Glancing at the near-future of the West

Glancing at the near-future of the West

Here’s the Dallas Morninig News with an early overall glance at the Western Conference for next season:

While the East remains the domain of whatever team James plays for in any given season, the West is as wide open as ever because of the wealth of strong teams. Next season, it wouldn’t take a lot for any of them to be where Golden State is now.

The Warriors have a great nucleus and a bright future, not to mention being favorites to win the finals in the here and now. But they are not head-and-shoulders better than a lot of their competition.

The Los Angeles Clippers lurk as contenders, as do Houston, Oklahoma City and Memphis. New Orleans is on the verge of becoming a major force, thanks to Anthony Davis. San Antonio isn’t going to shrivel up and die. Portland is tough. And we haven’t even mentioned the possibility of George Karl turning Sacramento into something big.

Which brings us to the Mavericks, who at this point aren’t far removed from any conversations about the Western Conference that include the Lakers and Utah.

Losing in the first round, which the Mavericks have done three times since winning the title, is not something they take a lot of pride in. The only thing it’s better than is not making the playoffs at all, which happened in 2013.

Kyrie Irving injury update: fractured kneecap

Kyrie Irving injury update: out 3-4 months with fractured left kneecap

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The Cleveland Cavaliers injury hits keep coming, and the latest is a huge blow that should spell the end to their championship hopes this season as they face the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals. The Warriors lead the series 1-0.

Cavs guard Kyrie Irving left last night’s NBA Finals game one in the overtime period with a left knee injury. He received an MRI today at Stanford Sports Medicine Clinic, which revealed a fractured left kneecap.

He will have surgery to repair the knee in the coming days at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland by Cavaliers head team physician Dr. Richard Parker.

His recovery time is projected to be three to four months and his status will be updated as appropriate.

This leaves LeBron James in the Finals without Irving or injured forward Kevin Love.

Pondering some Suns draft prospects

Pondering some Suns draft prospects

It’s extremely hard to predict which exact players will get drafted by which exact teams, but knowing which players actually did work out for a team prior to the draft can provide a clue. Here’s the Arizona Republic pondering some Phoenix Suns draft possibilities:

There is the NBA trend of “stretch fours,” the tall power forward who can shoot 3-pointers proficiently to drag a big man out of the paint and create space for an offense.

The next level of that trend is to have a “stretch four” who also is a playmaker for when defenses chase him off the line.

Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker and Arizona’s Brandon Ashley are June 25 draft candidates for that job, and they participated in Wednesday’s Suns pre-draft workout. The Suns could consider Dekker at No. 13 and Ashley at No. 44, although he holds out hope to be a first-rounder.

As Ashley knows all too well from an Elite Eight meeting, Dekker showed the athleticism and shooting to be that type of player during the NCAA tournament. Dekker’s stock bolted to lottery range once the 6-foot-9 junior turned aggressive for a 19.2 tourney scoring average with 42 percent 3-point shooting.

Former Knicks J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert now key NBA Finals players

Former Knicks J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert now key NBA Finals players

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on a pair of former Knicks who are now key members of the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers:

LeBron James and Stephen Curry — league MVPs, past and present — obviously will dominate much of the discussion when the NBA Finals finally commence between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

But the local flavor is undeniable, as well, as former Knicks J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are riding shotgun alongside James in search of a championship barely five months after Phil Jackson dumped them for almost no return in January.

“It’s a dream come true, to be in the Finals and be in this situation,” Smith said before Cleveland’s practice on Wednesday. “Going from the worst team to the best team, or one of the best teams, it’s unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words.

“But we talk about it often. We just hope we make the best of the situation…You have to take advantage of it.” …

Shumpert, who figures to draw the primary assignment of guarding Curry with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving nursing multiple injuries, added that he feels “blessed” for the opportunity to play “on the big stage” of the Finals.

Warriors do not back down from challenges

Warriors do not back down from challenges

The Cavaliers vs Warriors NBA Finals begin tonight with Game 1 at Golden State. Here’s the Bay Area News Group reporting:

The Warriors don’t back down from any challenge. [Draymond] Green won’t let them. Whether he’s barking encouragement to his teammates or setting an example of resilience and defiance, the Warriors are game.

