Texas Notes: Wembanyama, Rockets, Washington, Exum
All-Defensive Spurs center Victor Wembanyama intends to suit up for the French national team every time he gets the chance, per L’Equipe (hat tip to Eurohoops for the translation). The 7’4″ big man added that he plans to rejoin his countrymen for the EuroBasket competition next summer.
“I don’t know the exact dates, but there’s always time to make it work with the French team,” Wembanyama said. “You just have to sacrifice a bit of your physical preparation for the following season. So yeah, it’s definitely my goal to play for the French team every summer.”
Wembanyama indicated that he had spoken with new Team France head coach Frederic Fauthoux about his intentions.
“I’ve spoken with him briefly since he became coach. But we haven’t formally discussed any specific deadlines,” Wembanyama said.
The reigning Rookie of the Year averaged 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game for the French national team during last summer’s Olympic games in Paris. France won its second consecutive silver medal thanks in large part to his efforts.
There’s more out of the Lone Star State:
- While they didn’t get past the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday, the Rockets proved that they belong in the conversation as legitimate threat in the West with their 91-90 tournament quarterfinal victory over Golden State, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “When you get a taste of winning, it’s from the other side,” guard Jalen Green said after the win. “It’s a side I ain’t been on in two, three years of this. You’re going to do whatever it takes. So I saw the opportunity to dive on the floor, and I took it. The results came out amazing.”
- In the midst of his best season yet, Mavericks forward P.J. Washington has emerged as a critical below-the-radar contributor, opines Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. To wit, Dallas has gone 1-5 without Washington available thus far this season. “[If] they watch the game and see how much dirty work he’s doing, he’s on the floor,” center Dereck Lively said of his teammate. “He’s gambling for loose balls. He’s trying to get a jump ball. He’s trying to get rebounds. He’s trying to attack the rim. He’s trying to shoot the ball. My man P.J. is an amazing player.”
- Injured Mavericks guard Dante Exum is taking big strides as he works his way back from a right wrist surgery, Curtis tweets. He has missed all 25 of Dallas’ games so far this year — the Mavericks have gone 16-9 without him. “He’s doing a lot of work with the left hand to be able to go both ways with his right and left,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “I think his attitude and he’s been working extremely hard. He looks great.” When Exum underwent surgery in early October, reports indicated he was expected to miss three months.
Spurs Notes: Paul, M. Johnson, Wembanyama
Spurs point guard Chris Paul is on a one-year contract, but he doesn’t necessarily plan on calling it a career when that deal expires. Speaking to Hall of Famer and former Spurs point guard Tony Parker an interview posted by the team (YouTube link), Paul suggested he still has “maybe a year or two” left in the tank.
“I’m still trying to feel it out,” Paul said. “I think the hardest part is—like, I love this, like practice today, I love hooping, I love all of that. The hardest part is when I get home and I’ve gotta watch my kids’ games on my iPad or whatnot, so that’s the tug of war right now.”
As Paul explained to Parker, his wife and kids are still living in Los Angeles, so he doesn’t want to spend too many more years away from them. Asked by Parker why he decided to join a rebuilding team like San Antonio, CP3 explained that if he was going to continue his career, playing time was a more important consideration for him than the opportunity to contend for a championship.
“Last year was probably one of the toughest years for me,” Paul said of a season with the Warriors in which he averaged a career-low 26.4 minutes per game. “More than anything, I just love to hoop. I wanna play. … If I’m gonna sacrifice my family and be away from them, then I at least need to be playing. Nobody’s guaranteed to win. There’s only one team that’s going to win. I think for me, I looked (at San Antonio) and I was like, ‘Man, I can go play. I can go hoop.'”
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- While Paul has been adamant over the years that he has no desire to become an NBA coach after he retires, he softened that stance a little during his conversation with Parker. “I always said I wasn’t going to coach,” Paul said,“but I don’t know, I’m open to a whole bunch of things now.” In this year’s NBA general manager poll conducted by John Schuhmann, Paul received the most votes when GMs were asked which active player would make the best head coach.
