Burke Is Playing Well Off The Bench
- The Wizards‘ bench unit has been key to their success lately, especially on the road, as J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet details. Offseason addition Trey Burke has made 11 out of his last 17 shots from the field during the last four away games. He also has 10 assists over that stretch.
And-Ones: Sanders, Brown, All-Star Game
Former Bucks big man Larry Sanders caused a stir Thursday night when he tweeted that he was ready to return to the NBA. In 2015, the center walked away from the game at 26 years of age, ultimately citing personal struggles with mental health in a video essay for the Players Tribune.
Sanders last saw consistent action in 2012/13, before playing 23 games in an injury-compromised 2013/14 season and 27 games in a 2014/15 season beset by drug-related suspensions absences for personal reasons.
Sanders has reportedly worked out for the Celtics and, while reports that he’s had a meeting with the Wizards are said to be false, he has been training at the team’s facility.
Sanders averaged 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for the Bucks during that 2012/13 campaign.
- Former NBA head coach Larry Brown is open to coaching in EuroLeague, writes E. Carchia of Sportando via Italian newspaper La Gazetta. Brown had reportedly been in touch with Maccabi Tel Aviv but was scared off when they quickly cycled through three head coaches already this season.
- The Windy City Bulls of the NBA D-League have acquired forward Duje Dukan in a trade for a 2017 fifth-round pick, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. Dukan’s last taste of NBA action was with Kings at the start of the 2015/16 season. Earlier this year he had been under contract in Croatia, but the parties mutually split.
- Journeyman point guard Bryce Cotton has reportedly received a 10-day contract offer from an NBA team, writes O. Cauchi of Sportando. The 24-year-old, however, has elected to stay with the Perth Wildcats for the time being. The report originated from Australian journalist Boti Nagy.
- The NBA All-Star Game reserves have been announced. Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated looks at the biggest snubs that didn’t make the roster, including rookie Joel Embiid and injured Chris Paul.
Healthy Wall Drives Wizards; Team To Wait On Mahinmi Before Dealing
- 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.”
- 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.
Community Shootaround: How Far Can The Wizards Go?
It’s no small task for the Wizards to have compiled a 26-20 record, sitting on the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, after getting off to a 2-8 start in 2016/17. Who would have thought that the Wizards – who were called out by John Wall earlier this year for showing a lack of effort – would have the confidence to “bury” the Celtics in a rivalry game?
Now riding a 14-game home winning streak, the Wizards find themselves in position to go on a playoff run. Wall, who has posted a career-best 23.1 points per game on 46.4% shooting, was not shy when asked about the team’s ceiling.
“I see ourselves getting to the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s our goal,” Wall told TNT’s “Inside The NBA” panel on Thursday. “We just figured it out. We all looked ourselves in the mirror and said we all got to do better individually. Our coach held us accountable, and when I lock in on the defensive end, everyone else follows my lead.”
The Wizards have received contributions beyond Wall. Bradley Beal‘s 21.9 points per game are a career-high, and Otto Porter has blossomed into one of the game’s premier long distance shooters (45.6% from beyond the arc).
Friday’s victory was indicative off Washington’s recent progress, as the team earned a 112-86 win over the Hawks, having led by as much as 30 points. What we want to know…
How far can the Wizards go in 2016/17? Are the Eastern Conference Finals far-fetched? Can they surpass Boston or Toronto in the standings? Should they add additional pieces at the trade deadline?
Let us know what you think in the comments section!
NBADL Expects To Add Multiple Teams In 2017/18
The NBA D-League is close to finalizing the addition of multiple teams for the 2017/18 season, league president Malcolm Turner tells Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The NBADL is expected to make an announcement on expansion within the next few weeks, perhaps before this year’s NBA All-Star Game, with the league likely to add at least two new teams.
For now, there has been no definitive word on which cities or NBA teams may be involved in the latest round of D-League expansion, but as of this season, there are only eight NBA clubs without an affiliate, so the possibilities are limited.
The Magic have an agreement in place to buy their current affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, and move the team to Lakeland, Florida. According to Howard-Cooper, there’s speculation that Erie could retain a D-League team, with the Hawks replacing the Magic as the club’s NBA affiliate. Atlanta has an affiliate of its own lined up, but that team isn’t expected to begin play until the 2019/20 season.
