Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

In NBA real estate news, Draymond Green buys new house

Warriors forward Draymond Green has reportedly bought a new $9.6 million house in California. Here’s the San Jose Mercury News reporting:

Though he’s played solely for the Golden State Warriors since the 2012 NBA draft, it appears Draymond Green is looking to spend his future off-seasons a bit further south of San Francisco. The three-time All-Star and Michigan native has bounced into a lavish estate in L.A.’s prestigious Brentwood area, the same neighborhood that is also home to other superstar ballers like LeBron James, Blake Griffin, and Russell Westbrook.

The $9.6 million house picked out by Green and his fiancee, television personality Hazel Renee (“Basketball Wives,” “Real Housewives of Atlanta”) is essentially all-new, completed in 2019 and described in listing materials as a “timeless Georgian Colonial.” Complete with elegant snow white paint and jet black trim, the mansion is indisputably grand and guaranteed to impress guests with its multitude of high-style sconces, plus its columned porch and soaring roofline.

Inside, a two-story foyer with paneled walls and checkerboard marble floors sets the tone for the rest of the public rooms, which are decidedly posh and veer toward the formal side of the decor spectrum. There’s a gourmet kitchen with Italian marble countertops and luxe Woolf appliances that connects to the dining room and adjoining wine closet, plus a butler’s pantry servicing a lounge-like den. The living room and downstairs private office are both equipped with fireplaces and bronze chandeliers, and European oak hardwood lines the floors.

Sounds solid.

Okay, it sounds fantastic.

We’ve enjoyed Dray’s commentary on Inside the NBA on TNT. He’s got a bright future as an NBA analyst once his playing days are over. But that’s not anytime soon. Right now, the Warriors will be focused on using their lottery pick to add to their already star-filled cast.

Heat star Jimmy Butler speaks on next possible playoff opponent

The Miami Heat are waiting to see who their opponent will be in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’ll either be the Celtics or Raptors, who on Friday will play a Game 7. NBA players tend to not name a preference as to who they’re about to face. And as outspoken as Jimmy Butler often is, he took that route as well. Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

“We know either way it goes, we’ve got a really good team that we’ve got to play against,” forward Jimmy Butler said. “But we still have to play our style of basketball. We’re not discouraged. We’re not scared. We’re not running from any matchups. I think that’s what makes us us.”

Based on the regular-season series, the preference might be Toronto, with the Heat 2-1 this season against the Raptors, but 1-2 against the Celtics. But that script was flipped after the NBA’s four-month layoff, with the Heat losing their lone matchup against the Raptors at Disney and winning their lone bubble matchup against the Celtics.

As the No. 5 seed in the East, the Heat will enter as the “road” team against either the No. 2 Raptors or No. 3 Celtics. However, with all games played on the neutral courts of Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex, such homecourt advantage is removed. The only spectators allowed are a limited amount of friends and families of the teams.

“It just gets harder from here,” center Kelly Olynyk said of either of the Heat’s potential opponents.

In disposing of the Bucks, who had the best record in the NBA this season, Heat sent the entire NBA a loud message, that they’re as much of a championship contender as any squad in the league.

Yes, Playoff Rondo exists

Yes, Playoff Rondo does exist. Here’s the OC Register diving into the hot-button, room-dividing topic:

He doesn’t always arrive on time, so he’s not like Santa Claus. But he’s not so rarely glimpsed as Bigfoot.

So it’s hard to find the perfect match among mythic characters for Playoff Rondo — most importantly because he’s not mythical at all…

“It’s real: Playoff Rondo is real,” Anthony Davis said. “His intensity picks up, he wants to guard the best perimeter guy. We see he guards James and Russ sometimes, he wants to… on the floor he’s shooting the ball very well, making the right passes, so his IQ is on another level.”

Historically, Rondo has distaste when people point out the difference between his regular season persona and who he is in the playoffs. But there’s a definitive gulf: His scoring, assists and net rating all rise in his playoff career versus his regular season career. He’s tied for fourth on the postseason triple-doubles list (10), and two of the four guys ahead of him are on the Lakers sideline.

