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Warriors Notes: Curry, Payton, Porter, Kuminga

April 13th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry returned to practice for the first time since suffering a strained left foot and a bone bruise four weeks ago, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Today’s session focused on preparation work for the first-round series against the Nuggets. The Warriors are scheduled to scrimmage on Thursday, and coach Steve Kerr said Curry is expected to participate. Kerr added that he wants to see Curry in action during a scrimmage before the team determines whether he’ll play in Saturday’s series opener.

“He’s looking good to scrimmage tomorrow,” Kerr said. “Then we’ll take the next step. His conditioning should be good, so it’s more [of] just the training staff making the decision based on their evaluation of him.”

Golden State’s playoff fate could rest on how Curry performs in that scrimmage and how he feels afterward, suggests Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. There’s not time for Curry to go through the normal steps of returning to action, so the Warriors have to hope his foot responds well after his first serious on-court test since he suffered the injury on March 16.

There’s more on the Warriors:

Gary Payton II would like to re-sign with Golden State next season, but not if he can earn significantly more somewhere else, his father told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. Payton made $1.9MM this year, and Deveney believes his next contract could be worth about $20MM over three seasons. The Warriors already have tax concerns and may not be willing to hand out another sizable salary. “I would never tell my son not to explore something that would be better or would be best for him,” Payton Sr. said. “But I think he understands that Golden State is the best situation for him if there is playing time and they get it right. But if it doesn’t work out, he knows that this is a business and he has to move on.”
Otto Porter had a significant injury history before he signed with Golden State last summer, so the team monitored him closely all season long, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The Warriors staff watched his minutes, rested him on back-to-backs and sat him for a few games when his back started to hurt. He hopes to be fresh for the playoffs after playing 63 games, but only averaging 22.2 minutes per night. “Training staff here has a plan,” he said. “It’s worked wonders for me.”
The highs and lows that Jonathan Kuminga experienced during his rookie season make him an X-factor heading into the playoffs, observes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Knicks Notes: Quickley, Fournier, L. Rose, Toppin, Randle

April 13th, 2022 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have spent years searching for a reliable point guard, but their offseason plans may change if they decide Immanuel Quickley can handle the job, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Quickley posted two triple-doubles in his last three games and improved his playmaking as the season wore on. He also overcame an early-season shooting slump and connected at 39.4% on three-pointers over his last 29 games.

“I just control what I can control, man, and that’s working hard, getting better every day,’’ Quickley said after Sunday’s season finale. “If that’s starting, that’s coming off the bench, it is what it is.’’

The Knicks will certainly explore the market for a point guard this summer if they’re not ready to make Quickley the full-time starter. The position was a major disappointment this season with Kemba Walker playing through injuries before leaving the team in February and Derrick Rose never returning after undergoing ankle surgery in December. New York reportedly has interest in impending free agent Jalen Brunson, but a source tells Berman that the Mavericks will make a strong effort to keep him, especially if they put together a long playoff run.

There’s more from New York:

Evan Fournier set a franchise record for most three-pointers in a season, but his first year in New York didn’t turn out the way he hoped, Berman states in a separate story. Fournier was signed in free agency to provide much-needed long-distance shooting for a contending team, but the Knicks unraveled in too many other areas. Berman suggests the front office may explore trade options involving Fournier this summer, but he prefers to return next season and hopes the core of the team will be kept intact. “I’ve said we had the right pieces and we have everything to be successful and I believe that,” Fournier said. “We have to find ourselves. So, when you go through a whole season with guys and coaching staff, you get attached to them and you want to have success with them. You go through tough moments, so I’m not hoping anything changes, to be honest.”
Two talented draft classes and a parcel of future assets are the best things Leon Rose has to show since taking over as team president, Berman adds in another piece. The Knicks currently have nine players age 24 or younger, and they own 13 picks in the next three drafts.
Steve Popper of Newsday examines whether the late-season surge by Obi Toppin will make Julius Randle expendable. Randle is coming off a down season and feuded with both fans and the media, but Popper cautions that the Knicks would be selling low if they move him this offseason, especially with his four-year, $106MM extension about to kick in.

Zion Williamson Wouldn’t Be Ready For First-Round Series

April 13th, 2022 at 9:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans won’t have Zion Williamson available if they advance to Friday’s play-in game or even a first-round series against the Suns, the team told Cassidy Hubbarth of ESPN (hat tip to Real GM).

Williamson hasn’t been ruled out for the season, but a Pelicans spokesperson informed Hubbarth that “a return to play is not imminent.”

Williamson, who hasn’t played since having offseason surgery on a fracture in his right foot, raised some eyebrows with a 360 dunk during warm-ups before tonight’s game (video link). Although he looked as explosive as ever, the Pelicans don’t believe he’s ready for game action.

The No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft has advanced to the point in rehab where he can participate in controlled scrimmages with teammates and assistant coaches. There has been hope among Pelicans fans that he could return to boost the team’s playoff chances, but tonight’s report makes that seem unlikely unless New Orleans can somehow win a series or two.

