Before DeMarcus Cousins sustained his season-ending Achilles injury, there were nights when they would both go off and their combined stat line was just insane. From the limited time you got play with those two All-Stars, what was that like? And with DeMarcus entering free agency after this season, how hopeful are you that we’ll get to see that duo again? E’Twaun Moore: It was really exciting to see those two guys play together. That’s the best power forward in the league and the best center in the league, in my opinion, so it was so exciting seeing them on the floor together. It was great for us and with a frontcourt like that, we went into every game feeling like we had a huge mismatch. It was definitely a lot of fun. If [DeMarcus] comes back, that would be great. I really want to see those guys back together again because I think we could put together a really good run. If both of those guys are healthy for the whole season and postseason, I think we’d be really hard to stop.
Before DeMarcus Cousins sustained his season-ending Ach…
January 19, 2021 | 11:24 am EST Update
Myles Turner has slight hand fracture, will be re-evaluated in days
Shams Charania: Pacers center Myles Turner has a slight fracture in his right hand and will be re-evaluated in the coming days, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Turner is the NBA leader in blocked shots (4.2 per game).
SOMETIME IN OCTOBER 2019, Joe Boylan, then an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans, received an unexpected text from Brandon Ingram — one of the franchise’s new stars, acquired months earlier in the Anthony Davis trade. “I trust you now,” the message began. Ingram urged Boylan to coach him hard, invited Boylan to “motherf—” him if necessary, whatever it took. It was the same message Ingram had delivered to New Orleans higher-ups on his first day there, when he walked into the office of Jeff Bzdelik, then the Pelicans’ lead assistant, and declared, “I think I have greatness in me. I want you to get it out of me, and I don’t care what you do,” several in that room recalled.
Days after that text, Ingram arrived a few minutes late to his appointment at the training table. That was not unusual. Ingram is a night owl. Boylan lit into him in front of the training staff: “This is why the Lakers got rid of you! This motherf—er wants to be great? No! He wants to be comfortable.” Boylan’s delivery was so over the top, everyone knew it was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Boylan reminded Ingram that his lateness delayed players behind him on the schedule. Ingram smiled and took it. “I like being called out,” he said. “Players at this level think they’re above that. I’m still a few minutes late sometimes, but I’m much better.”
Van Gundy walked out of Ingram’s house and called his brother, Jeff, a decorated coach and current analyst for ESPN. “This guy,” Van Gundy told his brother, “is the real deal.” Ingram is one of the most important swing players in determining the NBA’s balance of power. If he becomes the player he thinks he can be — a two-way superstar who approaches double digits in assists — the Pelicans have a chance to contend for titles around Ingram and Zion Williamson. Boylan often told Ingram that New Orleans could win championships if he became their Scottie Pippen.
Ingram has become a more confident and polished finisher around the basket — a prolific producer of free throws. Something clicked in the 2018-19 season, his rumor-filled final year with the Lakers, and the development accelerated in New Orleans. Ingram mastered his footwork — when to use choppy steps in tight creases, and when to gobble up space with loping strides. He finally seemed to understand how long his arms are — that he was on top of the rim sooner than he had perceived.
“The [trade rumors] were tough on him,” said Josh Hart, Ingram’s teammate in both L.A. and New Orleans. “Before LeBron got there, he had been given the keys. And then people in L.A. were killing him: He’s not as good anymore. He’s not a great No 2. pick. The rumors became part of our lives, all year. Thank god I don’t have to deal with that s— anymore.”
Justin Kubatko: Damian Lillard has made all 52 of his free throws over his last six games. It’s the second time in his career he’s shot 52-52 from the FT line over a six-game span. The only player in NBA history to make more free throws without a miss over a six-game span is Dirk Nowitzki. pic.twitter.com/Zx3Ez4lJ08
January 19, 2021 | 11:06 am EST Update
Delonte West now working at rehab center
Shams Charania: Update on Delonte West: West now has a job at the Rebound therapy center in Florida, which is the rehab facility he attended. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reunited West with his mother in September and has stayed in close contact.
