
Storyline: LaMarcus Aldridge Trade?
52 rumors in this storyline

As far as teams that could pop up as potential Aldridge suitors, HoopsHype asked various NBA executives for their thoughts on the matter, and one of the first landing spots that was mentioned was a familiar team for the big man: “The Portland Trail Blazers could make sense,” a Western Conference exec told us. “Would Portland give up Hassan Whiteside plus Zach Collins or a pick?”
More Rumors in this Storyline
Portland wasn’t the only team mentioned for Aldridge. Another one that came up was the Denver Nuggets, who are 13-4 and aren’t even playing their best basketball yet. “Maybe Denver could be a destination for Aldridge,” a Western Conference executive mentioned to HoopsHype. “If they think he can play the 4, it could make sense. He probably can’t play the 4 at this stage, but I don’t know how other front offices feel. Malik Beasley and Mason Plumlee for LaMarcus is one possible trade scenario.”
A third Western Conference club was also brought up as a potential destination for Aldridge. The Phoenix Suns, losers in six of their last seven games after a surprisingly strong start to the season, were mentioned by a Western Conference executive, though he questioned if they had the salaries to match San Antonio on such a deal.
Finally, the Sacramento Kings were the last team mentioned by league execs for Aldridge. “Would Sacramento trade [multiple salaries] and picks for Aldridge?” an NBA executive wondered. “I’m not positive if the money works, but can Aldridge step in and teach Marvin Bagley?”
The Celtics can be a legitimate threat to win the East, the thinking goes, but will need a big, multi-faceted center who can match up both with Philadelphia’s interior behemoth Joel Embiid to do so. and Milwaukee’s perimeter-oriented Brook Lopez. Among the candidates: Indiana’s Myles Turner and San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge. But the Pacers would be unlikely, sources have told Heavy.com, to trade Turner in the Eastern Conference, if at all.
LaMarcus Aldridge has said he could envision himself playing with Damian Lillard again. Could it happen via a reunion in Portland? Spurs insider @JabariJYoung thinks so. “I think at the end of the day, someway, somehow, LaMarcus will be back in Portland.” #RipCity
Last season, a deep rift developed between the team and All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, to the point where Aldridge called former teammate Damian Lillard and asked him to approach general manager Neil Olshey about bringing Aldridge back to Portland, a person familiar with the conversation told B/R.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked what helped to bring about LaMarcus Aldridge’s resurgence: “When he said, ‘I want to be traded.’ It’s as simple as that. I said, ‘Woah, nobody’s ever said that to me before.’ It’s my 20-whatever year, and nobody’s ever said that like, ‘I’m not enjoying this. I’m not confident. I’m not sure you want me here. I want to be traded.’”
Popovich was asked if that conversation took place after the season. “Yes, yes. I thought that’s already been public? So, we had some dinners and meetings and laughed. I was very candid with him. I told him, ‘I’d be happy to trade you. You get me a talent like Kevin Durant, and I’ll drive you to the airport. I’ll pack your bags. And I will drive you there, get you on the plane, and get you seated.’
Gregg Popovich: “As discussions went on, it became apparent to me that it really was me. He’s been playing in the league for nine years. I’m not going to turn him into some other player. I could do some things defensively or rebounding-wise. But on offense, I was going to move him everywhere. That was just silly on my part. Total overcoaching. So, we took care of it, and he’s been fantastic.”
Aldridge has had an up-and-down tenure with the Spurs across his two seasons since signing as a free agent from Portland. San Antonio did discuss trade scenarios with teams centered on Aldridge in this off season, league sources said. At times, Aldridge hasn’t been happy with the franchise, and the franchise hasn’t been happy with him. Nevertheless, Aldridge arrived into training camp in strong shape and with a better relationship with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Both sides understand that the uncertainty of free agency next summer could make an extension a wise option.
LaMarcus Aldridge wants his mystery fan to know he’s appreciative of a recent billboard created in his honor. “I’ve seen it, but I don’t know where it came from,” said Aldridge before the Spurs played the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game Friday evening. “I have nothing to do with it. … But it was cool.”
“I like it,” Aldridge said. “I appreciate it, especially after the summer with everything (trade rumors) that was going around. So, I’m thankful for whoever done it. I want to say thank you because I actually like it.” The Spurs did not grant permission for Aldridge’s image to be displayed on the billboard, but the team has no plans to request the photo be removed.
