Tag: paul george

NBA trade discussions involving Paul George

Via the LA Times:

The Clippers and Knicks have had conversations about a potential trade for wing Paul George, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, talks that were initiated by New York.

Though George was an All-Star forward as recently as February, multiple league insiders this week expressed doubts about what return value the team could get for him, if the Clippers are truly motivated to deal him, and believed a top draft pick in exchange for George was not within range. Those doubts, the sources said, centered on his history of injuries and contract status.

Should the Knicks pursue Paul George?

Via the NY Post:

In the Knicks’ quest to build upon last year’s strong season, they are targeting stars to complement Jalen Brunson, and one such player they are interested in is Paul George.

The Knicks have had contact with the Clippers about the 33-year-old wing, according to multiple reports, although it is uncertain if Los Angeles is willing to move George.

The Clippers nearly acquired Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon in a three-way deal with the Celtics and Wizards before the talks fell apart on Wednesday, so they may be interested in adding and not subtracting from their roster.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George out for Clippers at Suns Game 5

It’s looking rough for the Clippers. Via ESPN.com:

In Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Clippers will attempt to save their season sans Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Prior to Tuesday’s game in Phoenix, the Clippers ruled out both of their franchise stars on Monday. With one more victory, the Suns can clinch the Western Conference first-round series against the Clippers since they are up 3-1.

Due to a right knee sprain he sustained in Game 1, Leonard has been sidelined since Game 2. Leonard managed to play despite the ailment in Game 2, but it became worse and will keep him out for a third game in a row.

Paul George injured with sprained right knee

L.A. Clippers forward Paul George underwent imaging today that revealed a sprained right knee.

The team says he will be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks.

Via the LA Times:

Within the Clippers, the update was taken with a measure of optimism. Still, the timing means the Clippers will navigate the rest of the regular season — nine games remain — without George, who leads the team in scoring, assists and steals. And there is no guarantee he will be back for the postseason — assuming the Clippers reach it.

The regular season ends April 9. The play-in tournament featuring teams the finish seventh through 10th in the Western Conference begins within days. The first round of the playoffs is expected to begin the weekend of April 15.

Clippers will be without Paul George in tonight’s Play-in Tournament game against Pelicans

Already playing without Kawhi Leonard, who has been out all season, the Clippers will be without Paul George for their biggest game of the year tonight, per ESPN.com:

LA Clippers star Paul George has entered health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 and will miss Friday night’s play-in game against the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps.

Injured Clippers swingman Paul George remains out, but seen shooting around

The Clippers remain without injured stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but at least there was a positive PG13 sighting. Per the OC Register:

Paul George hasn’t been cleared for takeoff, so don’t bother checking the departure board, not just yet.

But the Clippers’ star wing looked characteristically fluid as he put up shots – with his right hand – Saturday before the team’s practice at Honey Training Center.

The seven-time All-Star has missed the past 33 games – a span in which the Clippers are holding steady, at 17-16 – since being shelved with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

It’s the type of injury that often sidelines baseball pitchers for a year following Tommy John surgery to repair it, but that operation is relatively unheard of for basketball players, according to Dr. Alan Beyer, executive medical director at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine.

George underwent an MRI on Feb. 25, which indicated, Coach Tyronn Lue said that day: “Just that he feels better. He’s making progress, but he’s gonna need more time.”

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NBA Players of Week for Week 3 are Jarrett Allen, Paul George

The NBA announced today that Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week and LA Clippers forward Paul George Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 3 (games played Monday, November 1, through Sunday, November 7).

This marks Allen’s first career player of the week award and the 63rd time a Cavalier has ever won the weekly honor.

Allen led the Cavs to a perfect 4-0 record this past week, including three road wins against teams with winning records (Charlotte, Toronto, New York). The fifth-year center posted a double-double in all four games while averaging 20.5 points on .633 shooting from the field, an NBA-best 16.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.0 minutes per contest. He was the only player in the NBA to average at least 20.0 points and 15.0 rebounds last week and had the highest field goal percentage among any NBA player who averaged 20 points or more. Among Eastern Conference leaders, Allen ranked first in total rebounds per game (16.3), first in offensive rebounds per game (5.0), first in defensive rebounds per game (11.3), tied for first in double-doubles (4), fourth in field goal percentage (.633), tied for 13th in blocks per game (1.25), 15th in points per game (20.5), and tied for 20th in steals per game (1.50). Additionally, he recorded at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in all four outings, the most in the NBA this past week, and became the first Cavalier to put up those numbers in four straight games since Anderson Varejao in 2012 (five straight games from 11/26/12-12/3/12).

Allen opened the week by recording 24 points (9-13 FG), 16 rebounds, one steal and three blocks in 35 minutes of Cleveland’s 113-110 win at Charlotte on Nov. 1. He scored 15 points in the first quarter, his most in any period of his NBA career. In Cleveland’s 107-104 home victory against Portland on Nov. 3, Allen tallied a team-high 24 points (9-15 FG), a season-high 17 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal in 40 minutes. During the Cavs’ 102-101 come-from-behind win at Toronto on Nov. 5, Allen helped the Cavs erase a 15-point deficit and finished the night with 16 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 3FG, 5-6 FT), 15 rebounds, two steals and one block in 39 minutes. He also hit his first three-pointer of the season, a banker as the shot clock expired, that tied the game at 94 with 4:42 left in regulation. Allen closed out the week with 18 points (8-15 FG), a season-high tying 17 rebounds, a season-high tying four assists and two steals in 34 minutes in the team’s 126-109 win at New York on Nov. 7.

