM salary cap. The team could offer Mills a sizable deal, but that would preclude them from making a big splash in free agency.

What do you think? What kind of deal should the Spurs offer Mills and if he decides to go elsewhere, which rival team would make a good fit for the Australian point guard?

Let us know what you think in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!

Leonard Will Play Game 1 Against Warriors

May 13th, 2017 at 12:53pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Gregg Popovich says that small forward Kawhi Leonard will play for the Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals series against the Warriors on Sunday, reports Melissa Rohlin of MySA.com.

As Rohlin tweets, Leonard was a full participant in Saturday’s practice. After rolling his ankle in Game 5 of the Spurs’ series against the Rockets, the Spurs’ star missed the series’ decisive Game 6, which the Spurs won 114-75.