Anthony Slater: Klay Thompson said he hasn’t ruled out playing this season, but will be patient: “You may not have seen me much, but I’ve been working.” Full quote on his rehab update here.
Storyline: Klay Thompson Injury
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Wes Goldberg: Steve Kerr on Klay Thompson: “It just feels good to see him out there on the floor, and to see him feel like he’s getting closer… He’s pretty far down the path (to returning).” Said he’s asked both Steph Curry and Klay to be around the team more.
Splash Brothers to be reevaluated in February
Kerith Burke: Word from the Warriors is Steph will be reevaluted on Feb 1 and Klay will be reevaluted at the All Star Break regarding their injuries and potential playing dates this season.
Ali Thanawalla: Klay in full uni and headband hitting fadeaway trey on pass from Zaza. Warriors practice is lit. 🤣
Logan Murdock: Klay’s been doing this over the past couple weeks. Each pregame, he’ll dress up in full uniform and go through his workout as the team prepares for its game. He’s sooooo ready to be back.
First, host Ernie Johnson asked Thompson whether he planned on returning this season, referring to reports from earlier this week that head coach Steve Kerr was skeptical that the shooting guard would play in the inaugural season at Chase Center. “I feel great,” Thompson said. “At this stage of the rehab, I started jogging, running, putting up a lot of jumpers — which are going in at a high rate, still, so that’s a good sign.”
Nick Friedell: Kerr says it’s ‘still possible’ Klay could return this year.
Connor Letourneau: Kevon Looney on Klay Thompson returning this season: “If he comes back, great. If he doesn’t, that’s good as well.”
Klay Thompson unlikely to return this season
Ever since Klay Thompson tore his left ACL four months ago, the Warriors guard has held out hope that he could return this season in time for a potential NBA playoff run. His coach, however, isn’t betting on that timeline. “It’s unlikely that he’s going to play this year,” Steve Kerr recently told NBC Sports Bay Area in an exclusive interview that will air at 1 p.m. PT Tuesday in “NBA Season Tip-Off,” only on the MyTeams app. “So we have to understand that.”
Kerr, who tore his ACL in college, believes Thompson will be on the same timeline as those players. “You have to look at it realistically,” the Warriors coach said. “I had an ACL [tear] in college, and I missed a whole season. Generally, an ACL for a basketball player is a full-year recovery, and if it’s a full year for Klay, that puts them out for the season. “We’ve kind of left the door open in case the rehab goes perfectly and the doctors say he can go. But the reality is, on April 1, that’s the nine-month mark. … April versus nine months post-op for an ACL.
Wes Goldberg: Klay Thompson on the court at UCLA helping teammates get up some post-practice shots. pic.twitter.com/tGJBSCbvBl
The four-time All-Star has no plans to sprint back to the Warriors or set any kind of speed record for returning to the NBA after undergoing ACL surgery. “No, I’m going to do what the team says,” Klay said Monday. “I’ve done my due diligence on rehabs and ACL injuries, and the last thing you want to do is rush back, especially for a player like me who wants to play until he’s in his late 30s. I want to play at a high level until that point, too.” “As much as it kills me not to be on the court, patience is a virtue, and rushing back would be not very smart.”
Klay Thompson ruled out until after All-Star break
Anthony Slater: Bob Myers said Klay Thompson is doing fine, but the Warriors won’t give a real update until the All-Star break.
Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors says he would like to play for Team USA in the 2020 Olympics. One problem: Thompson should not play high-level basketball at all, not for two years. At least that’s what the science says. A paper presented by Dr. Tim Hewett, a consultant who spent the bulk of his career studying the biomechanics of the knee for the Mayo Clinic and as the director of Ohio State’s Sports Health and Performance Institute, and Dr. Christopher Nagelli of the Mayo Clinic, finds that athletes who suffer ACL tears should not return to action for two years.
“Please do share that with Klay,” Dr. Hewett, who has consulted with NBA trainers in the past, told Heavy.com. “This is not my opinion. People say to me, ‘Well, that is your opinion, there are other opinions.’ No, I deal in science and I deal in fact. People don’t like to hear it but it does not change the facts, and that facts are that you’re at risk for re-injury before two years and you won’t be the same player in the first year.”