That belief is the foundation of a defense that has shined for the better part of this postseason. The Warriors conquered the brutal Western Conference during the regular season. They corralled the exceptional talent of Anthony Davis. They survived the physicality of Zach Randolph (Michigan State) and Marc Gasol. They contained the explosiveness of James Harden and Dwight Howard.

Now the only thing between the Warriors and the NBA title is King James, who is motivated to cap his storybook return to Cleveland with the franchise’s first title.

The Warriors have the better team. They should win this series. If they don’t, the most likely reason will be that LeBron’s greatness negated the Warriors’ superior depth and advantage at multiple positions. So the Warriors need to keep James in check.

Raptors could be team in transition

Toronto Raptors could be team in transition

The Toronto Raptors finished the regular season with an impressive 49-33 record, only to be swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Washington Wizards. Here’s the National Post with more:

One of the most frustrating aspects of last year’s Raptors season, other than the post-February collapse, was sending Caboclo down to Fort Wayne, a team shared with 12 other teams, only to watch him languish on the bench.

It is clear that the Raptors’ current position might change by opening night in October — or even by July. Amir Johnson and Lou Williams are free agents, while the team’s core was wholly disappointing in the post-season, with no exceptions. The composition of the Raptors’ roster today is guaranteed a makeover. The only question is how extreme it will be.

Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis Jefferson, a defensive terror without a jumper, and Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant, a true point guard who struggles to finish around the rim, headlined the Raptors’ first workout on Wednesday. Both are projected to be selected around where the Raptors will pick, and it is hard to say one is a much superior fit for Toronto. The Raptors do not have one specific obvious need, because a single move could address something while opening up another hole. And if you are looking for immediate answers with the 20th pick, you will probably still be looking when training camp opens.

Hornets need 3-point shooters

Charlotte Hornets shot bricks from 3-point range last season

Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting on the Hornets, who finished last season with a disappointing 33-49 record, and ended the season on a six-game losing streak:

The Hornets had the worst 3-point percentage in the NBA last season at 31.8 percent. The league average was 35 percent. So it makes abundant sense to audition Turner. In his two seasons at N.C. State, Turner made 171 of his 463 3-point attempts, or 36.7 percent of his shots.

The Hornets must address this problem both internally (get power forward Cody Zeller comfortable taking the corner 3-pointer, perhaps find more minutes for shooting guard Troy Daniels) and externally. It seems likely the Hornets will use one or both of their draft picks on better long-range shooting.

Celtics assistant headed to Pelicans

Here’s the Boston Herald reporting some assistant coaching job news:

There are comings and goings on the Celtics staff these days, with assistant coach Darren Erman set to leave to become associate head coach for New Orleans under new leader Alvin Gentry. Also, Alex Barlow, who just completed a four-year playing career at Butler, is joining the C’s as assistant video coordinator.

Said director of player personnel Austin Ainge of Erman, “I know they are in discussions. I don’t know if anything’s final or what, but Erman’s a great guy, and if he does leave, we’ll miss him.”

Erman spent four years with the Celts as a coaching assistant before leaving to work for Golden State as an assistant under former coach Mark Jackson. The Warriors fired him in April 2014 for “violation of company policy.” It was later reported that he was secretly taping conversations between players and coaches.

Celtics playing October preseason game in Milan, Italy

Boston Celtics playing October preseason game in Milan, Italy

Here’s the WEEI blog reporting on the Boston Celtics, who are playing an international exhibition game in October:

The Celtics will be going international to open their preseason this fall.

The NBA, in conjunction with Euroleague Basketball and RCS Sport, confirmed Wednesday that the Celtics will play a preseason game on Oct. 6 against Olimpia Milano in Milan, Italy, as part of NBA Global Games Europe 2015.

The 17-time NBA champion will play the three-time Euroleague champion and 26-time Italian League champion Olimpia Milano at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan.

“On behalf of the Celtics organization, we are proud to return to Milan for NBA Global Games 2015,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in a statement. “I have particularly fond memories of playing in Europe almost 30 years ago, and I am sure our current players will relish this unique opportunity.”