But to really appreciate Playoff Rondo, you have to examine where he really shines. Looking at his Game 3 dimes, it’s telling to see how they came: off verticality, like the two times Davis spun off of his man, and Rondo delivered a picture perfect lay-up. They also came on cuts, like a bounce pass to a driving Kyle Kuzma in the fourth quarter that was close to a clinching basket.

Rondo has played in three playoff games so for in 2020 for the Lakers, all in the current round against the Rockets, for an average of 13.0 points and 7.3 assists per outing.

Oklahoma City Thunder and head coach Billy Donovan part ways

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Billy Donovan have mutually agreed to part ways, the club announced today.

According to the Oklahoman, “Donovan’s contract expired at the end of the season as the Thunder fell to the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.”

“I have great respect for Billy and will always appreciate our work together. He is a terrific basketball coach and we are proud of what he has accomplished with the Thunder,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sam Presti. “We had planned to sit down at the end of the season and discuss the best way to move forward for both of us. After those discussions, it became apparent that we couldn’t provide him the information on the future direction of the team over the next several seasons to give him the level of clarity that he understandably desires at this stage of his career. Therefore, we close this chapter and reflect fondly on all that he has given to the team, organization and community. Billy will always have a place in the Thunder family.”

More from the Oklahoman: “Veterans like Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Steven Adams remain on the roster, but their futures with the organization are uncertain. Danilo Gallinari is set to enter free agency.”

Donovan was named the head coach of the Thunder on April 30, 2015 after serving the previous 19 years at the University of Florida. Over the past five seasons as the head coach of the Thunder, Donovan led the team to a 243-157 record (.608), resulting in playoff appearances in each season at the helm.

“Coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder the past five seasons has been a great honor, and I thank Mr. Bennett, Sam and the entire organization for the opportunity,” said Billy Donovan. “I have a great respect and admiration for the players I coached in Oklahoma, and I also want to thank the coaches I worked with, who gave unbelievable time and expertise to our common goal. Lastly, I want to thank the Oklahoma City community for being so welcoming to my family during our time here. This place will always be special to us. I will always hold this organization in the highest regard and wish the Thunder and their fans the success they deserve.”

“Billy Donovan will be remembered fondly for his personal integrity and professionalism during his time as our head coach,” said Thunder Chairman, Clayton I. Bennet. “We wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Suns reportedly adding Brian Randle to coaching staff

Here’s the Arizona Republic reporting that Brian Randle is being hired by the Phoenix Suns:

Randle served as player development coach with Minnesota Timberwolves this past 2019-20 season.

A former player at Illinois (2003-08), Randle initially joined the Timberwolves as an assistant video coordinator for the 2018-19 season after playing 10 seasons overseas.

Our only thought on the Suns right now is, they really did go 8-0 in the NBA bubble, and we look forward to seeing them play next season.

A look at NBA draft prospect Anthony Edwards

Here’s the San Jose Mercury News with a look at top NBA draft prospect Anthony Edwards. The Warriors have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, so of course they’ll have familiarized themselves with Edwards:

Before Anthony Edwards began his lone season at Georgia, head coach Tom Crean sat down with the freshman and told the 18-year-old that he would be entrusting him with the offense, but that he had to become more consistent and efficient.

A year later, Edwards leaves Georgia as one of the nation’s highest scoring freshmen and among the most productive in program history — but he was dogged by inconsistency. Despite those struggles, Edwards, now 19, is considered a potential No. 1 overall pick because of his 6-foot-5, 225 pound frame, unique skill set and ability to put up eye-popping numbers.

Scouts and draft analysts can point to Edwards’ production (19.1 points per game) as evidence that he can develop into a go-to scorer at the NBA level, but his efficiency numbers (40.2% overall and 29.4% on 7.7 3-pointers per game) raise questions about whether or not he can be impactful in a lesser role as a rookie.