“I think about that every day,” Thompson said. He sat straight up and shook his head. “That’s just the humbling part of sports — when you feel like you’re at your best, something traumatic can happen. But I honestly felt like I was at the peak of my NBA career up to that point. I was at my best. The way I was shooting the ball, the way I was playing defense. I felt like I was one of the best players out there. In past series, or Finals, you know, I’ve been able to defer. But in that series, I felt like I was just, like, as close to unstoppable as I’ve ever been.”
The worst part hasn’t even come yet. Thompson knows it. “Honestly, we’ll see in two weeks when I see my teammates out there playing,” Thompson said of the difficulty of rehab. “But, as of right now, it’s easy to lock in and focus on my rehab every day because that’s all I have. I don’t have games. I don’t have to go to the arena. But when that starts, I know it’s going to be a very tough challenge. It’s going to be really hard.”
Despite their intentions, Curry and Thompson playing in the Olympics can’t be considered a lock. If the Warriors somehow went on a deep run into the postseason, it would be their sixth straight year doing so. Turning around and going to Japan to play more might be untenable. Thus, an early postseason exit might be required for their hopes to be fulfilled. Plus, Thompson’s availability will be contingent upon his recovery from a torn ACL.
Mychal Thompson recently talked about his son’s rehab from a ruptured ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on the NBC Sports Bay Area Warriors Insider podcast. “He’s walking normally and he’s very optimistic and enthusiastic about getting back late next season,” Thompson said. Thompson said Klay probably won’t be on the court doing full-court drills until late December or January. That would fall on the early side of the typical recovery period for ACL surgery, which is six to nine months.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the procedure on Thompson at the Kerlan Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, and Thompson said he is on track to return to the court at some point next season. “That’s my goal,” Thompson said. “I doubt I’ll be back before the All-Star break, but I want to be back this season.”
“My season is obviously going to start a little differently,” Thompson said. “I’m going to be on offseason mode for a little bit until I can run again. With Kevin leaving and DeMarcus leaving and losing Andre and Shaun, the parity in the league is back. Everyone was trying to catch up to the Warriors the past five years, but now teams have closed the gap, if not taken that leap, so for us getting D’Angelo was huge because in my absence, he’s a proven All-Star and a 20-point guy and great play maker.”
Klay Thompson likely out until the All-Star
Klay Thompson said he doubted he would be back before the All-Star break. “I’ve heard varying opinions about, especially medically, I don’t want to rush it ’cause I want to play until I’m 38, 39, 40 years old,” Thompson said. “That’s my plan, especially because the way I can shoot the ball. I would love to see the floor this season. I don’t know when that is.”
“I knew I did something. But I’ve never had the severity of an ACL injury or an injury that bad,” Thompson told ESPN’s Cari Champion in an interview during a “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” promotional event in Los Angeles. “So me personally, I didn’t think it was that bad initially. My adrenaline was so high being Game 6, whatever. I thought I sprained my knee; that’s all I thought it was. But when I went back to the locker room, it swelled up a lot, didn’t feel right. It’s just not a good feeling when you feel helpless and the team’s out there competing.”
“We obviously had bumps in the road, but nothing as traumatic as what me and Kevin went through. So it was humbling, but the Warriors showed their loyalty and their respect for me, offering me that five-year deal,” Thomson said of his new $190 million deal. “Jumped on that as soon as I could, just because the history with this team and the franchise it would be so hard to leave. And the feeling of, you know, unfinished business, getting that close in the Finals, or to the fourth championship — tasting it — just being out of reach. It’s the pain of sports, but it’s what keeps me motivated.”
Anthony Slater: Klay Thompson, two weeks post left ACL surgery
Logan Murdock: Warriors GM Bob Myers said there’s no update on Klay Thompson’s ACL other than surgery. Myers said he’ll visit Thompson in Los Angeles soon.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Agent Greg Lawrence emphasizes recovery window of 5-to-7 months after Thompson’s ACL surgery is tilted toward back end of that timetable: “While we are optimistic on a return as quickly as possible, Klay and the team are committed to taking the necessary time with the process.”
He started to make his way back to the Golden State locker room, but as you all remember … the machine returned to the court. “Somebody went out and grabbed us in the tunnel and said, ‘If he doesn’t shoot these free throws, he can’t come back,’ Warriors GM Bob Myers explained Thursday on 95.7 The Game. “And Klay didn’t even wait for an answer. He just walked back on the court.
