Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Suns off to their best NBA season start in many years

Some Phoenix Suns team game notes, as they face the Lakers tonight:

At 22-11, the Suns have their best 33-game start to a season since 2007-08 as they face the reigning champs for the first time in the regular season.

The Suns have won 4 straight on the road, the team’s longest road winning streak since December 2014.

The Suns have won 11 of their last 13 games overall, and they have won 13 straight when allowing fewer than 120 points.

Devin Booker was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for Feb. 22-28, his 2nd career P.O.W. honor with both coming in the last 3 weeks. He is the first Suns player to win Player of the Week twice in a 3-week span since Steve Nash in January 2007.

Booker scored a season-high 43 points on Sunday at Minnesota, his 99th career 30-point game as he closes in on No. 100.

Chris Paul has 15 assists in 2 straight, a first for him since March 2016.

Jazz success this NBA season has put a target on their backs

Thanks to all the winning they’re doing this season, the Jazz have a target on their backs. Via the Salt Lake Tribune:

First came the 11-game winning streak. Then a follow-up nine-game winning streak. The surge to the top of the NBA standings. The universal praise from opposing coaches. The growing-if-guarded optimism from fans. The recognition and acknowledgement from national media types. The begrudging top position in pundits’ respective power rankings.

Yeah, the Utah Jazz were unquestionably the hottest team in the NBA.

And now, as a result, they are perhaps the most targeted.

Monday night’s loss in New Orleans was their second defeat in three games, and their third in the past six. Even many of their wins of late have been increasingly hard-fought. The price of Utah’s early success, it would seem, is that they are no longer perceived as simply a feel-good story, a scrappy team collectively playing over their heads, but rather a legitimate threat deserving of opponents’ full attention every night now.

It’s a good problem to have. Teams playing harder against the Jazz in the regular season will help toughen the Jazz up and prepare them for the playoffs. Utah’s eyes should be on the prize. They’re serious this season. And should welcome their opponents’ best.

The Hornets deserve respect, says forward Miles Bridges

The Hornets deserve respect, says forward Miles Bridges. Via the Charlotte Observer:

“Opponents, they still think we’re scrubs. We’re just trying to show people that it’s a new year,” Bridges said Friday, before the Hornets play the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

The Hornets just beat the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Afterward, Charlotte guard Malik Monk said of the rest of the league, “We’re going to make them respect us.”

That follows Bridges’ blunt comments in the preseason about the Hornets’ four-season absence from the playoffs: “The Hornets, we haven’t been a good organization for a long time. Let’s be honest about it — everybody here, we’re tired of that.”

“We’re still under .500, but I feel like we’ve opened a lot of teams’ eyes as to how (much) better the Hornets are getting and how good we’re going to be in the future,” said Bridges.

The Hornets are 15-16, tying them with the Bulls for the 7th best record in the Eastern conference. The team’s leading scorers are Gordon Hayward at 21.8 points per game, Terry Rozier at 20.4 PPG, rookie LaMelo Ball at 14.8 PPG, and Devonte’ Graham at 13.7 PPG.

Atlanta Dream sold to Larry Gottesdiener, Renee Montgomery and Suzanne Abair

The WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors have unanimously approved the sale of the Atlanta Dream to Larry Gottesdiener, Chairman of Northland, an industry-leading national real estate firm. The three-member investor group is comprised of former Dream star Renee Montgomery, Northland President and Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Abair, and Gottesdiener.

“With the unanimous WNBA and NBA votes, today marks a new beginning for the Atlanta Dream organization and we are very pleased to welcome Larry Gottesdiener and Suzanne Abair to the WNBA,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “I admire their passion for women’s basketball, but more importantly, have been impressed with their values. I am also thrilled that former WNBA star Renee Montgomery will be joining the ownership group as an investor and executive for the team. Renee is a trailblazer who has made a major impact both in the game and beyond.”

“It is a privilege to join a team of inspiring women who strive for excellence on the court and equity off the court,” said Larry Gottesdiener. “I would like to express my gratitude to Commissioner Engelbert, Commissioner Silver, and the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors for the opportunity.”