- In an in-depth feature for The San Antonio Express-News, Jeff McDonald takes a look at how Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson has become more than just Gregg Popovich‘s stand-in, establishing himself as a strong candidate to become a permanent head coach in San Antonio or elsewhere in the coming years.
- The Spurs, who will face the Trail Blazers in Portland on Friday, are currently in the midst of four consecutive days off. The rare in-season break has been a boon for Victor Wembanyama, who said on Wednesday that it has been “really beneficial” to rest the sore lower back that forced him to miss two games last week, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News relays. This is the first time Wembanyama has experienced back pain, he told reporters. “It’s not like a big deal, but sometimes it stops me from doing certain things,” the reigning Rookie of the Year said.
- While there’s no indication the Spurs will be in any rush to make an in-season trade, three players who signed new contracts over the offseason will become eligible to be dealt as of this Sunday: Paul, Charles Bassey, and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Nathan Mensah Signs With Olympiacos
Former Hornets big man Nathan Mensah has signed with Olympiacos for the rest of the 2024/25 season, the Greek team announced today in a press release. The deal includes a team option for a second year.
Mensah, who played his college basketball at San Diego State from 2018-23, caught on with Charlotte last season after going undrafted. He spent much of his first professional season with the Greensboro Swarm in the G League, but also appeared in 25 NBA games with the Hornets while on a two-way contract from December to March.
The 6’11” center played in a total of 23 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Swarm, averaging 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 24.9 minutes per contest. In 25 NBA outings, he posted averages of 1.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 0.6 BPG in 12.3 MPG.
Mensah played for the Spurs‘ Summer League team this July and then was with San Antonio in training camp before being waived during the preseason. The Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s NBAGL affiliate – acquired his rights from the Swarm and he has played 12 games for the G League club this fall, averaging 5.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 21.0 MPG.
Mensah will provide depth up front for an Olympiacos squad that had been actively seeking another big man due to injury issues. The Greek team has championship aspirations this season, having gone 8-1 in domestic play and 9-5 in EuroLeague competition so far. Olympiacos has the top point differential in both the Greek Basketball League (+167) and EuroLeague (+69).
Spurs Notes: Paul, Wembanyama, Bassey, Collins
The Spurs celebrated with a brief ceremony and a video tribute as Chris Paul moved into second place on the career assists list Sunday night, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The 39-year-old point guard passed Jason Kidd with his third assist of the game midway through the second quarter. He received a commemorative ball and a photo listing all 173 players who have been the recipients of his assists throughout his career.
“It’s an amazing accomplishment,” interim coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s a privilege to be able to see it up close and personal. We are witnessing greatness. A lot of us have competed against him. We’ve all watched him. And to be able to experience it firsthand is a privilege. He’s still doing it at a high level. We are grateful of that. He deserves all the praise and attention that comes with that because it’s a hell of an honor.”
Paul began his career in 2005 in New Orleans, so it was meaningful for him to reach the milestone against the Pelicans. He also recalled being on the other side for one of Kidd’s significant games.
“He got his 100th triple-double against me,” Paul said. “[The milestone] means I have played a long time. But J. Kidd did, too, and that’s what I appreciate. I don’t think people realize the longer you play in this league, the longer you pay attention to the guys who had longevity. So, [I’m] definitely grateful to still be here.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Victor Wembanyama returned Sunday after missing two games with back soreness, Wright adds. He contributed 25 points and 10 rebounds and sank a 30-foot three-pointer with 36.9 seconds remaining to hold off a Pelicans comeback. “I got to be on this one,” he said of Paul’s accomplishment. “Just the celebration, it was the best. I’m very, very proud of him. He’s just incredible how he doesn’t just do things halfway. He’s never just on the court just to be on the court. He’s trying to win, trying to find solutions. It’s a trait you find in all these players, those greats that stick around for years and years.”