“And I grabbed him and I said, ‘Listen, man. If you’re gonna shoot these free throws…’ — because we didn’t know what it was at that time, we had no idea, he hadn’t been examined — and I said, ‘We don’t know what this is, shoot the free throws, don’t move. Just shoot the free throws and stay there.’ “[Klay said] ‘OK, all right. I got it.’ [He] shoots the free throws and starts running back (laughter). I said, ‘What are you doing?’ Maybe that’s my own fault for trusting. “But that’s the competitor in the guy.”
Andre Iguodala: “I’m confident in us. Klay will be back in February I hope. He’s a fast healer. We’re going to have another run at it. It’s not over.”
Ryan Wolstat: Green on Klay Thompson injury: Said he thought Klay would go for a one-handed dunk. When he saw it was two thought he could get the block and got a piece of it. Thought it was pretty clean but knows that’s a fair time to call a foul. Warriors told him they know he isn’t dirty.
Michael Grange: Danny Green says Draymond and Iguodala told him they knew the play on Klay Thompson was clean, not intentional; has reached out to Klay through channels.
“Klay is such a polished specimen with his athleticism and his strength, I literally think this will be a small bump in the road for him for the next nine to 12 months as he rehabilitates it,” said Dr. Daniel Kharrazi, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles who serves as the team doctor for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. “He should be able to get back to how he was before. “I know people are freaking out about his career, but I don’t think it’s going to affect his long-term outcome at all. I think he’s going to be back doing exactly what he was doing as soon as he’s done rehabbing his knee.”
The moments left Mychal Thompson feeling sleepless. It did not tamper his optimism, though. His son, Klay, tore an ACL in his left knee and walked out of the arena on crutches. Then, the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, hardly the ending they envisioned in their final game at Oracle Arena after winning three NBA titles in the past four years. That only leads to two questions. First, how will this affect Thompson when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 30?
“You have to ask Joe Lacob that one,” Thompson said about the Warriors’ majority owner. “That’s up to the Warriors. But Klay will be back. It’s unfortunate, but it’s kind of a routine injury. Nobody wants it. Guys are able to come back fully recovered from this injury.”
Second, did this mark the end of the Warriors’ dynasty? Not only do the Warriors have questions about Thompson. Kevin Durant is recovering from a surgically repaired right Achilles tendon. The Warriors otherwise have limited purchasing power and a No. 28 pick to bolster their team. Nonetheless, Thompson said that “Klay and Kevin will both be back to wreak havoc among the league.” Thompson also added “the Warriors are far from done.” As for Durant’s free agency? “I always have faith he’ll stay. This is the second-best organization you can play for. Of course, you know what the best one is,” said Thompson who played for the Showtime Lakers and remains a radio analyst for the team’s flagship station. “Why leave a great situation like Golden State? These guys are still going to be championship contenders for years to come.”
Connor Letourneau: Per his father, Klay Thompson will undergo surgery “as soon as possible” on his torn ACL in Los Angeles.
Thompson, who emerged as a vocal leader during the NBA Finals, tore his left ACL late in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 114-110 loss Thursday in Game 6 that gave the Toronto Raptors their first championship. Thompson is expected to miss up to nine to 10 months, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
“Even though Golden State had some tough injuries the last game and this game, they showed how much heart they have,” Raptors center Marc Gasol said. “What it means to be a championship team. They didn’t make any excuses. They kept playing.” Afterward, Warrior Stephen Curry sat at his locker appearing to be more pained about the team’s injuries than its three-peat hopes and days at Oracle Arena coming to an end. Most of his concern centered on the health of his fellow All-Stars Durant and Thompson. “It’s not good. Klay and KD are two dudes who are supposed to be walking into the best summer of their lives,” Curry told The Undefeated. “It was taken away from them just like that. It’s tough. It is tough. Two really good dudes.”
Jordan Bell: No man!!! This lost hurt but hearing about this killed me. Prayers up to you bro @KlayThompson
Klay Thompson has torn ACL
Adrian Wojnarowski: Golden State’s Klay Thompson has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, his agent Greg Lawrence tells ESPN.
Andre Roberson: Prayers to Klay!! Heart of a champion!!! The get back start now!! @KlayThompson
Anthony Slater: Steve Kerr said Klay Thompson told him on his way off the court: “Just a two minute rest and I’ll be ready.” Next thing Kerr heard Klay was done for the night, crutching out of the arena.