Some top prospects in the 2020 draft include Edwards, LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman. There are obviously other names worth mentioning but we’ll get into that in other posts.

The Warriors are in a great position, having a top lottery selection available to them despite having an already super-competitive roster that had major health issues last season but should be fine and of playoff caliber going forward.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse says team needs more energy

The Raptors weren’t competitive yesterday in their Game 5 loss to the Celtics. Here’s the Toronto Star reporting what head coach Nick Nurse had to say:

“I think a lot of this game, in general, has to do with … energy and rhythm,” coach Nick Nurse said Tuesday. “It’s kind of hard to explain how we don’t have a little bit more energy (in Monday’s 111-89 loss), and it’s even probably harder to explain how we don’t have it in Game 1 of the series.

“The energy has got to be there. I think when we do bring the energy, we’re right there, we’re supercompetitive for sure, and look great.”

Strategically, it’s easy to pinpoint what the Raptors need. They could use more offence from Marc Gasol — “It’s not like we need 25 from him, but we need him to chip in with some, just because there’s opportunities there for him,” said Nurse — and a huge offensive game from Pascal Siakam would be a blessing.

The Raptors got off to a shockingly miserable start yesterday, falling behind 25-11 after one quarter and then getting outscored by seven points in the second quarter. Their play in the second half was solid, but no big comeback was launched, and then lost by a final score of 111-89.

The big winner in the game was Boston’s defense. Toronto shot horribly, both in two-point and three-point range.

We’ll see if the team can come out of the gates hot at the start of Game 6 tomorrow.

NBA issues flagrant foul to Anthony Davis

Upon reviewing game footage, the NBA decided an action needed to be taken. Here’s the Los Angeles Times reporting:

The NBA determined two incidents that occurred during Game 2 of the Lakers’ series against the Rockets deserved further discipline, one was committed against Anthony Davis while the other was committed by him.

Officials determined Davis deserved a flagrant 1 foul for contact he initiated with Houston’s Jeff Green with 15 seconds left in the first half. Green doubled over after Davis drove by him, with pain in his midsection or groin area. As the quarter expired, Green lay on the ground for several minutes while medical personnel observed him.

Game 3 of this fascinating series is tonight.

Patrick Beverley fined by NBA for verbal abuse of referee

LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $25,000 for verbal abuse of a game official, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, for which Beverley was assessed two technical fouls and ejected, occurred with 1:04 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 110-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sept. 5 at AdventHealth Arena on the campus of ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

Rajon Rondo back in action for Lakers, who lose Game 1 to Rockets

The Lakers lost Game 1 to the Rockets yesterday. But at least they won in getting guard Rajon Rondo back in action.

That’s a win of sorts, right? Maybe?

Here’s the OC Register reporting:

With Rajon Rondo, the story is always refracted depending on the eye of the beholder.

Some fans saw his return – an eight-point, four-assist, four-turnover debut after a month and a half on the shelf – as a rusty disappointment. But Rondo’s Laker teammates hope it’s just a starting point for him to build on after missing every bubble game with a fractured thumb followed by back spasms.

Alex Caruso said he thought Rondo’s first in-game action since March 10, in a 112-97 loss to Houston on Friday night, was about where he should be at this point.

“I thought he looked about his normal self,” Caruso said. “Maybe he missed a layup or a shot he normally makes and maybe that’s a little timing and getting used to playing the game again. But I mean, Rondo’s a guy that’s mentally locked in whenever he steps on the court, so I thought he looked pretty good conditioning-wise.”

The Lakers have a lot of work to do. The Rockets’ Game 1 win was convincing. They’re an unusual team, playing super-smallball. Teams going against them have to make some adjustments, but not too many, or else they’d pull themselves out of their own gameplan. It’ll be fascinating to see what, if anything, the Lakers do differently in Game 2. And of course, Rondo’s role going forward.