- Charles Bassey provided a lift after Zach Collins and Keldon Johnson left Sunday’s game with injuries in the first half, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Bassey tied his career high with 18 points in 16 minutes while also posting 11 rebounds and four blocks. “He played the role that we need him to in terms of energy, activity, physicality, athleticism,” Mitch Johnson said. “When he does that, the basketball finds him and he makes plays on both ends.”
- Johnson also commented on Collins’ meltdown Friday night in Sacramento, which resulted in an ejection and a $35K fine, relays Tom Orsborn of The Express-News. “We need everybody,” Johnson said. “But that being said, we support him, we stay together. We all do things that we may want to handle differently and it was a moment I think he wished he could have back.”
Spurs Notes: Paul, Wembanyama, Champagnie, Defense
Chris Paul will likely move into second place in career assists when the Spurs host New Orleans Sunday night, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. The veteran point guard handed out 13 assists Friday night, leaving him only two behind Jason Kidd’s total of 12,089. With John Stockton far off at 15,806, this might be the last time in Paul’s career that he moves up the list.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to still continue to play,” Paul said. “It has been so many, he’s done here, he’s done there, you know what I mean? So, I think it’s a lot of gratitude. And if that (passing Kidd) happens, I’ll be grateful.”
It appeared Paul’s arrangement with San Antonio might be a short one when he signed a one-year, $11MM contract over the summer. However, he’s shown that his game is still sharp at age 39, averaging 10.4 points, 8.5 assists and 1.4 steals per night while leading the Spurs into postseason contention. Speculation has started that he might return for at least another year, and his teammates support that idea.
“The way he takes care of his body and approaches the game every day, it’s going to help a lot of us, a lot of our young guys to mold them into the players that they need to be,” Julian Champagnie said. “Just watching him take care of his body, his preparation day in, day out, how he knows everybody on the (scouting report), he’s a pro, a pro’s pro and we appreciate him for everything.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- The Spurs’ medical team watched Victor Wembanyama test out his sore lower back Friday night before deciding to have him sit out a second straight game, Orsborn states in a separate story. There’s optimism that both Wembanyama and Devin Vassell may be able to return on Sunday, but Paul said the team has to learn how to take care of business no matter who’s available. “Obviously it’s been a tough stretch for us right now, different bodies in and out,” he said. “But that’s why we have this next man up mentality. It’s really hard to win in this league. Winning one game is really hard, so you definitely want to get back on the winning train just so you don’t forget what that feels like.”
- Champagnie set career highs on Friday by scoring 30 points and making six three-pointers, Orsborn notes. The third-year small forward has become a regular part of the rotation this season and is averaging a career-best 12.6 PPG. “I’m just trying to do my job,” he said. “Some games are going to like that, and then some games are going to be five points. But I’m just going out there and playing hard, doing all the little things, doing what I can to help the team win. Just taking my shots, taking my opportunities while I have them.”
- Interim coach Mitch Johnson didn’t want to use Wembanyama’s absence as an excuse after his team allowed Sacramento to score 140 points, Orsborn adds in another piece. Johnson called it “unacceptable” that the Spurs have given up at least 30 points in each of the last eight quarters.
Spurs’ Zach Collins Fined $35K By NBA
Spurs center Zach Collins was fined $35K for “making an obscene gesture on the playing court” after being ejected in the second quarter of Friday’s game against Sacramento, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
According to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, Collins became upset after being called for his third foul with 9:07 remaining in the first half. Collins disputed the call and was hit with a technical foul. He was subbed out of the game, but continued to argue with referee Michael Smith and made the obscene gesture on his way to the bench, resulting in a second technical and an automatic ejection (Twitter video link).
The Spurs were already without Victor Wembanyama, who missed the game with back pain, so the loss of Collins left them extremely thin in the middle. He played just nine minutes before the ejection, finishing with two points and two rebounds and wasn’t available to talk to reporters after the game.
“I didn’t see what was said,” interim head coach Mitch Johnson said. “We just moved on and tried to hold the fort together with the group we had.”
Those were the first technical fouls of the season for Collins, according to Spotrac, although he was fined for flopping in a November 3 game. He has amassed $59K in fines through his seven NBA seasons.