Anthony Slater: Steve Kerr: “What matters is Kevin Durant is going to miss next season with an Achilles tear. What matters is Klay suffered a knee injury. We’ll know more later. But it’s just brutal, just brutal what these guys have had to deal with.”
Klay Thompson suffers knee injury
Golden State’s run of injuries to star players continued in the third quarter of Game 6 when star guard Klay Thompson’s left knee appeared to buckle in an awkward landing after a contested dunk attempt with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter.
Thompson remained down for a few minutes in significant pain, clutching at his leg. He was helped into the tunnel and headed for the locker room, but came back to shoot the free throws to put the Warriors ahead 85-80.
Blake Murphy: Klay Thompson says he was sore after Game 4 but feels great. Estimates he’s in the 80-90% range. More bothered by the loss than his hamstring.
Marc J. Spears: Klay (hamstring) says he expects to feel closer to normal tomorrow.
Joe Vardon: Klay Thompson took the court just now to warm up, and the assembling Bay Area crowd let him know he’s appreciated. His streak of 120 consecutive playoff games was snapped in Game 3 by a bum hamstring
Connor Letourneau: For what it’s worth, Klay Thompson is also listed as questionable tonight. Warriors expect him to play.
Meanwhile, big man Kevon Looney (costal cartilage fracture) might not be done for in this series after all. Thompson’s return was the most foreseeable, given the shooting guard’s durability and stubbornness against missing games. He was straining at Kerr’s and the medical staff’s leash Wednesday, even as he understood their safe-rather-than-sorry approach. “It just sucks missing a Finals game,” Thompson said. “It’s the NBA Finals and this is what we work our whole lives for. But I would rather miss one game than an entire series. So, it wasn’t the end of the world.”
Mark Medina: Klay on if he feels pain free with his left hamstring: “We’ll see.” But Klay add he’s encouraged with all the progress he’s made after injuring his hamstring in Game 2
Josh Lewenberg: Klay said he knew last night that he would play in Game 4, needed those extra couple days but feels good today and doesn’t think he’ll be limited. “I just can’t wait to get out here tomorrow.”
John Gonzalez: Klay Thompson said he wanted to play Game 3. Wasn’t his call. Said he’s good to go for Game 4.
Klay Thompson expected to return
Mark Medina: Steve Kerr said Klay Thompson plans to play tomorrow in Game 4
Klay Thompson to return for Game 4
Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson will return for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, league sources told Yahoo Sports, after Golden State made the difficult decision to hold him out right before before Wednesday’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. Thompson, who is nursing a left hamstring injury he suffered in Game 2, lobbied management and the coaching staff to let him play.
Thompson was a game-time decision on Wednesday, but the Warriors’ staff ultimately decided to hold him out, despite the All-Star swingman pushing to play. “The whole point was to not risk a bigger injury that would keep him out of the rest of the series,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “So that was the decision we made, and I feel very comfortable with it. Never would have forgiven myself if I played him tonight and he had gotten hurt. So you live with the decision you make, you make a wise decision, the wisest one you can, and then you live with it and move forward. “So the good thing is, Klay has done well the last two days; now he has a couple more days to heal, and hopefully he’ll be out there on Friday.”
A few members of the organization expect Thompson to return for Game 4 on Friday. If he’s healthy and ready to go, he’d be an instant boon. “He’s one of the best two-way players in the history of the league. Just him not being there defensively hurts us as well,” Cook said. “He has a body to him at all times and everybody has to know where he is at all times, so it opens up a lot for Steph and Draymond (Green)’s pick-and-roll and everyone else. We have to learn. We haven’t played without Klay in a while, so it was new. But no excuses. We had our chances.”
Nick Friedell: Kerr is hopeful that with a couple more says rest Klay will be ready for Game 4 on Friday. Kerr said he never would have forgiven himself if Klay injured his hamstring even more and couldn’t finish series.
Connor Letourneau: Klay Thompson won’t play Game 3 tonight.
Tim Bontemps: “That’s the gist of it all,” Kerr says, when asked of the possibility of Klay making the injury worse by playing. Says if there is, Klay will not play.
Connor Letourneau: Steve Kerr on what goes into deciding whether Klay Thompson will play tonight: “If there’s risk, we would not play him. He got some shots this morning, and got some running on the court, so that’s a good sign.”