Melissa Rohlin: Aldridge on trade rumors: “I don’t take it personal anymore.”
ESPN’s Marc Stein first reported that the Spurs are attempting to create salary-cap flexibility to pursue Chris Paul this summer, and a combo acquisition of the Clippers’ All-Star point guard and Iguodala has been discussed internally, sources say. The Spurs have made LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green available for trades, according to sources.
Tom Orsborn: Buford when asked if Aldridge asked for trade: “We are happy with the group we have. If we can make it better, we will do it.” #Spurs
Jason Quick: Update: Source indicates no way Aldridge to Portland will happen.
According to a person with knowledge of the Spurs forward’s situation, it’s the 31-year-old’s unhappiness in San Antonio that is the driving force behind the Spurs’ trade talks on Thursday. The five-time All-Star, according to the person, is hopeful that San Antonio can find a better fit for his talents.
According to a person with knowledge of the Suns’ situation, it appears unlikely that Aldridge is Phoenix-bound anytime soon. While the Suns have the No. 4 pick and could likely put a package together to appease the Spurs, the person said there was “nothing there.”
Sean Deveney: Asked a GM abt LaMarcus Aldridge trade value. Said, “Fact he wants out of San Antonio says a lot about whether you want him on your team.”
Marc Stein: Any team trading for LaMarcus Aldridge has to know it can re-sign him. Which surely hampers San Antonio’s efforts to acquire a top-10 pick
RJ Marquez: ESPN @Ramona Shelburne just said #Spurs having ‘conversations’ about possible Aldridge/Danny Green deals, SA/Chris Paul interest remains high pic.twitter.com/SJ8PZBo6n3
As the Spurs investigate ways to trade up in today’s draft, an interesting name as surfaced as a potential ticket into the lottery: LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs have spoken to a handful of teams attempting to find a trade partner in a deal involving the five-time All-Star, league sources say. The asking price for Aldridge is steep. The Spurs would like to move into the top 10.
Spurs shopping LaMarcus Aldridge
The San Antonio Spurs, in pursuit of a top-10 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, have spoken to at least three teams about a possible trade involving power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, sources confirmed to ESPN. Signed to an $84 million contract in 2015 as the club’s most significant acquisition in free agency, Aldridge received widespread criticism for his play in the 2017 postseason, as he averaged a career-low 16.5 points per game in the playoffs along with career lows in player efficiency rating (15.2) and blocks (1.0).
As for his level of contentment, Aldridge — who reminds skeptics how the Spurs won a franchise-record 67 games in his first season there before falling to Oklahoma City in the second round — swears there’s nothing to see here. “That’s just media,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “And that’s why I don’t get into it. The organization is happy with me, and I’m happy with them, and as long as we keep a good relationship then everything is fine.
“That’s just media,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “And that’s why I don’t get into it. The organization is happy with me, and I’m happy with them, and as long as we keep a good relationship then everything is fine. It’s been great. My family is closer (to him in Texas than when he was in Portland). I’m closer to home (Dallas), and I’m in California during the summer (Newport Beach) so it’s just nice being in Texas year-round now.”
Adrian Wojnarowski on why the rumors about LaMarcus Aldridge’s future started in San Antonio: “I don’t know where that’s coming from. They’re in a ‘win now” mindset. … I’m not sure he’s ever really happy. He’s not happy in Portland because he doesn’t have a supporting cast. Then, they draft an All-Star point guard and he’s not happy…”
Tom Orsborn: Aldridge said no one from #Spurs has talked to him about trade rumors, nor has he asked: “This team is 1st class. I’d have known already.”
To address this rumor, LaMarcus Aldridge appeared on The Jim Rome Show to talk about the report and squashed it immediately. Aldridge said he is not buying into the rumor, citing he is happy in San Antonio, likes he is part of the on-the-court leadership with Kawhi Leonard, and is enjoying the winning culture. “I didn’t buy into it. I haven’t heard anything about it. I talked to Pop (head coach Gregg Popovich) daily and he’s always telling me that I’m doing great,” Aldridge said. “Trying to be a more of a leader. He’s put me in positions where I can be more of a leader. As long as the guys here aren’t saying bad things to me. All my teammates have said nothing but great things to me.”