According to Howard-Cooper, the Wizards and Bucks are among the other NBA teams currently without affiliates that could have an NBADL team in 2017/18. The Clippers have also explored some Southern California venues, but aren’t expected to be ready to launch a D-League team by next season, Howard-Cooper writes.
Meanwhile, the D-League may also change how it runs its annual showcase event, which took place in Mississauga, Ontario last week. The D-League’s showcase serves as an opportunity for NBA and international scouts to assess the league’s talent in one place without having to travel to scout individual teams and games. Per Howard-Cooper, the league would like to either hold the showcase in the same place every year, or establish a rotation of three or four locations for the event.
“I couldn’t tell you specifically where, but I do think we would like to explore, A, whether or not there is such a thing as a permanent home for Showcase or, B, are there two or three venues that we can have in a rotation to different parts of the country, different parks of North America,” Turner said. “Those are a couple scenarios that we would like to spend a little bit of time understanding.”
John Wall Posting Career-Best Numbers
Controversy surrounded the ending of Thursday’s game between the Knicks and Wizards. Down three points in their final possession, the Knicks attempted to get a shot off while Washington assistant coach Sidney Lowe was standing on the court, appearing to distract Courtney Lee. The NBA addressed Lowe’s actions today, claiming he “should have been assessed a technical foul,” before levying a $15,000 fine against the Wizards and a $5,000 fine to Lowe. Carmelo Anthony stood up for his teammate, claiming Lee was deceived.
“He [Lowe] was on the court. They have six players on the court,” Anthony said of the Wizards’ assistant. “I’ve never seen it before. I’ve never seen that before, especially not in a situation like that. Close game, half court offense, we’re trying to make something happen. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
- John Wall, playing at the healthiest he’s been throughout his seven-year NBA career, is posting career-high totals in offensive categories. Unhappy with his perception as a player who wasn’t engaged at practice, the Wizards point guard has worked with a vengeance at the gym. “I wanted to put the work in but I couldn’t because I needed to spend an hour to stretch just to get prepared to practice. That was frustrating,” Wall said, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. “People would tell me I don’t take the NBA seriously. I take this as seriously as possible. Now, I can do a regular stretch for 10 minutes and get a full workout in without having any problem afterward. That’s the key to why I am playing at a higher level.”
House Has CT Scan On Wrist
- Wizards rookie Danuel House had a CT scan on his right wrist today, tweets J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. The undrafted shooting guard out of Texas A&M has played just one game this season and will probably be sent to the D-League when he does return. House has just a $100K guarantee on his $905,249 salary for next season.
Marcus Thornton Out Of Wizards' Rotation
Following a 2015/16 campaign in which he was waived in February and finished with a shooting percentage south of 40%, Marcus Thornton managed to land a guaranteed one-year deal with the Wizards this past offseason. However, when it comes to Washington’s rotation, Thornton currently finds himself on the outside looking in, as Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com details. One report last week suggested that Thornton is the Wizards player most likely to be waived if the team wants to add someone to the roster.
MRI On Wall's Finger Negative
- 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.
Wizards Notes: McClellan, Thornton, Wall
Sheldon McClellan, whose contract with the Wizards became fully guaranteed over the weekend, is earning the trust of the team’s coaching staff, J. Michael of Comcast Sportsnet writes. Washington’s bench was an area of concern heading into the season, but it appears McClellan is on his way to solidifying a role in the second unit. “I like what Sheldon has been able to do. He plays hard,” coach Scott Brooks said. “When you play hard it gives you a chance to stay on the court and make good things happen for your team. I think he does that”
Here’s more from Washington:
- If the Wizards decide to open up a roster spot, Marcus Thornton is the player most likely to be waived, Michael writes in a separate piece. McClellan’s success has pushed Thornton to the bench, leaving the 29-year-old without any minutes over the team’s last two games.
- Daniel Ochefu‘s roster spot appears to be safe, Michael contends in the same piece. The Wizards are still waiting for Ian Mahinmi to recover from a pair of knee injuries, which leaves the team in need of frontcourt players.
- Rival executives don’t view John Wall as a franchise player in the same way they view other team’s top players, such as Russell Westbrook and James Harden, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical relays (Twitter video link). Marks also examines the 2011 draft where the Wizards took Jan Vesely with the No. 6 overall pick and wonders what the team would look like had it selected Klay Thompson or Kawhi Leonard.