Khimki Moscow Region added size and experience to its roster by inking versatile forward Jonas Jerebko to a two-year deal, the club announced on Wednesday. Jerebko (2.08 meters, 32 years old) arrives from Golden State of the NBA.
Khimki Moscow Region added size and experience to its r…
January 18, 2020 | 11:29 pm UTC Update
StatMuse: Kawhi Leonard, last 5 games: 39-6-6-5-1, 54 FG% 32-5-5-1-1, 60 FG% 43-3-4-2-1, 64 FG% 30-5-4-3-0, 48 FG% 36-9-5-3-1, 56 FG% His first five 30-point game scoring streak since 2017 (including playoffs). pic.twitter.com/REPgxztzON
January 18, 2020 | 10:57 pm UTC Update
Adrian Wojnarowski: Kings continue to search for an avenue to unload center Dewayne Dedmon, who’s in the first season of a three-year, $40M contract. Dedmon, fined for publicly requesting a trade, is averaging 13.8 minutes in 26 games.
Sarah K. Spencer: Jeff Teague on when he heard he had been traded to the Hawks: “I didn’t know what to say. I was like ‘OK.’ And then they said ‘Atlanta.’ and I was like, ‘I can’t be this lucky.’ … I was happy, I couldn’t believe it.”
January 18, 2020 | 10:11 pm UTC Update
Chris Haynes: There are no plans for Kent Bazemore to pursue a buyout with the Sacramento Kings as he has a great relationship with Luke Walton and front office, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Wenyen Gabriel: Damn I just got Woj’d 😂
Sean Grande: Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown out tonight.
January 18, 2020 | 9:56 pm UTC Update
Kings, Blazers make trade
Shams Charania: Portland is trading Kent Bazemore to Sacramento, league sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Portland has traded Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver and two second- round picks to Sacramento for Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan, source tells ESPN.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Blazers save $12.3M on the deal, cuts luxury tax bill in half.
Chris Haynes: Yahoo Sources: Sacramento is sending Trevor Ariza, Wendell Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan to Portland for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and the Trail Blazers’ 2024 and 2025 second-round picks.
January 18, 2020 | 8:40 pm UTC Update
Mike Conley set for return
Stadium: Just in: Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr. will return from monthlong absence Saturday vs. Kings, NBA Insider @ShamsCharania reports. “I’m told the plan is for Conley to come off the bench in his return and have a minutes restriction.”
FROM THE OUTSIDE, Vogel looked like a coach set up for failure. The Lakers had first pursued Monty Williams and Tyronn Lue, but both backed out. They then turned to Vogel, a candidate they figured likely wouldn’t object to their terms. After Vogel’s Orlando exit in 2018, there was no certainty he would ever get another chance to lead an NBA team, and a LeBron-led squad is a plum position, irrespective of the franchise’s recent self-inflicted wounds. Yet Vogel was well-respected for his preparation skills, regarded as inordinately affable and — possibly most important — a pliable listener who would collaborate with all the Lakers’ stakeholders on decisions big and small.
Poll any NBA roster — particularly a veteran one — for the most important attribute for a head coach, and accountability will likely rank second to trust. Players want to know that the staff will set standards for performance and will enforce those standards with consistency, from superstar to the end of the bench. After a lackluster defensive performance earlier this month against the New Orleans Pelicans in which the Lakers allowed 68 points in the paint on 67% shooting, Vogel unleashed his fury in an exhaustive film session featuring a sequence of defensive snafus.
“He got on all of us — me, LeBron, everyone. A lot of coaches don’t get on their superstars, but he does,” Davis says. “What’s impressed me the most is that even when we win, he holds us accountable. When a team sees a coach getting on LeBron or me, the other guys respect him more and know they’ll be held accountable too.” In their next game, the Lakers set a franchise record with 20 blocks in a win over the Detroit Pistons.
Dane Moore: This isn’t a joke… Allen Crabbe is questionable to play tonight for the Timberwolves because… wait for it… he’s dealing with an illness.
January 18, 2020 | 7:54 pm UTC Update
Eric Walden: Mike Conley said he knows his teammate better now: “Honestly, just from watching games, even when I went on the road trip, I developed more of an understanding of everybody’s tendencies.” And on staying positive: “I have zero concerns. Zero. … I’m ready to go.” pic.twitter.com/pjIHKksC7v
Brad Turner: Doc Rivers said Mo Harkless is out tonight
January 18, 2020 | 6:53 pm UTC Update
Eric Walden: Mike Conley, on the rehab process: “Obviously, it’s been a little bit draining because you want to be a part of success. … For the most part, the last couple weeks I’ve felt fine. It’s hard to tell somebody not to do something when you feel like you can run through a wall.” pic.twitter.com/7PNNnLh8cZ
Kevin Chouinard: For tonight’s game vs. Detroit: Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain) is probable. Alex Len (low back pain) is doubtful.