LaMarcus Aldridge: “I’m winning. Of course I’m happy. That’s why I don’t buy into the rumors. I feel like I do my job here and I feel like I’ve done everything that they’ve asked. That’s why I haven’t bought into the rumors.”
Asked if the rumors are a distraction for the Spurs as they prepare for Friday’s preseason finale against the Houston Rockets, Gasol said, “Not at all. It hasn’t been brought up or anything. But it’s weird.” Gasol said it helps that the players learned long ago to focus only on what they can control. “Some things are completely out of your control,” he said. “I always say, you control what you can control. You control what’s in your hands. Wake up with a smiling face, go to work and feel blessed. You have an incredible job. If stuff happens because people make certain decisions about you, this is a business at the end of the day, and you just continue to do what you do and be who you are. Don’t let that affect your daily routine. Don’t let that affect your behavior. Just continue to be true to yourself and control what you can control.”
When Aldridge opted to sign with the Spurs, he was led to believe he’d be the future of the franchise in much the way Tim Duncan took the mantle from David Robinson. The belief was that Aldridge would spend a year learning the “Spurs’ way” and would then lead the team forward with Kawhi Leonard as his wingman. That was the plan as Aldridge’s camp understood it. That is not how it’s playing out. Leonard has emerged as the better fit as “the franchise player” and Aldridge is being pushed into the No. 2 role (and sometimes No. 3) depending on how the Spurs play. Leonard finished second in Most Valuable Player voting last season.
This has become a source of frustration, mainly because the Spurs are not going to be the championship contender Aldridge thought he was joining and he won’t be the focal-point guy who becomes an All-Star. The other part, according to those around the situation, is that Gregg Popovich isn’t coddling him or treating him like the primary guy. Not that Aldridge requires that, but it’s becoming clear that he may not be the guy the Spurs thought he’d be.
Sources close to the situation say that there has been zero talk of trading Aldridge and that any suggestion of the Spurs being open to it is misplaced. But what those around the situation are seeing (and talking about) is that the honeymoon for both the Spurs and Aldridge is clearly over. Both sides were open to the learning process the first year, but now both sides seem to want the other to deliver on their end of the promise.
LaMarcus Aldridge unhappy in San Antonio?
Those close to the situation suggest Aldridge may not be happy at the moment. The belief is the Spurs pitched him on becoming the center of their offense when they recruited him in 2015, and that hasn’t occurred with the rise of Kawhi Leonard. However, a team source said there are currently no problems with Aldridge, adding he is apart of the Spurs’ future.
In the start of year two, it appears the LaMarcus Aldridge experiment in San Antonio is in danger of collapsing. The Express-News has been informed by a league source the Spurs are open to trading the former Longhorn should the right package surface. Those within the Spurs refuted the suggestion, saying no talks have occurred with any team.
This isn’t the first time rumors surrounding Aldridge’s future with San Antonio have surfaced. Last season, there were rumblings in NBA circles that Aldridge wanted to be traded before the All-Star break, maybe to a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs didn’t bite, though, won 67 games and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
I’m doing what I can to confirm these, and will update this story as soon as I’m able. In the meanwhile, we’re left wondering what exactly might be going wrong. UPDATE: I heard back from my Spurs source, and the team denies Jackie MacMullan’s report.
Some in NBA circles speculate Aldridge may not be with the Spurs by the end of his deal, which runs through the end of next season, with a player option worth roughly $22 million for the 2018-19 season.
LaMarcus Aldridge rumors shot down
Jeff McDonald: FWIW, Spurs sources are denying trade talks involving LaMarcus Aldridge have taken place.
The Boston Celtics are in a position to trade for a player of Aldridge’s caliber, should he become available, due to the value of the players on their roster and future picks. “Sources were telling me the other day that LaMarcus Aldridge may not even finish the year with the Spurs. That experiment hasn’t quite worked out the way they’d hoped. I think there’s going to be a lot of shifting around. That (Nets) pick is going to be very, very valuable,” said Jackie Macmullen.
The odds are against any deal happening. Signing Gasol to a two-year deal (with a player option for 2017-18) is something of an all-in move, and even if Gasol opts out after this season, the Aldridge-Leonard combo is a shiny lure for free agents. But if the season unfolds the wrong way, here’s betting the Spurs at least listen.
December 12, 2019 | 9:50 am UTC Update