Alabama’s JD Davison To Enter Draft

April 13th, 2022 at 8:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Alabama point guard JD Davison has declared for the NBA draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The freshman hasn’t made an official announcement yet, but he’s apparently committed to staying in the draft, telling Givony that he’s “done with college.” (Twitter link)

A five-star recruit, Davison started just five of the 33 games he played this season for the Crimson Tide. He averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 25.8 minutes per night and earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman Team.

Davison is ranked 38th on ESPN’s big board and is seventh among point guards. He’s known as an explosive dunker, but not a refined ball-handler or consistent outside shooter. He committed 2.9 turnovers per game in college and will have to show improvement in his playmaking skills to work his way into the first round.

Luka Doncic May Not Be Ready For Playoff Opener

April 13th, 2022 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s “a lot of skepticism” that Mavericks star Luka Doncic will be available for Game 1 of their playoff series with the Jazz, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said tonight on “NBA Countdown” (video link).

Doncic suffered a strained left calf Sunday in Dallas’ final regular season game. The Mavericks aren’t required to submit an injury report until Friday, so there may be no official word until then, but Wojnarowski said the outlook seems pessimistic that Doncic will play in the Saturday afternoon game.

Sources tell Wojnarowski that Doncic’s injury is “more than just a mild calf strain.” He’s expected to do everything be can to be ready, but Woj cautions that it’s the type of injury that can be aggravated if it’s not fully healed.

He adds that Dallas is facing the possibility that Doncic may miss Monday night’s Game 2 as well.

“If this was the regular season, you wouldn’t even be talking about him possibly playing this weekend,” Wojnarowski said, while adding that he expects a final decision on Doncic’s availability for Game 1 to go “down to the wire” Friday or Saturday.

The Mavericks and Jazz will have two days off after Game 2, so Doncic will have a cushion to recover before the series shifts to Utah. Any games that Doncic misses could have a profound impact on the series, as he put up All-Star numbers again this season, averaging 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists in 65 games.

Bennedict Mathurin Enters NBA Draft

April 13th, 2022 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Projected lottery pick Bennedict Mathurin has announced on Twitter that he will leave Arizona and declare for the NBA draft.

The 19-year-old sophomore earned Pac 12 Player of the Year honors and was a second team all-American selection this season. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 37 games and helped lead the Wildcats to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Mathurin is ranked 11th overall and is the second-best small forward on ESPN’s big board. He developed into an explosive scorer and a floor spacer during his second collegiate season, shooting 47.1% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.

“I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me through my career at Arizona,” Mathurin wrote in his announcement. “The city of Tucson has been great to me and the best fan base in the world has welcomed me with open arms. … It has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA and I am ready to take that step forward.”

Celtics Notes: R. Williams, Irving, Tatum, Smart

April 13th, 2022 at 5:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The schedule for the Celtics‘ first-round matchup with the Nets increases the chances that injured center Robert Williams will be available before the series is over, writes Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston.

The series will open Sunday, with two off days following Game 1 and Game 2. Hartwell notes that Williams was given a four- to six-week prognosis when he underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee on March 30. The reports on Williams’ progress have all been positive, Hartwell adds, and the four-week mark will be April 27, which is the night of Game 5.

Coach Ime Udoka gave another encouraging update on Williams after today’s practice, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. “Doing a little bit more every day. He’s looking good,” Udoka said. “We’re happy with the progress. He’s out on the court. Doing some shooting drills, some touch work. We’re still preparing for a series without him.”

There’s more from Boston:

Nets guard Bruce Brown made headlines with a statement about the prospect of attacking the Celtics without Williams in the middle, but Udoka has confidence in Al Horford and Daniel Theis to protect the basket, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “We still have two high-level defenders back there, big guys with Daniel and Al, and we have layers to our defense,” Udoka said. “… Obviously we played quite a few games without him now and have done good enough beating some good teams.” Boston went 4-3 after Williams got hurt, but Robb points out that several starters were rested in two of those losses.
Kyrie Irving has been a villain in Boston since he left the city as a free agent in 2019, but that animosity doesn’t extend to Celtics players, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Jayson Tatum said Irving was very helpful during his rookie season, adding that Irving has shared some regrets over what happened in Boston. “We’ve talked and there are some things that he probably told me he wished he would have done differently,” Tatum said. “But I think that’s a part of life. No one is perfect, you just got to move on from it as you get older.”
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston examines how Marcus Smart has thrived as a point guard after Udoka allowed him to play that role on a full-time basis for the first time in his career. Smart, who received a four-year extension during the offseason, has become an on-court leader and is in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Lakers Notes: Monk, Westbrook, LeBron, Pelinka

April 13th, 2022 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers will likely make a strong effort to retain Malik Monk this summer, but they only hold Monk’s Non-Bird rights and would have to dip into their mid-level exception to sign the 24-year-old to a deal worth more than about $2.5MM. Even a deal using the taxpayer mid-level couldn’t start at more than about $6.4MM.