Two-time WNBA champion Renee Montgomery will be the first former player to become both an owner and executive of a WNBA team. Montgomery sat out the 2020 season to focus on social justice issues and recently announced her retirement from the league after 11 seasons.

“My Dream has come true,” said Renee Montgomery. “Breaking barriers for minorities and women by being the first former WNBA player to have both a stake in ownership and a leadership role with the team is an opportunity that I take very seriously. I invite you to join me as the Dream builds momentum in Atlanta!”

Founded in 2007, the Dream has qualified for the WNBA Playoffs eight times and has reached the WNBA Finals three times. The team’s former owners, Dream Too LLC, the Atlanta Dream ownership group, purchased the team in 2011.

Mary Brock and Kelly Loeffler commented on the transaction saying, “Ten years ago we stepped up to keep the Dream in Atlanta, as an important asset for a vibrant and diverse city. It was also important to us to help level the playing field for women’s professional sports. We are proud of what we accomplished and wish the team well in their next chapter. We will always value the hard work and dedication, and the memories, fans and friendships that sustained our commitment to the Atlanta Dream over the last decade.”

The Dream will play the 2021 season at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park, a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue. The 2021 WNBA regular season schedule will be announced at a later date.

Pelicans running offense more through Zion Williamson

“Over the past two weeks, the Pelicans have increasingly let Zion Williamson take the reins to their offense. He is dribbling the ball up the floor and getting them into their sets. To say he inspires fear when he attacks from the middle of the floor is like saying Michael Jordan was a decent dunker…

Over the past month, the Pelicans are a hair away from ranking first in the NBA in offensive efficiency. On the season, they have vaulted all the way to seventh in points scored per 100 possessions. Putting the ball in Williamson’s hands and giving him the freedom to create has made them more dynamic than almost anyone imagined they could be.

“I was always trained to be a point guard,” Williamson said. “A point guard can’t get rattled. You always have to make the best play and find the best option. It just goes back to that.”

– Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Pelicans Analysis: It’s no surprise that if you give Zion Williamson the ball more, good things will happen. He’s a matchup nightmare for most of the league’s defenders. He’s also super fun to watch, which makes this an even better move.

Unfortunately for the Pelicans, they still have a lot of work to do in the standings department. At just 12-15, they’re tied with the Kings for the West’s 11th best record. They’ve won a most five of their last 10 games. So there’s still plenty of work to be done.

James Harden is the Nets point guard, says Kyrie Irving

As soon as the Nets traded for James Harden, the obvious question was if he’d be more of a shooting guard or if Kyrie Irving would play that role. And even though Harden was a shooting guard early in his career, he’s clearly proven to be an assist-producing machine. The obvious guess was that he should be the Nets’ PG, with Irving playing off the ball a bit more as a pure scorer. Well, Irving agrees. Via the NY Post:

James Harden dissected Golden State with 16 assists Saturday night, the most by a player in Brooklyn Nets history. And as he continues to look like the most effective point guard in the league, the Nets’ former point guard has officially bestowed the position on him.

“I feel like he’s doing a great job of managing the point guard role,” Kyrie Irving said after the Nets’ 134-117 victory over the Warriors on Saturday night. “We established that maybe four days ago now. I just looked at him, and I said, ‘You’re the point guard, and I’m going to play shooting guard.’

“That was as simple as that. So he’s been taking control of the responsibilities and doing an incredible job. It just makes my job easier to just go out and play free and just make plays. It’s a luxury. I just want to continue it.”

The Nets offense is already excellent and should get even better as the season progresses, especially as roles get more clearly defined and chemistry further develops.