In his fourth year with San Antonio, Collins is averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per night while shooting 47.6% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range. He’s under contract through the end of next season.
And-Ones: Team USA, Practice Facility, Trade Deadline, Panic Meter
With Steve Kerr not expected to return as Team USA’s head coach for the upcoming international basketball cycle that includes the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA Basketball and managing director Grant Hill will be tasked with selecting Kerr’s successor.
According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Hill has yet to begin the process of selecting the next U.S. head coach and is unlikely to name Kerr’s replacement anytime soon, since it would create several years of “unnecessary pressure” on that individual leading up to the 2027 and 2028 events, a source tells Vardon.
Still, it looks like there are two obvious frontrunners for the job, Vardon says, identifying Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue as the most logical candidates. Outside of their NBA résumés, which include championships, Spoelstra and Lue were the top assistants on Kerr’s staff in Paris during the 2024 Olympics. Both men indicated they’d be honored to be selected for the role, Vardon writes.
“I’d be willing to do anything for USA Basketball,” Spoelstra said. “That’s how it should be for anybody, for players and for staff members, if you’re asked. It’s such an honor and such a life experience, so you just do it. You don’t want to miss out on those experiences. And I would do any role.”
“Yeah, it sounds amazing,” Lue added. “To be the Olympic head coach in this building (the Clippers’ Intuit Dome), of course, everybody would look at that as a cool opportunity, but there’s a lot that goes into it. To be chosen to do that is an honor and a blessing, but it’s not something I’m hanging my hat on because it’s two years away and Spo was involved in USA Basketball before I even got here.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- There has been a clear trend over the last decade of NBA teams seeking a competitive edge by building new, state-of-the-art practice facilities, with 20 of the league’s 30 clubs opening new facilities since 2014, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Robbins explores the “unrelenting contest of innovation and one-upmanship” involved in the “arms race,” with teams across the league looking to create advantages in the way they look after players and recruit free agents. “I would say if the standard of the facility is high-end, the players better be too,” Magic big man Moritz Wagner said when asked if a new practice facility can help a team win games. “I do think that the players feel that. I mean, there’s no excuse, right? There’s no excuse not to work every day when you have a place like that.”
- How should the NBA’s 30 teams approach this season’s trade deadline? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report digs into that topic, making a case for whether each club should buy, sell, or hold — or, in some cases, a combination of more than one. For instance, Pincus advocates for the Hawks, Spurs, Raptors, and Hornets to pursue “opportunistic improvement” rather than purely selling.
- Law Murray of The Athletic rates a handful of teams on the “panic meter,” explaining that he thinks the Pacers and Pelicans have more reason to panic than the Lakers because L.A. has finished in play-in territory in each of the past two seasons and shouldn’t realistically expect to be much better than they’ve been so far this fall.
How Injuries To Players On Non-Guaranteed Contracts Have Impacted Teams’ Caps
In most cases, an NBA team has the ability to waive a player on a non-guaranteed contract at any time before the league-wide salary guarantee date on January 7 to avoid being on the hook for the remainder of that player’s salary.
However, that equation changes if the player is injured at the time he’s placed on waivers. In that case, one of two rules applies:
- If the player’s contract includes Exhibit 9 language, the team incurs a cap hit of $15K when the injured player is waived.
- If the player’s contract does not include Exhibit 9 language and he’s waived on or before January 7, the team continues to pay the player until he has fully recovered from the injury or for the rest of the season, whichever comes first.
Cases that fall into the first category often fly under the radar unless the injury is serious or the player is a well-known veteran, since $15K isn’t enough to make a noticeable dent in a team’s overall salary. However, there were a couple notable instances this fall of players on Exhibit 9 contracts suffering injuries and counting against their respective teams’ caps for $15K.
One was Knicks guard Landry Shamet, who appeared on track to make New York’s opening night roster before he dislocated his shoulder in the preseason. The Knicks waived Shamet and took on a $15K cap hit in the process, which isn’t entirely insignificant for a team currently operating just $581K below its second-apron hard cap. That extra $15K cap charge won’t majorly alter the Knicks’ plans, but it’ll force the team to wait a couple extra days to fit a 15th man under its hard cap later in the season.
