“You talk about Marcus Smart, he’s a player that’s available for a first round pick. If a team was willing to give Boston a first, Boston would look at,” Woj said in the latest edition of his podcast with Bobby Marks. “If they didn’t have to take back a lot of money going out in the future. He’s restricted this summer, you don’t know what it will cost to keep him.” “He’s proven he can help you win a playoff game or two. He doesn’t shoot great from 3-point line, some of the things you want from a guard in this day and age. He defends, he’s super competitive. But they can’t pay everybody in Boston and they’re going to have to make decisions. But does a team want to give up a first for a player when they don’t know what it will cost to keep him. I’m not sure that will happen. But I think certainly if they were going to make a move with one of their core guys, there’s potential that it’s going to be Smart.”
“You talk about Marcus Smart, he’s a player that’…
September 16, 2021 | 8:59 am EDT Update
Pascal Siakam wants to stay in Toronto long-term
With the understanding that things can change — it’s a business, things can change with you, things change with the organization — as we sit here right now, do you see yourself in Toronto long term? Pascal Siakam: I do. I’m a really prideful person and I always want to be the best player that I can be, and the bubble wasn’t that. So I get it, I understand it, but also for me what really hurt me is one of those things about my dad or like, “Oh, your dad wouldn’t have been proud of this.” [Siakam’s father died in a car accident in 2014.]
Was there any irritation from you toward the Raptors that your name was surfacing so much in trade rumors? Pascal Siakam: It didn’t bother me really, because I never really heard anything from the Raptors. Even all the news I was seeing it was never like: “Oh. The Raptors wanted to give up Siakam for this.” It was always like, “The Warriors like Pascal,” or it was always, “The Kings like Pascal,” or this. There was never nothing where it was like, “The Raptors wanted to give away Pascal.”
Were you surprised that Kyle Lowry left for Miami? Pascal Siakam: I wouldn’t say I was surprised by it because obviously I could see it coming. When I was a rookie, these were the people that we look up to, right? It was Kyle. It was DeMar [DeRozan]. Kyle was like our big brother. We looked up to him and DeMar. So it was weird, obviously, to see them go. Sometimes, I’ll be thinking, “OK, Kyle is not here anymore, right?” You don’t really put it in perspective. Some of the questions obviously about what the team wants to do and things like that, they ask you. And before you felt like all those questions, I didn’t really have to answer them, because I felt like Kyle was there and now he’s not there.
How is rehab going? Pascal Siakam: I was expecting it to be worse, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I would say just, I think the first two weeks or three weeks was the worst, just because I couldn’t sleep. I have to find a position to get comfortable. I had to sleep on the couch for two weeks because I couldn’t sleep on the bed. I’m a side sleeper. So I couldn’t do that. Are you even shooting or doing anything basketball-wise? Pascal Siakam: Yes. I’m shooting, ball handling. I think at this point in the process I look better than I thought I was expecting at least or I’m doing more than I thought I would do at that time.
September 16, 2021 | 8:32 am EDT Update
Dusan Ivkovic (1943-2021)
Dusan Ivkovic passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning in a Belgrade hospital, with the first information from the Serbian media reporting that he had collected fluid in his lungs. Ivkovic was known as one of the most influential coaches in European and world basketball, having won numerous titles in his 46 years active.
Pau Gasol: “I keep thinking about my future, I don’t see myself on any team other than Barça.” On retirement: “I keep thinking about whether to continue or not. It will not be an easy decision and when I know it I will let you know. I have been a professional for 23 years and I am considering all the factors to make a decision soon and be able to communicate it. I have not made a decision 100 percent. If I look back it has been many years enjoying very interesting things.”
Mike James to France
AS Monaco is adding guard Mike James to their bolstered roster for the 2021-22 season, as first reported by Home of Glory and Donatas Urbonas, also confirmed by Eurohoops sources. James, 31, who recently parted ways with CSKA Moscow was on the lookout for a new team while training individually in Moscow in the meantime.