Eric Smith: “If I can be out there, even at 80 per cent, I still think I can be effective…” – Thompson
Melissa Rohlin: Klay Thompson said he’s a game-time decision for tomorrow, but added that it would be hard for him to see himself not playing. pic.twitter.com/MnHFAUAUMq
January 23, 2020 | 8:14 pm UTC Update
Shams Charania: MRI on 76ers guard Josh Richardson showed slight strain of left hamstring and he’s expected to be re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks, league sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
January 23, 2020 | 7:34 pm UTC Update
I have been told by credible sources that Miami was in serious discussions with Sacramento about acquiring Trevor Ariza before he was ultimately dealt to Portland, though if I was aiming for a deep playoff run, I’d be aiming significantly higher than where Ariza is at this point in his career.
January 23, 2020 | 6:44 pm UTC Update
Former Miami Heat great Dwyane Wade isn’t surprised that new Heat swingman and his good friend Jimmy Butler is having so much success with his old team. Wade, who spent 15 seasons playing in Miami, believes that Butler has the right kind of “crazy” to fit in with the Heat’s culture.
“I think Jimmy’s been very clear, and I think I’ve spoken a few times, it’s conversations that we had about Miami early on, and it’s certain people that you just know are Miami Heat guys when you know the culture,” Wade said during a conference call Wednesday to announce his new role with Turner Sports. “And for me, I always thought that Jimmy was that — not knowing that this would actually happen — but I always thought that Jimmy’s personality and his crazy is perfect for [Heat president] Pat Riley and [coach] Erik Spoelstra’s crazy.”
“I think it’s all based off of honesty, truthfulness, hard work and intention,” Butler told ESPN after scoring 24 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds in a 134-129 overtime win over the Washington Wizards. “And I feel like when you talk about myself, you talk about Spo, you talk about Coach Pat, that’s what all of this thing is based off of: how hard you work, how you can keep it real with one another and not take anything personal. It fits for me here. I’m loving it, man. They’re constantly in my ear, and we’re constantly going back and forth, figuring out ways that I can be better. How I can make everybody else better. But this culture — I’m super happy to be here. I’m fortunate to be here, man. This is a great group of guys. It’s a great organization. But like [Wade] said, this is the right type of crazy for me.”
January 23, 2020 | 6:33 pm UTC Update
Jenkins has given Crowder his blessing to speak up in such situations. Crowder’s been a starter since Day 1 this season due in part to his ability to lead — both by example and with his sometimes harsh words. He barks at his teammates when they are not in position, and he speaks his mind when he disagrees with the coaching staff. And he might even applaud you if you pick up a technical foul.
“He’s an unbelievable leader,” Jenkins said. “Our first conversation, we sat down and had breakfast, and he was super excited about this opportunity. Obviously he’s bounced around the last couple of years, but he’s learned so much. He was freely sharing how much he’d learned from when he started in Dallas, the success that he had in Boston, going to Utah, a successful team. Obviously, as we started the season we had different expectations coming in. We didn’t know what we were going to have. But he was excited about helping these young guys grow and taking on a new role.”
Crowder arrived in Memphis as a piece in the Mike Conley-to-Utah trade. He was initially unsure about his place on the young roster and was apprehensive about playing on a team that many projected would be one of the worst in the Western Conference. Then the front office reached out to him and explained the team’s goals for the season. The Grizzlies wanted Crowder to be a mentor for their young roster. It wasn’t a role Crowder was accustomed to, but he accepted the challenge.
“I was like, ‘I want to be a part of it, I’ll buy into it,’” Crowder said. “Obviously it’s a challenge for me, where I’m at in my career. … I’ve been in the playoffs the last five years. That’s what I want to do. Obviously we’ve been winning games — we’re in the playoffs now. I’ve just been trying to lead and be accountable for myself and accountable for my teammates.”
Sarah K. Spencer: The Hawks fly to OKC this afternoon — that means Trae Young gets to watch from home with family as All-Star starters are announced. “Hopefully some good news comes out of it… For me being able to watch it and tune in, being in Oklahoma, and playing in OKC, that’s a dream.”