Lakers camp invitee Jordan Goodwin also sustained an injury during the preseason, resulting in a $15K cap hit. Los Angeles had been operating just $45K below the second apron, so accounting for Goodwin’s $15K cap charge moved the team to within $30K of the second apron. Again, that shouldn’t really affect the way the Lakers handle business on the trade market or in free agency during the season, but even that slight difference is notable for a team operating with such a razor-thin margin below the restrictive second apron.
Spurs camp invitee Nathan Mensah is the other player who was injured in camp and left his team with a $15K cap charge. But San Antonio is operating way below the luxury tax line and will barely notice that extra $15K.
Exhibit 9 contracts are only effect during the summer and preseason. Once the regular season begins, there are no players on contracts with Exhibit 9 language — a player like Shamet, if he had made the Knicks’ regular season roster, would have had his Exhibit 9 contract turned into a standard one-year non-guaranteed deal.
That means the second rule outlined above applies to any player on a non-guaranteed contract who suffers an injury between opening night and January 7. Pacers center James Wiseman is the most noteworthy example so far in 2024/25.
Wiseman remains on Indiana’s roster for now and his contract is still non-guaranteed, but even if the club waives him today, his full $2,237,691 cap figure will remain on the Pacers’ cap for the rest of ’24/25, since his torn Achilles tendon is expected to sideline him for the rest of the season. Indiana has to continue paying Wiseman until he recovers from his injury or until the end of the season, so waiving him will create no cap relief.
While the Pacers aren’t right up against a hard cap or an apron threshold like the Knicks and Lakers are, the $2.2MM+ cap charge for Wiseman is far more significant than a $15K hit for an Exhibit 9 player, and it could have a real impact on what Indiana can do on the trade market. Currently, the team is hovering just $500K below the luxury tax line.
The Pacers will want to avoid becoming a taxpayer this season, so their ability to take on an extra salary in a trade is now noticeably more limited than it would be if they could cut Wiseman and remove more than two-thirds of his cap hit from their books.
Southwest Notes: Thompson, Mavs, Smart, Wembanyama
Klay Thompson is averaging just 12.6 points per game with career-worst shooting percentages of 38.1% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc through his first 19 games with the Mavericks. As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst writes in an Insider-only story, Thompson has started every game he has played so far for Dallas, but hasn’t always been part of the team’s closing lineup.
“Klay has been an awkward fit so far,” one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “Derrick Jones shot the ball better and played better D for them last year.”
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps points out in the same story that the Mavericks are running into a similar issue Golden State did last season — since Thompson has lost a step following ACL and Achilles injuries, playing him alongside two offense-first guards (Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski last year; Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving this year) compromises his team’s defense.
“He’s the exact same player he was with the Warriors,” one scout told Bontemps. “A quality spot-up shooter who can get hot and make shots still and who can occasionally guard.”
While Thompson certainly hasn’t come flying out of the gates this season, the Mavericks have been better with him on the court (+9.8 net rating) than off it (+4.5). And at least one scout believes it’s too early to be concerned about the veteran sharpshooter’s production.
“Klay has been fine,” that scout told ESPN. “His impact will be determined in the postseason, and if he has a few big games, then no one will remember what he shot from three in November.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Asked about nearing the end of a grueling 28-day stretch in which the Mavericks have had 15 games on their schedule – including 12 on the road – and have had to repeatedly traverse several time zones, head coach Jason Kidd acknowledged it hasn’t been easy, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “We’ve gone as far as you can go west, and now we’re going as far as we can go east,” Kidd said. “We’re not going to complain about it. It is what it is, but it’s not fair if you want players to play. And so when guys sit out, they (the NBA) can’t complain about guys sitting out when you have a schedule like this.” The Mavs have handled the travel- and schedule-related challenges admirably, having gone 10-4 entering the final contest of that 15-game run on Saturday in Toronto.
- Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart will be looking to get a rare win against his old team in Boston on Saturday. The Celtics have beaten Memphis in 16 of their last 17 meetings dating back to 2016, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “You want him to get that win and get that feeling of beating the team that traded him or whatever,” Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. said. “At the end of the day, we want to have Marcus’ back and go up there and get the win.”
- Victor Wembanyama tested his sore lower back in warmups on Friday before being ruled out of the Spurs‘ game vs. Sacramento, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Head coach Mitch Johnson said “the hope” is that Wembanyama will be good to go on Sunday against New Orleans after missing two games this week. Tre Jones (left shoulder sprain) is missing a third consecutive contest for the Spurs on Friday, while Devin Vassell (right foot injury management) is sitting the second end of a back-to-back, but should be available Sunday.
- In case you missed it, we passed along a handful of Pelicans-related notes and rumors earlier this evening.
Southwest Notes: Butler, Wembanyama, Edey, Eason
The Mavericks are trending upward despite Luka Doncic missing six of their past nine games due to knee and wrist injuries. Entering Thursday, they’ve won nine of their last 10 games and sit at 14-8, third in the Western Conference after reaching the NBA Finals in the spring.
The Mavs made midseason changes in each year under general manager Nico Harrison, including the deadline-day acquisitions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford that helped propel last season’s Finals run. Could they make another splash at the 2025’s deadline? A report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype on Monday indicated that there has been “quiet discourse” in league circles about Dallas being a potential landing spot for Heat star Jimmy Butler, a Texas native.
However, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal is skeptical the Mavericks will complete a trade for Butler this season, largely due to the fact that they’re financially limited during the season.
“You’ve got to look at the money before anything else,” an NBA executive told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Moving that kind of salary midseason is almost impossible for a contender with this CBA. The salary-matching rules are brutal, and unless you’re sending out another massive contract, moving around contracts to fit roster spot limits is tough. For Jimmy, we’re talking about a player making more than Luka and Kyrie (Irving)—it’s tough to see how that adds up.”
On top of that, the Mavericks would have to gut their rotation to make the math work on a potential deal. Butler makes $48.7MM this season. The executive Afseth chatted with suggested a sign-and-trade in the offseason would be the most viable way for Butler to work his way to Dallas, but it still wouldn’t be very viable unless Irving and Butler (both hold player options for next season) sacrificed financially on their next contracts.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Spurs star second-year center Victor Wembanyama suffered a back injury Tuesday against Phoenix, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Wembanyama is dealing with a sore lower left back and will miss Thursday’s game against the Bulls. However, the injury doesn’t seem serious — Orsborn tweets that the Spurs are expected to upgrade Wembanyama to questionable for Friday’s game against Sacramento, though his likelier return date would be on Sunday against New Orleans.
- Grizzlies first-round rookie Zach Edey has missed the past eight games for Memphis after suffering an ankle injury. Though he made encouraging progress earlier this week, Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal says Edey’s return will have to wait. The big man practiced with the G League’s Memphis Hustle on Wednesday, but the team didn’t feel he was ready to play afterward. “As he was going through testing it out, we weren’t comfortable where he was at,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We’re going to gradually progress him over the next couple of weeks.”
- While his team ultimately lost the game, Tari Eason helped the Rockets overcome a season-high 31-point deficit to force overtime with a career-high 27 points on November 2 vs. the Warriors, earning praise from Draymond Green for his performance and his energy. The former LSU forward expressed gratitude for Green’s comments, but offered a simple explanation for his career game against Golden State, according to Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. “I don’t like the Warriors,” Eason said at the time. He expanded on his feelings about the Warriors this week: “They won their first championship when I was 14 years old. I was a fan of another player in the NBA. I kind of grew up hating them. That just carried over. I don’t like them winning. I don’t like the shimmy. I don’t like all that stuff. But they’re a dynasty for a reason. We’ve got to beat them.” Eason and Green will both miss Thursday’s matchup, but they could be back in action when the two teams square off again on Dec. 11.