Through his 11 appearances this season (all starts), Allen has helped the Cavaliers reach a 7-4 record (sixth-best in East) and is producing career highs in points (14.9), rebounds (11.6, seventh in NBA), steals (1.27), minutes (32.5) and field goal percentage (.687, third in NBA). The Wine & Gold are 7-2 over its last nine games.

Allen becomes the first Cavalier to win the award since LeBron James (March 19-25, 2018). Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George won Player of the Week accolades for the Western Conference.

This is George’s 10th-career Player of the Week Award and his second time winning the award with the Clippers. During the week, George helped lead the team to a 4-0 record while averaging 26.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.8 steals.

The Palmdale, Calif., native eclipsed 14,500 career points during Sunday’s win against the Charlotte Hornets. George is now one of seven active players with at least 14,500 points, 4,500 rebounds, and 2,500 assists. This week, George was the only player in the NBA to average at least 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.

In his 12th NBA season, the six-time All-NBA player is averaging 27.0 points, the most since his time as a Clipper, and has tied his career high in rebounds (8.2) and assists (5.2). The Clippers are currently on a four-game winning streak and rank seventh in the Western Conference with a 5-4 record.

Paul George is getting serious buckets for the Clippers lately

Paul George is putting up serious scoring numbers for the Clippers lately. Via the OC Register:

The Clippers are coming home from their three-game road swing for a bona fide meet-and-greet, a long-awaited home game at Staples Center in front of people who’ve bought to tickets to be there – and possibly to bear witness to some personal scoring history by Paul George.

The Clippers’ star has been on a tear, with a career-high-tying five-game scoring streak of 30-plus points. He’s steered through defenses that have been better able to key on him without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup, and performed despite a nagging toe injury and, in the last game, the lingering effects of illness.

George is averaging 34.8 points in this recent five-game stretch, shooting 53.4% from the field and 52.4% from 3-point range. He’s also averaging 5.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.4 steals in that span.

The last time he had this kind of run was in Oklahoma City in 2018-19, the season he finished third in MVP voting.

The Clippers are 39-19 this season, which is the third best record in the Westtern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2020-21 are Kawhi Leonard at 26.0 ppg, George at 23.6 ppg, then Marcus Morris at 13.1 ppg.

In order to be great, you have to win, says new Clippers coach Tyronn Lue

The Clippers have themselves a new coach. The team recently made their hiring of Tyronn Lue official. Here’s the OC Register reporting some of his words today:

Seated in the media room Wednesday at the Clippers’ practice facility in Playa Vista, Lue expressed a blend of humility – “it feels good to be wanted,” he said – and confidence during a half-hour introductory Zoom session with reporters off site.

“I want to be one of the greatest coaches,” Lue said. “In order to be great, you have to win. So to me, when you start talking about pressure and all that it means, it just means that you’re in position to win a championship.”

Steve Ballmer, the team’s governor, and Lawrence Frank, its president of basketball operations, also joined the remote session, with Ballmer unequivocal in his desire to see his team figure it out fast: “I think it’s probably fair to say my personality is all about winning and we didn’t get the job done that we expected to get done at the end of the season.”

“I tell you,” Ballmer added. “Ty’s my kind of guy, he wants to move, move, move! Learn new things, absorb, think new thoughts – which I think is essential to be better, to grow.” Ballmer also noted that Lue is “a guy I have come to understand holds himself and others accountable, which is a key part of being good in the sports business.”

And here’s the LA Times:

Lue has never shied away from crediting Rivers as the biggest influence for why he entered coaching, and he called Rivers’ dismissal “tough.” But he also described the ways in which he is not a Rivers clone on the sideline, emphasizing that his style has been influenced by Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson, Stan Van Gundy and Scott Skiles, among others.

Tactically, where Rivers’ offenses often relied on individual playmakers more than set plays, Lue is expected to run a more controlled offense that will hinge on speed and moving the ball.

“I learned a lot from Doc, but I’ve also learned a lot from a lot of other coaches around the league because I’m always studying, I’m always trying to get better,” Lue said. “I want to be better. So, not just learning from Doc, but I learned from other coaches like [Erik Spoelstra] and Brad Stevens and watching Nick Nurse last year, thinking outside the box of playing box-and-one and triangle-and-two [defenses] and bringing something new to the NBA. And if you stop learning, if you stop being willing to learn from other people then you won’t be successful.”

The Clippers were a disappointment at the Disney NBA bubble, but it was also the first year that Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and company played together, so it’s not the biggest surprise ever that the squad wasn’t able to maximize their overall talent in the postseason. Also, multiple Clippers players wound up having to leave the Disney bubble over the course of the postseason, which also certainly isn’t a positive.

It should be relatively easy for Lue to have the team play better than the vast majority of the league next season. The question is if he can help make them reach that difficult next level.

No Paul George for Thunder tonight vs Suns

At 9 p.m. tonight, the OKC Thunder face the Suns in Phoenix. But they’ll be doing so without not just one of their best players, but one of the league’s best players so far this season. Here’s the Oklahoman reporting:

For the first time this season, the Thunder will be without Paul George.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan announced Friday morning that George would miss tonight’s game against the Suns with a right quad contusion. Donovan was uncertain of when George sustained the injury, but said it was an ailment George has been playing with for some time.

George is having a fantastic season, and was especially excellent in December games.

The Suns have one of the league’s worst records, but Devin Booker recently returned from injury and during almost all games played in his return the team has looked far better. Phoenix has won five of their last seven games.