Love has been mentioned frequently, but is a question mark. There was a report that Portland is his favored destination, but I have not been able to substantiate that and, in fact, have been told by people close to him that the report is not necessarily true. And the other concern with Love – who is obviously a terrific player with championship pedigree – are his injuries. Over his last three seasons, he has played 60, 59, and 22 games. At an average salary of $30.1 million over the next three seasons, his availability is a concern.
As Woj noted, the Wolves made a heavy play for D’Angelo Russell in the offseason before he wound up in Golden State in a sign-and-trade. While Woj didn’t draw a straight line between the Wolves’ ongoing point guard pursuit and Russell, it remains a logical fit given Golden State’s struggles and that Russell is one of those players suddenly able to be dealt Sunday. “I think Minnesota out there, they wanted a point guard this summer, they went after D’Angelo Russell in free agency, he goes to Golden State in the sign-and-trade,” Woj said. “I think they’re in the market for a point guard or something that sets them up to get one in July.”

CJ talked about what Melo has brought to the team and how him passing up the Blazers in the past was “a blessing in disguise” for him. I told him ‘you going to [Oklahoma City and Houston] was a blessing in disguise for you.’ Because your understanding and appreciation for the game changed. He had time to be with his family, he got invaluable time with his son….He had a full year to workout and spend time with his kid and kind of like reflect on life, and I think his appreciation of the game shifted, it changed, the way he plays now you can see he’s excited about the game.
“His presence has been huge in the locker room, having another voice, another guy to speak up that people respect. When we on the floor, other teams respect him being out there. The balance that he’s giving us on the floor and off the floor has been great. It’s been a joy to have him on our team.” Lillard also noted that the Blazers are now a part of Anthony’s career story as the team to give him his comeback opportunity.
“I have a logo in there,” Leonard said when asked at the end of his news conference about the special message engraved inside his ring. “And [the ring is sized for] my middle finger, so it reminds me ‘put it on my middle finger.’ So I have like a ‘FU’ symbol in there.”
Leonard said it very matter-of-fact as reporters got a good chuckle. A Raptors source confirmed to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that there is a logo engraved inside the ring, but wouldn’t specify what it was.

The Los Angeles Lakers were perplexed as to why Jared Dudley’s role in a fourth-quarter shoving match in the team’s 96-87 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night warranted an ejection. However, they were impressed he stuck up for teammate Dwight Howard nonetheless. “I mean, that’s all it takes to get ejected? These days? Little shove?” LeBron James said after the game. “I’ve seen a lot more than that. But ‘Duds’ will do whatever. He told you guys at media day his job is to come in here if somebody goes crazy, do something crazy to me or AD [Anthony Davis] or whoever on the team, he’s going to be the muscle.”
After an official’s review, Howard and Magic guard Michael Carter-Williams were called for technical fouls, while Dudley and Magic forward Wes Iwundu — who pushed Howard — were ejected. “I thought that was kind of bogus that we both got techs for showing some emotion,” Howard said. “This is the game we love, we should be allowed to show some emotions. [It’s] not like we’re out here trying to fight or do anything crazy.”