January 18, 2020 | 5:19 pm UTC Update
Kyrie Irving was getting dressed in the visitor’s locker room at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday when he decided to share some Nets history with Caris LeVert, who was standing nearby. “It’s not a coincidence that the last time the Nets won a title, they were led by Julius Erving,” Irving said, referencing the two ABA titles Hall of Famer Julius Erving won with the then-New York Nets in 1974 and 1976. “And now, we have another Irving. I’m just saying.”
“I’m just saying. Erving. Irving,” the mercurial All-Star point guard turned defense attorney said, making his case, to no avail. “How do you spell his name again?” Pinson responded, hoping that Irving would realize how silly he was being with the Dr. J chatter and just…stop. “He’s with an E,” Irving said, acknowledging the difference, “but how do you say it?” Irving smiled and nodded. He wouldn’t relent. His teammates wouldn’t, either. Laughter ended the discussion.
January 18, 2020 | 4:19 pm UTC Update
After a career-high 24 point night in a win over the Chicago Bulls, Korkmaz is happy to still be in a Sixers uniform. “This is why they call it the NBA,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff going on here, some of them you can control, some of them you cannot control. Right now, I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to be a part of this team. I’m just trying to give my best on the court.”
Ben Simmons has played with Korkmaz for all of his NBA career and he is excited to see him improve, especially on the defensive end. “He stayed locked in,” said Simmons. “He hasn’t gone off track if he’s not playing as many minutes. When he gets the opportunity, he’s ready. And defense, he stepped up a lot. He’s had a lot of guys go at him and he’s taken those challenges upon himself to get better and be a better defensive player.”
Towns is extremely close with Saunders, routinely watching film with the coach and stopping by the Saunders family home after practice to spend time with Ryan, wife Hayley and their infant son, Lukas.
The fallout from that incident is still very much at play. The Rockets, once the most popular team in China, are no longer having their games aired in the country, where broadcasts are controlled by the government. The relationship between China and the NBA is still rocky, though other teams’ games are being broadcast. Some believe it will have a significant enough impact on the league’s bottom line to lower the salary cap. I just left a Lakers practice where the team made Dwight Howard and Frank Vogel available to reporters. Both were asked about the fallout from that experience and neither wanted to talk about it. One thing that Vogel was willing to address was what he learned about his team going through that experience.
This trip could be when we see LeBron James reach a milestone that will mean a lot for his Lakers tenure. He is 111 points behind Kobe Bryant on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, having passed Michael Jordan last season. The top four players on the list all spent at least part of their careers with the Lakers, but passing Bryant would be significant. This season, James is averaging 25.4 points, and if that continues it would mean passing Bryant in Philadelphia, where Bryant spent his high school years.
January 18, 2020 | 11:08 am UTC Update
Karl-Anthony Towns downplays rumors
While he was out, reports surfaced concerning teams monitoring Towns’ level of unhappiness. In his first public comments since the injury, he made a strong statement that reaffirmed his commitment to the Wolves when asked about those reports. Here it is in full, with a curse word edited. “I think you’ve been around me long enough to know I don’t go for all the …,” Towns said. “I just do my job, go home and I know what the real story is. There’s a reason those stories are made because people need to sell papers, sell links and clicks, whatever the case may be. I’m here to be a Minnesota Timberwolf. Very fortunate I have a head coach like [Ryan Saunders], a President and friend like [Gersson Rosas]. I’m not worried about all that nonsense.
“Whatever we have to deal with in house, we’ll deal with in house, but this ain’t the circus like it used to be. This is something that’s going to be done as a family. If we have a problem or anything, we’ll deal with it internally. We won’t have any external forces here adding anything.”
Drummond has a for-sale sign tattooed to his jersey, with the Pistons reportedly canvassing the league for offers. Atlanta was mentioned early, but there is a league-wide feeling that was more ownership driven, with Hawks owner Tony Ressler known to be frustrated by Atlanta’s poor play this season. Other teams have kicked the tires on Drummond, but there has been no traction on a deal to this point, a league source told SI.com.
There’s a feeling around the league that the Wizards almost have to shop Bertans, if just to see if there is a contender willing to go wild with draft picks to get him. Bertans has been terrific this season, a prolific three-point shooter, jacking up nearly nine per game, who is among the candidates for the NBA’s Most Improved award. He seems like an ideal fit with a John Wall–Bradley Beal backcourt, the kind of frontcourt player who can open up the floor for both.
“Our goal is not the Western Conference finals,” coach Michael Malone said. “We want to win a championship. Obviously, it’s a lofty goal, but our thing is, ‘Why not us? Why not now?’”