January 23, 2020 | 4:52 pm UTC Update
Mavericks, Sixers interested in Danilo Gallinari
Danilo Gallinari stands out as an option. Multiple playoff teams have expressed interest in the Thunder forward, including the Mavericks and Sixers, according to league sources. Gallinari is a potent scorer everywhere on the court, in any play type—whether he’s posting up, isolating, or in the pick-and-roll as a screener or ball handler. Though Gallinari, 31, has never been an All-Star, he’s played like one this season in Oklahoma City and last season with the Clippers. Gallinari can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but few teams will have cap space, and most of them will be younger teams unlikely to pursue players in their 30s.
The Mavericks are continuously cited by league sources as a potential landing spot for Grizzlies wing Andre Iguodala, who could help them this season as a secondary ball handler without compromising their future cap space. The Mavs have also made offers to the Timberwolves for Robert Covington, but those have been declined, according to multiple league sources. Covington won’t make many plays off the dribble, but he’d be an upgrade over Dorian Finney-Smith as a 3-and-D wing. It remains to be seen whether Dallas has the ammo to complete a trade, but it’s clear that the team is looking to bolster its postseason odds.
Whereas Marc Gasol is positionally adept and can occasionally draw charges or make life difficult with his no-jump verticality, Ibaka makes a scorer pause, think and sometimes change his shot. Both players’ defensive versatility is growing, though. “The good thing is this year we’ve been trying to give them the same coverages,” Fred VanVleet said of the two centres. “It doesn’t always work. But last year, it was like two different teams — when Serge was at the five and Marc was at the five, it was completely different. But I think this year, they’re in the same coverages a lot. We’re challenging them to switch and be up and move their feet. It gives us a lot in the toolbox at the end of the year.”
“I think there’s a plan of being more aggressive and looking at the basket as a first option,” Gasol said. “And after that, just playing out of that. Some games, the ball is going to go in more, sometimes it’s not, but I’m someone that always looks for the next play, next action, and try to get guys involved. … Sometimes I overthink the game, trying to get going some of the guys that are not getting going. And you know, by being sometimes too unselfish, you can be selfish in a weird way.”
Justin Kubatko: Most triple-doubles by a player in his first five NBA seasons: 135 – Oscar Robertson. 59 – Magic Johnson. 36 – Nikola Jokic*. 29 – Grant Hill. 26 – Jason Kidd. 26 – Ben Simmons. * 19p/12r/10a last night.
Justin Kubatko: The @utahjazz have tied the team record for most consecutive 20-point wins with three. They also recorded three straight 20-point wins in December 1990, November 1995, and November 2004.
Nets Daily: DeAndre Jordan has received the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for December, presented in recognition of his efforts to brighten the holidays for children and families through his “6 Days of Giving” initiative.
January 23, 2020 | 4:04 pm UTC Update
Malik Monk on Knicks' radar
On the trade front: some in the Knicks organization see Charlotte’s Malik Monk as a trade target worth pursuing, per SNY sources. It’s unknown if the Knicks have had conversations with the Hornets about Monk, the No. 11 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Multiple contenders continue to monitor the Marcus Morris situation with the hope that New York considers moving the veteran. As SNY previously reported, there are people in the Knick organization who see Morris as an important part of the club’s future and would like to re-sign him.
“It’s not something that I think the coaching staff was overly comfortable with, just conceptually. But I also don’t really care. We’ve spent 14 weeks putting him in position to have a sustainable future, and we’re going to be very mindful of that moving forward.” David Griffin on Zion playing in limited minutes.
ESPN Stats & Info: Zion Williamson scored 22 points in 18:18 of action Wednesday, or 1.20 points per minute. That’s the most points per minute in a player’s NBA debut in the shot-clock era (since 1954-55). h/t @EliasSports
Justin Kubatko: Zion Williamson is the 48th player in the 3-point era to score at least 20 points in his NBA debut. Among those players, he’s just the third to finish with more points than minutes played, joining Willie Burton and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. pic.twitter.com/6daWElkyQd
That one stretch left Pelicans fans less bothered by the loss than downright giddy about what the future will hold. His teammates weren’t that impressed, though, because they believe this is just the beginning. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet. He had some explosive rebounds and explosive (plays) to the rim,” said Brandon Ingram, who had 22 points on 6-of-22 shooting. “But I think as he gets comfortable, he can be even better.”