Jim Eichenhofer: JJ Redick on #Pelicans as a group: “Energy, talk and effort are contagious, in the same way the negatives of those things are – apathy, being lethargic. There is an energy you have to bring to a group, and the group feeds on either one, whether it’s negative or positive.”
In a great interview for Spartando, the most successful European coach of all-time, Zeljko Obradovic talked about several things from his career and basketball in general but also mentioned the reason why he never joined an NBA team as a head coach. Obradovic made a pretty provocative statement saying the NBA behaves like “mafia” because it doesn’t allow European coaches to be the head coach of an NBA team. Obradovic is convinced many European coaches have enough quality and the know-how for that job.
Wayland Baptist guard J.J. Culver had a performance for the ages Tuesday night, becoming just the second player in NAIA history to score at least 100 points in a game. Culver, a 6-foot-5 senior from Lubbock, Texas, and the older brother of Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Jarrett Culver, reached the magical mark to lead his Pioneers to a 124-60 rout over Southwestern Adventist in Plainview, Texas. He was 34-for-62 from the field, including 12-for-33 from 3-point range, and 20-for-27 from the free throw line. The rest of Culver’s teammates combined to go 8-for-15 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line, while the next-highest scorer on the team was Jonathan Robinson, who finished with eight points.

Larry Tanenbaum told Postmedia he is not worried that another NBA team is once again trying to poach Masai Ujiri from the Toronto Raptors, adding that there’s no reason to believe the successful executive won’t remain in the city once his contract expires following the 2020-21 season. “We hope so,” Tanenbaum, who is MLSE part-owner and long-time chairman, said earlier this week at the Board of Governors’ meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. “We haven’t talked (about an extension) at this point in time, but if you ask him, his intentions are pretty clear.”
Ask anyone who knows Stephen A. if he’s like that in real life—and they get that question endlessly—and they’ll tell you it’s not an act. That’s really him. He is not coached to have opinions he doesn’t believe in. He is not gesticulating like a Vegas magician on camera just because he’s a creature of television. Camera or no camera, he is on. A natural ham. “My mother,” says Stephen A., “said I came out of the womb talking.”
To stay sharp, he remains disciplined in both mental and physical fitness. He works out constantly, including sit-ups and push-ups and “a little boxing” (MMA is next on his radar). He limits himself to two drinks a week and never more than that. It’s not hard to verify his moderation with his co-workers; many of them are unaware that he drinks at all.
Co-workers praise Stephen A. as compassionate and caring (when coordinating producer Antoine Lewis experienced sudden heart failure last year, one of the first people he saw when he opened his eyes in the hospital was Stephen A.). But it will not shock you to learn that Stephen A. Smith is not an easygoing fella. His armor stays on at all times, particularly when he’s got a reporter like myself throwing a hodgepodge of intrusive questions at him. He knows how this works, so he is very forthright about what he will and will not be forthright about. And he is far too shrewd to be caught off guard. He is wickedly evasive.
You might think traffic is of little concern to Stephen A., that maybe he has a personal driver. You would be wrong. Stephen A. Smith drives. Always. Twenty-seven years ago, Stephen A.’s older brother died in a car accident. Basil Smith was 33 years old at the time. “He was a traveling salesman and fifteen people were in the passenger van with him. He was the only one that died, because he was asleep.” He continues: “Everyone else was awake. They were able to brace themselves. He got thrown from the van and he was killed. And so I prefer to drive myself. Period.”
One of those people who didn’t see the truck coming was one of his own co-workers. Back in May, ESPN writer Baxter Holmes (who respectfully passed on commenting for this story) published a deep dive on Magic Johnson’s time as then president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. He found that Johnson was a ruthless dilettante who went out of his way to constantly remind subordinates that they were expendable. That story dropped the same day Magic was due to appear with Stephen A. on a SportsCenter NBA Finals special. Stephen A. was not at all happy about the timing of Holmes’s story, and said so publicly. He wanted a heads-up that the story was firing, and when that heads-up never came, he “was ticked off,” says Stephen A. “I’m not going to sit around and feel disrespected.” In fact, Stephen A. tells me that Magic was, by all accounts, right to be a cruel overlord, and that anyone complaining about it is too soft to handle living in an unfair world.