The Lakers’ cap limitations could open the door for another team to sign the former lottery pick, who will be an unrestricted free agent after enjoying a career year in Los Angeles. According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, sources around the league believe Monk could get the equivalent of the full non-taxpayer MLE ($10MM+ per year) on the open market.

One general manager who spoke to Deveney speculated that the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Mavericks will be suitors for Monk this offseason and also singled out the Knicks as a team to keep an eye on.

“The team to watch, if he is going to leave the Lakers, which he obviously should, is the Knicks,” the executive said. “They had interest in him last year, and some of it might depend on what happens with Evan Fournier, do they keep him or move him? But that is a team that needs talent, needs shooters and Monk will be a good value even at the mid-level.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers six hypothetical Russell Westbrook trade scenarios and evaluates which of them are the most realistic — and which would appeal most to the Lakers.
Westbrook exhibited a lack of self awareness during his end-of-season press conference on Monday, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who says the point guard doubled down on past excuses and created new ones to absolve himself of responsibility for his disappointing season. “The famous ‘source’ stories that came out about myself, whether it be between me and the staff, me and Frank (Vogel), me and the fans, there’s just so many made-up stories that are not true,” Westbrook said, though he declined to give specific examples. “It’s just always having to fight against that constantly. It’s just not (being) given a fair chance.”
In a column for The Los Angeles Times, Dylan Hernandez argues that LeBron James also didn’t accept enough responsibility for the Lakers’ struggles in 2021/22. While multiple reports have suggested that James and Anthony Davis played major roles in orchestrating the trade for Westbrook last summer, LeBron downplayed his involvement in roster moves. “Ask me my opinion, I’m going to give my opinion,” he said. “But at the end of the day, they’re going to make the decision that they feel is best for the franchise.”
Conversely, in his own media exit interview, VP of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka made himself more accountable than he has in the past, though he didn’t look comfortable doing so, writes Bill Oram of The Athletic. Pelinka has two years left on his current contract with the Lakers, sources tell Oram, who says the GM is under significant pressure not to repeat this season’s disaster in 2022/23.

Marquette’s Justin Lewis Among Draft’s Latest Early Entrants

April 13th, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Marquette sophomore forward Justin Lewis has decided to declare for the 2022 NBA draft, he announced on Twitter. Lewis said he’ll sign with an agent but will maintain his college eligibility, which suggests he’ll be advised by an NCAA-certified agent, giving him the option of withdrawing and returning to school.

Lewis entered Marquette’s starting lineup in his second college season and enjoyed a breakout year, averaging 16.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG with a .440/.349/.761 shooting line in 32 games (32.2 MPG). Lewis, who earned All-Big East honors and was named the conference’s Most Improved Player, currently ranks 37th overall on ESPN’s board of 2022 prospects, making him a strong candidate to be drafted if he keeps his name in this year’s pool.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

It’s not official yet, but sources tell Travis Branham of 247Sports.com that Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe is expected to announce soon that he’ll enter the 2022 draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility. Sharpe has yet to play for the Wildcats, but is eligible to enter the 2022 draft and could be a top-10 pick if he does so. He currently ranks No. 6 overall on ESPN’s big board.
Zvonimir Ivisic, a 7’2″ Croatian big man, has declared for the 2022 draft, agent Misko Raznatovic tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). The 18-year-old, who is the No. 77 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list, has been playing in Montenegro with SC Derby this season.
San Francisco senior guard Khalil Shabazz has announced he intends to test the NBA draft waters while maintaining his final year of college eligibility (Twitter link). Shabazz averaged 13.7 PPG on .383/.345/.845 shooting in 34 games (30.0 MPG) in 2021/22.
UAB senior guard Jordan Walker will enter the draft while maintaining his last year of eligibility, he announced on Twitter. Walker led the Blazers with 20.3 PPG and 4.9 APG in 34 games (31.8 MPG) this season, and made 39.6% of 8.6 three-pointers per game.

Nuggets’ Facundo Campazzo Suspended For Game 1

April 13th, 2022 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo will be ineligible to suit up for Game 1 of the team’s series against Golden State this Saturday, having been suspended for one game by the NBA, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Campazzo was hit with a one-game suspension for “forcefully shoving” Lakers guard Wayne Ellington in Sunday’s regular season finale, according to the NBA. Ellington received a $20K fine for escalating the incident by making a “threatening comment” on Twitter after the game.

A video of the incident can be viewed right here.

Campazzo is the second Nugget to receive a one-game suspension this season for shoving a player who had his back turned. Fortunately, Ellington wasn’t injured like Heat forward Markieff Morris was when he was hit from behind by Nikola Jokic in November.

Campazzo was a significant part of Denver’s rotation earlier in the season, but hasn’t played regular minutes in recent weeks, so his absence shouldn’t have a huge impact on the Nuggets, who will be relying more on guards like Monte Morris and Bones Hyland.

The one-game ban will cost Campazzo $20,517, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

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