Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Some Lakers offseason targets

The Lakers are loaded with young talent. Will some well-established veteran stars be added to the mix? Should they be? Here’s the OC Register (via the LA Daily News website) reporting on some of LA’s likely top free agency targets this summer:

These days, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka are a bit more coy about their plans to rebuild the Lakers – funny the effect half a million dollars in tampering fines can have – but the team’s top executives remain no less certain of their ability to land superstars who can lead the Lakers back to the top of the NBA.

“We are going to find success one way or another,” Pelinka said Friday. “It is not going to be contingent on any specific decision of another player.”

The Lakers have long been expected to chase the top two free agents in this summer’s class, LeBron James and Paul George. After clearing salary cap space by trading Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson in February, Johnson and Pelinka massaged those expectations, saying their cap flexibility allowed them to add two maximum-level free agents from the classes of 2018 and ’19, and not both necessarily this year.

“We’re not going to give money away just to say we signed somebody,” Johnson said.

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Scott Brooks and Mike D`Antoni named NBA Coaches of Month for February, 2018

The Washington Wizards’ Scott Brooks and the Houston Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in February.

Brooks led the Wizards to an 8-4 record in February, including a 6-1 mark on the road, as Washington took over first place in the Southeast Division and moved up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Playing the entire month without All-Star guard John Wall, the Wizards defeated five of the seven other teams currently among the top eight in the East.

Washington opened February with a 122-119 home win over the current East-leading Toronto Raptors. The Wizards’ road success featured victories at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks. For the month, Washington led the East in assists (29.3 apg) and ranked third in field goal percentage (48.6).

Under D’Antoni, the NBA-leading Rockets went 12-0 in February, marking the third time in team history that they have gone unbeaten in a calendar month with at least 10 games. Houston ended the month with a 14-game winning streak, becoming the sixth team in NBA history with two winning streaks of at least 14 games in a season. At 48-13, Houston has its best-ever record through 61 games and a half-game lead over the Golden State Warriors for the best record in the Western Conference and overall.

In February, the Rockets outscored opponents by 14.0 points per game while finishing 8-0 on the road and 4-0 at home. Houston’s month included two victories each over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets as well as road wins against the Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs.

Other nominees for the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month were Charlotte’s Steve Clifford, Denver’s Michael Malone, Golden State’s Steve Kerr, the LA Clippers’ Doc Rivers, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luke Walton, New Orleans’ Alvin Gentry, Philadelphia’s Brett Brown, Toronto’s Dwane Casey and Utah’s Quin Snyder.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis named NBA Players of Month for February, 2018

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in February.

James averaged a triple-double in a calendar month for the first time in his 15-year career, leading the Eastern Conference in scoring (27.0 ppg) and assists (10.5 apg) and adding 10.5 rebounds in 10 games. The 6-8 forward, who tied for the league lead with four triple-doubles, shot 54.6 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three-point range and finished second in the conference in minutes (37.3 mpg). He helped the Cavaliers post a 6-4 record in February.

On Feb. 27, James recorded 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 129-123 home victory over the Brooklyn Nets. With that performance, the 33-year-old James became the first player in NBA history to accumulate 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists.

Davis averaged 35.0 points (first in the NBA), 13.0 rebounds (third), 2.45 steals (second) and 2.18 blocked shots (second) in 11 games, making him the first player in league history to hit these marks for a calendar month since steals and blocks became official statistics in 1973-74. His scoring average was a personal best for a month in which he appeared in at least five games.

Behind Davis, the Pelicans went 8-3 in February and closed the month on a seven-game winning streak, moving into a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference. In a 124-123 overtime victory against the Miami Heat on Feb. 23, the 6-10 forward became the first player ever to produce at least 40 points, 15 rebounds, five steals and five blocks in a game since steals and blocks were first recorded (45/17/5/5).

Other nominees for the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Boston’s Kyrie Irving, Golden State’s Kevin Durant, Houston’s James Harden, Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Portland’s Damian Lillard and Washington’s Bradley Beal.

Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell named NBA Rookies of Month for February, 2018

The Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in February.

Simmons won the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award for the second consecutive month and the third time this season. In February, he led East rookies in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg) and paced all first-year NBA players in assists (7.7 apg). He also tied for the rookie lead in steals (2.00 spg) and ranked third among that group in field goal percentage (55.0). The 6-10 guard/forward from Australia helped the 76ers to an 8-3 record for the month, the second-best mark in the East.

On Feb. 14, Simmons had a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as the 76ers rallied from a 24-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 104-102 in Philadelphia. In his first game after the All-Star break, Simmons scored a career-high 32 points, made the go-ahead free throw with 5.6 seconds left and added 11 assists and seven rebounds in a 116-115 road win against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 22.

Mitchell earned the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for the third month in a row. In February, he averaged a rookie-high 21.4 points to go with 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.30 steals in 10 games as Utah went 8-2 with him in the lineup and 9-2 overall. He topped all first-year NBA players with 29 three-pointers made and led West rookies with 29 free throws made.

The 6-3 guard opened the month by scoring 40 points on 14-of-19 shooting from the field (including 7-of-9 from three-point range) in a 129-97 road win over the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 2. With that performance, Mitchell became the first player in Jazz history with multiple 40-point games in his rookie season. He scored at least 24 points in each of his final four games before the All-Star break – all Utah victories.

Other nominees for the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were Atlanta’s John Collins, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen, Chicago’s Lauri Markkanen, Dallas’ Dennis Smith Jr., the Los Angeles Lakers’ Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma, Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Phoenix’s Josh Jackson and Sacramento’s Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Aaron Fox.

A few TNT NBA games will be on a virtual-reality platform

Longtime Charlotte Hornets broadcaster Stephanie Ready is branching into the cutting edge of new technology.

Ready will do color analysis for TNT for a handful of games the rest of the season on a virtual-reality platform. Ready’s first game was a Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Clippers matchup. She is scheduled for six more games the rest of this season.

Viewers need virtual reality headsets to view this experience. It creates an in-arena view, where a fan isn’t restricted to one camera angle on the game. Ready received permission from Fox Sports South, which holds Hornets TV rights, to do these games. TNT and the NBA are doing this in partnership with Intel.

— Charlotte Observer

Steve Kerr says NBA schedule spacing has been helpful

The NBA continues to do more for teams in regard to scheduling fewer back-to-back games than in the past. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, for one, says the effect has been clear, and positive. Here’s the the San Jose Mercury News reporting:

After playing in 17 sets of back-to-back games this year, the Warriors will play in 14. After playing as many as eight games in 13 days last season, the Warriors’ toughest stretch will entail playing five games in nine days. The NBA also spread out its schedule so there are more days in between games.

“The players are much more prepared to play in every game,” Kerr said. “I’ve only rested guys who are older and banged up. I haven’t felt a need to rest our guys who are in our prime. The league has done a great job with the schedule.”

Granted, the Warriors have still nursed long-term absences this season to Stephen Curry (combined 15 games), Kevin Durant (eight), Draymond Green (six) and Zaza Pachulia (right) for various injuries. But only Klay Thompson represents the Warriors’ lone core player to sit out for rest purposes. That happened only once.

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Agent Henry Thomas has died

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel with some very sad news:

Henry Thomas, arguably the most impactful player agent in the Miami Heat’s 30 seasons, died Saturday in Chicago, with Heat forward Udonis Haslem and former Heat guard Dwyane Wade among those who left their teams to travel to Chicago amid Thomas’ failing health.

Thomas, 64, represented Wade, Haslem, Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway and several other Heat players, a particularly strong influence with the organization since the arrival of Pat Riley as Heat president in 1995.

The Heat paid tribute with a moment of silence before Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Thomas’ negotiations with the Heat included a unique conditioning-based contract for Hardaway that included regular weigh-ins after the two sides reached an impasse and then several concessions from Wade over the years to accommodate the contracts of other Heat players.

Thomas was a particularly influential presence in the Heat’s formation of the Big Three championship core in 2010, representing both Bosh and Wade at the time, while also part of the agency that represented LeBron James.