During the Magic affair, Stephen A. was letting his Crunch Berries hang out for all to see. Henry Abbott witnessed it. Abbott, whose TrueHoop blog was purchased by ESPN in 2007, and then more recently relaunched as an independent newsletter, told me, “I feel like Stephen has moved to this other place where he’s like, I’m friends with Magic Johnson. It’s personally inconvenient for me for Baxter’s story to come out. So let’s just pretend it doesn’t exist. I’m like, Where’s the guy who was working the back hallways trying to reach Aaron McKie in 2000? That guy worked his ass off.” He adds, “The enemy of truth is power, right? He has a lot of power.” Abbott has felt the sting of that power himself. “He was always mad at me, like when I wrote shit about Kobe.” When I ask Abbott if he felt like Stephen A. was bullying him by openly expressing displeasure with his work, he replies, “I felt he did, yeah.”
That whole statement got Stephen A. suspended by Skipper for a week, a suspension Stephen A. still feels was unjust. “Let me be very, very clear,” he says to me—a warning sign that he might not necessarily be clear. “I apologized because of how things were interpreted. I have never felt that I deserved to be suspended; that was the wrong damn decision. My words were very, very simple, and people tried to interpret it being different than what it is, because that’s the world we’re living in. I have never hit a woman in my life. I never would.”
As with many other powerful men, Stephen A. can point to his own career successes to validate his own worldview. He is baffled that others lack his work ethic and believes they shouldn’t be surprised when they find themselves in a rut because they failed to work eighteen hours a day. If he takes a day off, he tells me, “it’s almost like a catastrophe.” He has said many times that he feels as if he’s never arrived. I ask him why he feels that way. “If I’m asleep, somebody else is awake. If I’m off, somebody else is working,” he says. “And if those things are happening, they think they can take me, which means that at some point in time they’re going to confront me to test and see if I’m ready. And at that point I will annihilate them to show them that they were never ready at all.”
Vincent Ellis: Definitely not exceptional, but yes, I’m leaving the Free Press. #PistonsTwitter will never be the same. 🙂
Glen “Big Baby” Davis just pled no contest to felony battery stemming from an April 2018 incident at a West Hollywood nightclub — but he ain’t going to jail, TMZ Sports has learned. We broke the story … the former Boston Celtics player was accused of beating the hell out of a man outside Factory nightclub — causing major injuries.
December 12, 2019 | 3:04 am UTC Update

Having already made amends with one former fan base, as Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers faithful are embracing each other again, Howard looked to patch up another old relationship Tuesday in Orlando. “I think it takes everybody a while to get over things, but time should heal wounds, and if not, got to let that s— go,” Howard said before the Lakers played the Magic.
Dwight Howard: “That’s how — I’m sorry — That’s how I look at it. I’ve let a lot of things go in my heart, things that have kind of held me down. Things that I had towards the Magic and just how the situation ended. How I was treated by the fans and stuff like that. But I had to let that bitterness go. There’s no need to hold onto it. When I let it go, it just made my life a lot better. Just more free.”
“I got blessed to come back and play with the Lakers, and I’m in a really good situation,” Howard said. “I’m pretty sure there were a lot of people here who were super hurt and disappointed that I left. And I’m sorry for that. You know, I apologize if they felt that way. But I never would have been the person I am today if I would have stayed here. So I’m very thankful that everything that has transpired has transpired and it’s made me the best version of Dwight Howard.”