Privately, though, expectations for the 2019-2020 Knicks were set during the team’s first official meeting. Members of the front office addressed the players in the meeting and conveyed two distinct messages, according to SNY sources familiar with the discussions: 1. They said, in no uncertain terms, that they believed that the Knicks were a playoff team and anything less than that was a disappointment. 2. Players who were entering free agency in the summer of 2020 were told that they would be judged much more heavily on the team’s win-loss record than their individual play.
Anthony Chiang: NBA All-Star starters will be announced today at 7 p.m. Bam Adebayo is not expected to make it in as a starter, but it’s expected to be a close call for Jimmy Butler.
Why is LaMelo shutting it down now? We’re six weeks out from the original injury, and questions were starting to arise about his future there. Few NBA executives are surprised by this news, and even fewer who have spoken with The Athletic believe this is wholly about the injury. There has been an assumption throughout league offices that from the time Ball injured his foot, he was going to shut it down. That’s not to say the foot injury is illegitimate.
Simply put, folks within NBA front offices believed that Ball would come to the conclusion he had done enough to place himself into a comfortable position entering the pre-draft process. While one executive did make a case to me that Ball could legitimately help himself by playing, no one really expected it. Also, there wasn’t much left for him to compete for from a team concept either.
Having said that, the early indications from scouts that I’ve talked to have been largely positive. He’s put his head down and worked since he’s been in Australia. People who have come into contact with him have come away impressed with his maturity level after he’s had to deal with a lot of personal upheaval in his life over the last few years. His mother had a stroke. He was pulled out of high school. He’s traveled the globe trying to find a basketball home. It’s been a lot in the last 24 months. All of this occurring while achieving a level of viral internet fame that few people his age have received. And yet, sources say he’s adjusted to it all and is a good kid.
Several veteran executives observing from the outside were surprised at the way things unfolded. “I don’t think I’ve seen a coach address the media, coach practice and get let go,” one exec said. “Terrible optics.” When reached by SNY for comment on the information in this story, Fizdale declined to discuss the specific details. But he did say that he hopes Miller gets “a chance to stay on as head coach after this year.” “I hope Mike, who I remain in touch with, and the players there can continue to build on what we started together,” Fizdale added.
As the losses mounted early in the season, the preseason playoff expectations weighed heavily on some of the Knicks. “They were definitely playing tight,” one person in touch with those players at the time said. “(Some of the players eligible for 2020 free agency) were already worried about next summer.” Those early-season losses also led to immediate speculation about Fizdale’s job security. The speculation increased, of course, after Mills and Perry held their impromptu press conference in early November.
Two people close to the head coach said that he is bothered by the suggestion, from some media reports, that he was content with being fired because he’d be collecting the money remaining on his $22 million contract. When asked about that theory after Miami’s recent game in New York, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra strongly refuted the idea. “That’s total BS. That’s not him at all,” said Spoelstra, who worked with Fizdale for 10 years in Miami. “I’ve worked with Fiz for a long period of time and he’s a great teacher and committed to his craft. Being content with anything is not in his DNA.”
January 23, 2020 | 12:53 pm UTC Update
The Hawks were close to a deal that would have sent Chandler Parsons and the Nets’ 2020 first-round pick to Detroit for Drummond, but Atlanta was unwilling to add the pick because Drummond’s contract extension demands are currently too high, according to multiple league sources.
The Spanish Charlotte Hornets player, Willy Hernangmez, said it will be “a dream to play again with Luka Doncic” before the ‘NBA Pars Game 2020’, the first regular season game on French soil in history to face the Friday Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks. “Of course it will be a dream to play again with Luka (Doncic) and with Kristaps (Porzingis), who have been my companions. You never know what is going to happen and where you are going to be, but right now I am focused on trying to take advantage of the opportunities, on playing anywhere and being able to give the maximum of m, “Hernangmez said. “With Luka we are always supporting each other, always playing the game console, talking on FaceTime… It makes me very happy for how he is playing, for how he is dominating the league and that he is always there, giving us courage to my brother and me, because he knows they are difficult times, “he added about the Dallas Mavericks Slovenian.
On Christmas Day, DeLooper, 28, of Fishtown, set off on an epic quest crisscrossing North America to see all 30 NBA teams play at home in 30 days. His goal: to get on every NBA arena’s Jumbotron. As of Thursday, DeLooper had 29 very successful and very silly Jumbotron appearances under his belt, with just one more to go Thursday night.