Examining possible NBA MVP candidates from the Jazz

Through yesterday’s games, the Jazz have the best record in the NBA. But do they have an NBA MVP candidate? Or two? Via the Salt Lake Tribune:

Donovan Mitchell is certainly the Jazz’s highest-profile player. He averages 24 points per game, has the Adidas shoe deal and ranks fourth in the Western Conference guards in All-Star votes — the only Jazzman to appear in the top 10. He’s unquestionably the Jazz’s offensive leader, and even as a younger player, is the most important player voice in the Jazz’s locker room. Over the course of the winning streak, he’s been terrific in multiple facets: scoring, playmaking, rebounding, you name it, he’s done it…

Rudy Gobert is another plausible candidate. He leads Las Vegas’ odds as the most likely player to be named Defensive Player of the Year, which would be the third of his career. He has taken yet another defensive leap this season, getting more blocks per minute than he’s had since his rookie year.
He’s being increasingly recognized for his offensive contributions, too.

The best records in the league through yesterday’s games belong, in order, to the Jazz, Lakers, Sixers, Clippers, Bucks and Suns. Those squads have .600 or better records. And if you’re going to pick out MVP candidates from that list, both Mitchell and Gobert do at least deserve consideration.

Luguentz Dort a defensive stopper for Thunder

Thunder guard Luguentz Dort is great on defense, not so great on offense. Via the Oklahoman:

Luguentz Dort keeps jacking up 3-pointers. And missing. Missing badly, in most cases.

Dort has missed 13 straight from deep. Over the last six games, he’s made three of 30. Thunder fans know the drill well. A defensive stopper who can’t shoot a lick.

It can be quite frustrating. Slammed if you do. Slammed if you don’t.

But the Thunder is not careening down Andre Roberson Boulevard. Dort is different from Roberson and Thabo Sefolosha and Terrance Ferguson, the latter a wannabe in OKC’s pantheon of defensive aces.

Dort is bold. Bold on defense, yes. But bold on offense also. And that’s a good thing. That’s a very good thing.

Dort is young. And with the Thunder in a rebuilding state, there is plenty of time for his offense to develop.

Dennis Smith Jr. happy for fresh start with Pistons

Sometimes, players make no secret of being happy about a change of scenery. Such is the case with former Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr., who is now a Detroit Piston. Via the NY Post:

Dennis Smith Jr. said he was “smiling all day’’ after hearing on Sunday he was being traded from the Knicks to the Pistons for Derrick Rose.

At the time, Smith, a key acquisition in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, was in the G-League’s bubble in training camp for the Westchester Knicks — upon his request.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau had banished him from the rotation after an early season quad injury, and Smith, 23, knew his chances of getting back weren’t good.

“I was super excited,’’ Smith said in his introductory Zoom call Wednesday after his first practice. “I was down in the ‘G’ getting ready to have our first scrimmage. I heard the news. I was just smiling all day. I couldn’t really sleep that night. I was looking at it as an opportunity and a fresh start and make the most out of it.”

The Pistons were the talk of the NBA yesterday, beating the Nets, who were without Kevin Durant but, on paper, certainly looked like the favorite. Smith didn’t play, but could make his Pistons debut Thursday in Detroit against the Pacers.

Derrick Rose will initially come off bench for Knicks

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is very happy to once again have Derrick Rose on his team. Via the NY Post:

The Knicks got “one of the elite players in this league’’ for Dennis Smith Jr. That’s at least the take of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who has a blind spot for Derrick Rose.

Thibodeau said Rose will “initially’’ come off the bench and is happy to hear his favorite player tell him the great shape he is in.

Using the word “initially’’ could mean Elfrid Payton, the Knicks’ starting point guard, should be on alert if his play does not stay up to standards.

Thibodeau has raved about Payton’s defense, but now he’s got one of his favorite players of all time on his side in Rose. Thibodeau has coached Rose in Chicago, Minnesota and now New York…

A Pistons source said Rose’s production dropped off after 25 or so minutes and they kept him on an unofficial minutes restriction. But Thibodeau has always had a soft spot, despite the knee surgeries, for Rose, who won the league’s MVP award in Chicago 10 years ago when he was 22 and Thibodeau was his head coach.

Last season for the Pistons, Rose mostly came off the bench but put up starter numbers: 18.1 points and 5.6 assists in 26.0 minutes per game, shooting an impressive 49% FG.

This season for the Pistons, Rose came off the bench for all 15 games played, but was a less productive, putting up 14.2 points and 5.2 assists in 22.8 minutes per outing, shooting 43% FG.