Jovan Buha: Doc says Derrick Walton Jr. hurt his hamstring and was unable to re-enter the game.
December 12, 2019 | 2:47 am UTC Update

Jovan Buha: Clippers defeat the Raptors 112-92 in Kawhi Leonard’s return to improve to 19-7 and 6-6 on the road. Clips are now 3-1 on their six-game road trip. One of their most impressive Ws. Kawhi: 23 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast Lou: 18 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast PG: 13 pts Up next: at Minnesota on Friday.

Kyle Goon: FINAL: Lakers 96, Magic 87. LeBron with 25p, 11r and 10a. Anthony Davis with 16 and KCP with 15. But this is the kind of win that highlights flaws rather than gloss over them. A gut-check start to one of the longest road trips of the season.

Scott Agness: There it is… the best win of the season for the Pacers, 122-117 over the Celtics. Kemba scored a SH 44pts. On his 27th birthday, Brogdon led the Pacers with 29pts, 8asts; 15/15 at the foul line. Holiday brothers were huge & finished the game. Up next: at Atlanta on Friday.

Adam Himmelsbach: Just saw Smart walking out of the locker room. “I’m getting better.” Asked him about tomorrow. “Don’t know yet.”

Chris Iseman: Knicks say Dennis Smith Jr is out tonight because of illness
December 12, 2019 | 2:28 am UTC Update

David Hardisty: FINAL: Rockets 116, Cavs 110. Facing an epic collapse against a bottom-feeder after giving up a 24-0 run late, Harden (55p-8a, 10-18 threes) straps the team to his back and carries Houston to the win.
Justin Kubatko: The @Houston Rockets James Harden has recorded the 22nd 50-point game of his career. The only players in NBA history with more such games are Wilt Chamberlain (118), Michael Jordan (31), and Kobe Bryant (25).

Kerith Burke: Steve Kerr said, “Most people want the Knicks to be good. I know I do.” He continued, New York is a marquee franchise and he wants to see things turn around for the fans and for the benefit of the league.

Kyle Goon: Jared Dudley got ejected, as did Wes Iwundu. Dwight Howard and Michael Carter-Williams got techs.

Chris Forsberg: Celtics say Gordon Hayward — blow to nose — will not return. Between “direct shot to abdomen” and “blow to nose,” Celtics have had some really unique injury reports.

Andrew Greif: Patrick Beverley will miss the rest of the game after suffering a concussion, per the Clippers.
December 12, 2019 | 1:57 am UTC Update

Kane Pitman: Bud says Giannis has “a little bit of soreness or significant soreness” in that quad. Just based on Bud’s words, it would seem that the weekend back-to-back would be in question also.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Devontae Cacok to a two-way contract, it was announced today. In a related move, the team has waived guard Zach Norvell Jr.

Roy Parry: Lakers C Dwight Howard checks in and is greeted by a chorus of boos from the Amway Center crowd with 5.5 seconds left. One fan yelled, “You broke our hearts, Dwight.”

James Ham: Spoke to De’Aaron Fox in the locker room. He’s feeling really good and thinks he’s about a week and a half away from a return. Starting 3v3. Still needs a big brace on his ankle.

Dave Mason: Luke Walton says Marvin Bagley will play tonight.

Logan Murdock: Eric Paschall (hip) will play tonight

Scott Agness: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver just arrived here @TheFieldhouse for Pacers-Celtics.
December 11, 2019 | 11:58 pm UTC Update
Steve Mills on the hot seat?

Several members of the organization said this week that they fully expect Steve Mills will be replaced as team president at the end of the season — if not sooner — unless the club somehow turns things around.