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Devin Booker picked as injury replacement for Anthony Davis on 2021 NBA All-Star team

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will be played on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Booker has earned his second straight NBA All-Star selection. He is averaging a team-high 24.7 points (16th in the NBA), 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting a career-high 50.1 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three-point range and 84.8 percent from the free throw line in 26 games this season.

Behind Booker and fellow NBA All-Star Chris Paul, Phoenix has posted the league’s fourth-best record (20-10) and produced its best start through 30 games of a season since 2007-08. With the selection of Booker and Paul, the Suns have multiple NBA All-Stars in a season for the first time since 2009-10 (Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire).

Davis will miss the NBA All-Star Game after sustaining a right calf strain against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 14. He was voted by NBA head coaches as an All-Star reserve, his eighth consecutive All-Star selection. Davis is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.78 blocks in 23 games this season.

According to NBA rules, when a player selected to the All-Star Game is unable to participate, the Commissioner shall choose a replacement from the same conference as the player who is being replaced. Davis and Booker both play for Western Conference teams.

The NBA All-Star Game rosters will be determined through the NBA All-Star Draft, where team captains Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and LeBron James of the Lakers will select from the pool of players named starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

In the two-round NBA All-Star Draft, Booker will be selected with the All-Star Game reserves in the second round. The starters will be selected in the first round. Davis will be assigned to the same All-Star team that drafts Booker.

Lakers waive Quinn Cook

The Los Angeles Lakers waived guard Quinn Cook today.

Cook appeared in 16 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.1 points in 3.9 minutes per game.

A two-time NBA champion, he has played in 181 regular season games (29 starts) for the Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Lakers, holding career averages of 6.4 points (.463 FG%), 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.1 minutes.

LeBron James named a 2021 NBA All-Star Game starter and team captain

LeBron James has been selected by fans, current NBA players and a media panel to start in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, March 7 in Atlanta.

James’ 17 All-Star selections are the third most in NBA history, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) and Kobe Bryant (18). James, the leading scorer in All-Star Game history (385 points), is set to extend his record for consecutive All-Star starts to 17 – a streak that began in his second NBA season, 2004-05.

As one of the NBA All-Star Game starters who led their respective conferences in fan votes during NBA All-Star Voting 2021, James will serve as a team captain for the Team LeBron vs. Team Durant matchup and draft the rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference. TNT will air the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET. LeBron will be serving as a team captain for the 4th year in a row.

Along with James (frontcourt), the Western Conference starter pool includes the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (guard), the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Dončić (guard), the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić (frontcourt) and the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (frontcourt).

In the Eastern Conference, Kevin Durant (frontcourt) is joined in the starter pool by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (frontcourt), the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal (guard), the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (frontcourt) and the Nets’ Kyrie Irving (guard).

LeBron James criticizes 2021 NBA All-Star game plan

The NBA will probably be playing a 2021 NBA All-Star game. Lakers superstar LeBron James did not welcome the reported news. Via the LA Times:

On the same day teams learned of an expected agreement between the NBA and its players’ association to hold the 2021 NBA All-Star game in Atlanta on March 7, Lakers star LeBron James trashed the idea, calling it a “slap in the face.”

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star game this year,” James said. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star game.”

If selected, he said, he’d reluctantly participate.

Considering all the travel players do over the course of the season, it doesn’t seem like a lot to fly to Atlanta for one quick extra game. But in the case of the Lakers and Heat, the two teams that played in the 2020 Finals, the offseason was a very short one, so perhaps stars on those teams could use some extra days off more than most of the league’s squads.

I hope an All-Star game does get played. Because the games are fun. It’s as simple as that. But I will understand if players who participated in the 2020 Conference Finals or league Finals might want to duck out of the action.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson reportedly good to play Friday against Lakers

The Pelicans should have some frontcourt power back in the mix for their game against the Lakers tomorrow. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

After missing Wednesday’s game due to an inconclusive test result, Zion Williamson has received clearance to play Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team source said.

Williamson was held out of the Pelicans’ 111-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Following the inconclusive test, Williamson took subsequent tests, the results of which came back negative. That clears the way for him to face LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the defending champion Lakers on national TV.

The Lakers are Western conference-best 10-3 this season, while the Pelicans are 13th in the conference at 4-6.

Lakers 7-0 on road so far this season

The Lakers are just 3-3 at home so far this season, but an impressive 7-0 on the road. Via the OC Register:

It’s a season in which home-court advantage means as little as ever, but it still has to mean something: The Lakers have not yet lost on the road.