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And here’s Cleveland.com with more:

Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Dwyane Wade stepped away from the team, missing Friday’s win against the Indiana Pacers, to mourn the death of his agent Henry Thomas — a man Wade viewed as a “father figure,” according to sources close to him.

Wade wrote a heartfelt Instagram message about Thomas on Saturday, complete with a picture of the two shortly after Wade was drafted by the Miami Heat in 2003.

“I’m writing this letter to you as I cry both tears of SADNESS and tears of JOY,” Wade said. “I know — i know — I can hear your voice saying, ‘Come on my man. You got this!’ I can picture your face and feel your hugs in so so many moments in my life. Whether it’s you hugging me and saying how proud you are of me or congrats on winning a NBA championship or you hugging me and saying everything’s gonna be alright — we will get thru this. I can’t thank you enough for these last 15 years.”

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Dejounte Murray puts up huge game for Spurs

Point guard Dejounte Murray made NBA history Tuesday night with an outstanding performance that helped the Spurs beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-102 and also solidified his hold on the starting point guard job.

Murray finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals in 30 minutes.

According to the Spurs, the second-year pro became just the second player in league history to record at least 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals in 30 minutes or less. Fat Lever was the first to do it with 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight steals in 28 minutes in 1987.

— Houston Chronicle

Goran Dragic and Lou Williams named NBA Players of Week

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goran_dragic

The NBA announced today that Miami HEAT guard Goran Dragić was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for week 13 (games played Monday, January 8 through Sunday, January 14). It is the fourth time Dragić has been named Player of the Week in his career, including the second time this season after also earning the honor on November 27. He has now become just the fourth player in the Eastern Conference to earn the award on multiple occasions this season and the first HEAT player to do so since LeBron James during the 2013-14 campaign. It also marks the 57th time in franchise history a HEAT player has earned the honor.

Dragić led the HEAT to a perfect 3-0 record for the week, helping to extend their current seven-game winning streak and their NBA-best 14 consecutive victories in January dating back to last season, after averaging 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.00 steals while shooting 50 percent from the field, including 46.2 percent from three-point range. He led the team in points in all three games, in assists and steals twice and minutes once. He scored at least 20 points in each contest, matching his season high for consecutive 20-point games. Additionally, he has led the team in assists 19 times and in scoring on 15 occasions this season, both team highs.

Dragić led off the week with a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double at Toronto on January 9, helping Miami to a 90-89 win, handing the Raptors just their second loss at home this season. He also dished out a team-high four assists in the contest while his 12 boards tied his career high. On the second night of a back-to-back set on the road, he scored a team-high 20 points while dishing out a game-high nine assists in a, 114-106, victory at Indiana, helping Miami snap a 10-game road losing streak to the Pacers. Dragić capped off the week scoring a game-high 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter in a, 97-79, win vs. Milwaukee on January 14.

lou williams

And, the league announced that L.A. Clippers guard Lou Williams has been named Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 13 (games played Monday, Jan. 8, through Sunday, Jan. 14). Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat was the Eastern Conference winner. This is Williams’ second Player of the Week award this season (Week 11) and the third of his career.

Williams helped the Clippers to a 4-0 week behind averages of 35.0 points, 4.8 assists and 1.50 steals, while shooting 45.7% from three-point range and 96.7% from the free-throw line in 36.5 minutes. He tallied an NBA best 140 points and scored at least 30 points in three of the team’s four games last week, highlighted by a 50-point performance at Golden State on Wednesday, Jan. 10. It was the highest scoring effort by any Clipper in a single game since Charles Smith tied a franchise record with 52 points on Dec. 1, 1990.

Now in his 13th NBA season, Williams is averaging career-highs in points (23.1), assists (4.9), three-point percentage (41.4%) and minutes (31.7) this season. He is currently the NBA’s leading bench scorer, averaging 21.8 points per game as a reserve, the highest scoring average of any bench player since Ricky Pierce averaged 23.0 points per game as a reserve in 1989-90.

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