Momentum continued to pick up for the league leaders, as the Lakers (10-3) swept aside the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder, 128-99, on Wednesday night to improve to 7-0 away from Staples Center – the best road start in franchise history. The visitors never trailed.

Wednesday’s effort looked as breezy as the previous two wins in Houston: LeBron James drilled five 3-pointers to lead with 26 points, adding seven assists. Anthony Davis played just 24 minutes, adding 18 points.

Leading the team in scoring so far this season is LeBron at 24.2 points per game, Davis at 22.5 ppg, Dennis Schroder at 14.3 ppg, Montrezl Harrell off the bench at 13.0 ppg, and Kyle Kuzma mostly off the bench at 10.8 ppg.

NBA fines Markieff Morris and DeMarcus Cousins

Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris has been fined $35,000 and Houston Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins has been fined $10,000 for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, which occurred with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 120-102 victory over the Rockets on Jan. 10 at Toyota Center, began when Morris committed a Flagrant Foul 1 by knocking Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate to the ground.

Cousins continued the incident by shoving Morris to the floor, for which Cousins was assessed a technical foul. Morris further escalated the situation by charging after Cousins, shoving him and continuing to aggressively pursue him. Morris was assessed a technical foul and ejected.

Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder playing well as new Lakers

The Lakers started the 2020-21 NBA season with a loss to the Clippers on Tuesday, but enjoyed a convincing win over the Mavericks on Christmas Day today.

But beyond the team’s 1-1 record after two games, the bigger picture is that two of their new additions are playing as well as expected:

Dennis Schroder’s first two games as a Laker: 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists Tuesday, 18 points and six assists today. His shooting was off in that first game, but that’s a minor footnote.

Montrezl Harrell’s first two games as a Laker: 17 points (6/7 FG), 10 rebounds and three assists Tuesday, 22 points (10/13 FG) and seven rebounds today.

Schroder has been starting, while Harrell has come off the bench. But that doesn’t matter. Both can produce points in a hurry, and make LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers as a whole even better than they were before.

Which is scary for the league, since this team also happen to be the defending NBA champs.

An area of concern for the Lakers is the center spot. New addition Marc Gasol, who turns 36 next month, isn’t off to a great start. It’s something to watch in the next few weeks.

It was an incredibly short NBA offseason, especially for Heat and Lakers

Here’s the Miami Herald discussing how short the offseason was for the Heat. Of course, this also applies to the Lakers, who beat the Heat in six games in the 2020 NBA Finals:

The Miami Heat had a two-month offseason to recover from a season that took about a year to complete.

The NBA offseason lasted just 71 days, which is the fewest between the end of a season and the start of the next season in NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL history, according to Elias Sports.

COVID-19 is the reason for the abbreviated offseason, with the pandemic extending last season all the way to October. The Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Oct. 11, and the Heat begins the 2020-21 regular season on Dec. 23.

“If I’m honest, nobody cares if you’re ready or not,” guard Goran Dragic said when asked if the Heat will be ready after the short break.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis may not rush into NBA preseason

Starting Friday, we’ll have NBA games again. Sure, it’ll just be preseason. But just 11 days after that, the regular season tips off, and that’s real basketball right there.

This Friday, the Lakers are one of the team’s taking court. But some key stars may not participate. Via the OC Register:

While the team is slated for a preseason game against the Clippers on Friday night at Staples Center, they probably won’t be at full strength. And after Tuesday’s training camp session, the team’s third as a group, Coach Frank Vogel said of stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, “it’s probably unlikely that they play.”

It’s not a surprise: The team has pitched patience since returning to the court in the last week, given that the Lakers are just two months removed from winning the 2020 title. Normal offseason rhythms have been interrupted, and team trainers and medical staffers have cautioned coaches about diving too quickly into game-ready play.

While Davis said he’s not normally the kind of player who seeks out pick-up sessions in the offseason, he has a routine of working with trainers in smaller settings. After winning a championship with the Lakers in October then taking much of last month to sort out a new contract, he’s gotten little of his normal offseason plan accomplished – the Lakers’ four-game preseason, with just two weeks until the regular-season opener on Dec. 22, now serves as part of the ramp-up to playing shape.

Normally, all key players participate in preseason, but usually play very limited minute But this season’s training camp and preseason period is very brief, so teams will have to develop chemistry in a hurry.

Fortunately for the Lakers, they just won the NBA championship. So while they did make some offseason changes, they have no reason to rush.