Western Notes: Davis, Johnson, Murray, Paschall, Kings

 

The Lakers entered the season without pressure to be one of the title favorites. Anthony Davis loves that role.

“We are treating this season like we have a chip on our shoulders. We’re underdogs,” Davis said. “The world is watching what we do. But … they’re not talking about us, which is fine. You know, we’d rather be under the radar.”

 

We also get more from the Western Division. Kelden Johnson had a shoulder separation this month. Still, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expects him to return on opening night, San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Allsbourne tweeted. Popo expects Johnson to be back “four or five days” before the opener, adding, “I think he’ll be fine.” According to Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, Jamal Murray has returned to his “swagger,” wrote Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Murray was rehabilitated from a knee injury last season. “He looked perfect,” Malone said. “What I’m looking for is how confident he is. Murray is playing outside. I don’t see what he’s thinking. He’s just playing the game.”

 

Eric Paschall considered retiring before signing a two-way contract with the Timberwolves this summer. Jon Krawczynski is the track team tweeted. His former teammate at Utah, Donovan Mitchell, gave him steady encouragement throughout. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater writes that new Kings coach Mike Brown wants to play fast, and he believes there are enough shots around their dynamic point guard to help make that happen. “We wanted to play fast and give (De’Aaron Fox) a chance to go downhill,” Brown said. “If we ask Fox to go downhill, he needs space to do that. To create space around him, you need shooters. You mean some high-level shooters when you talk about Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Davis, and Trey Lyles.”

 

Pacific Notes: Leonard, Westbrook, Curry, Gentry

 

After missing all the last season with a knee injury, Kawhi Leonard declared himself ready for training camp.

“I’m going to training camp,” the Clippers’ forward said. “Then from there, see how I’m going, how I’m feeling, I’m not feeling, is it moving right and keep going from there, just building up gradually. But right now, I’m feeling good, and I plan to start camping and play.”

 

According to Kyle Goon of the Orange Country Register, there are more players from the Pacific Division. Russell Westbrook was unusually outspoken when asked if he felt the Lakers wanted him on the roster. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter if they want me here,” Westbrook said. “My job is professional, going to work like I always do. So far, I’ve made my career the best way I know, and that’s it. I mean, you all have jobs, sometimes It’s the people working in our company who don’t like us or don’t want us there.

 

Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green could enter free agency next summer. Stephen Curry wants the current Warriors to stay put. “You want to be the spirit of how decisions are made, and we want to have the best chance of winning every year. Offer this team, and that’s the result,” he said. “So, we will keep it that way for as long as possible. That’s the goal.”

 

According to a team press release, former head coach, Alvin Gentry has been named vice president of basketball affairs for the Kings. Toyoda has been promoted to senior director of basketball management. Melanie Stocking as a Senior Director of Team Operations. Saagar Sarin to Director of Professional Personnel, and Aram Palamoudian as Coordinator of Basketball Operations.

 

Northwest Notes: Russell, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, Brown

 

D’Angelo Russell has an expiring $31,377,750 contract, but the Timberwolves guard doesn’t want to be a free agent after the season.

“Nothing has changed,” he said. “You’re going to see some people doing something wrong near the contract year, and if you do it right, it’s amplified. If it weren’t for the contract year, you probably wouldn’t have done that or what you would have done. I’m trying to be consistent. , my method.”

 

More from the Northwest Division, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started the season on a five-year, $179,299,750 extension. He believes the Thunder are ready to turn the corner. He told The Athletic’s Andrew Schlecht. “I know what I’m signing when I sign a five-year extension … and I don’t think we’re going to lose any longer,” he said. “I believe in this team.” Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic just signed a supermax extension and said he wants to play his entire career with the organization, Denver Post’s Mike Singer tweeted Say. “That’s the goal,” Jokic said.

 

The Nuggets ranked 15th in team defense last season. Coach Michael Malone wants to see a significant improvement, and Singer retweeted in another tweet. “Our goal this year is to be a top-five defensive player,” he said. Bruce Brown left the Nets and signed a two-year free agent contract with the Nuggets. Malone has big plans for him, tweeted DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind. “I don’t think people understand the importance that Bruce Brown will bring to this team,” he said.

 

Central Notes: Rubio, Weaver, Cunningham, Williams, Ingram

 

Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Chris Fedor wrote that Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio, who tore his left ACL in December, hopes he can return to action in December but would not give a timetable.

“I wanted to be ready for training camp, but I knew it wasn’t going to be possible,” Rubio said. “Talking to my coaches and medical staff, they say 10 to 12 months, but that’s a long range. It changes every week. Set a date for me personally; I

need it. But I don’t think selecting a date for my return is good. “

Rubio returned to Cleveland on a three-year, 18.4 million contract.

 

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver believes every position on the team is well-stocked after an overhaul during his reign, writes James Edwards III of The Athletic. “I feel like we finally have the complete player,” he said. “The first two years, we didn’t. My job is to ensure we have a roster to come out and compete. We have a full roster of players, so we can go out and play now. We’re inexperienced in certain areas, but I’m not sure about that. Excited about the roster and where we are.” Pistons second-year guard Cade Cunningham, who has put on nearly 20 pounds, believes he’ll be more prepared to deal with the league’s physical condition. “Having a stronger body…it’s a lot harder to get injured,” he said. “I think I’ll be able to take more bumps and deal with NBA physicality. I’ll be more prepared for that this year.”

 

Patrick Williams is happy the Bulls have high hopes for him after a season of injuries. However, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that he wasn’t trying to handle it differently. “I see every year as a make-or-break year,” Williams said. “That’s how I look at my rookie year; the second year is the same as this year.” According to a tweet, bucks forward Joe Ingles could be back on the court as early as December. Ingles signed a one-year, 6.5mm contract with Milwaukee early in free agency and is recovering from a torn ACL.

 

Lakers sign Matt Ryan and Dwayne Bacon

 

7:03 a.m.: The Lakers intend to sign free-agent swingman Matt Ryan to a non-guaranteed contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania, the team is also working on a deal with free agent wing Dwayne Bacon on a camp trade.

In February, Ryan, 25 signed a two-way contract with the Celtics and completed the season with the team. Although he only appeared in one regular-season appearance for Boston, the former Chattanooga sharpshooter has excelled at the G-League level, averaging 19.4 points on .469/.413/.860 shooting in 30 regular-season games (33.5 MPG) for the Grand Rapids Golds and Maine Celtics.

 

Ryan also impressed the Las Vegas Summer League in July, averaging 0.550/0.526/1.000 shooting in two games (22.9 MPG) for Boston before spraining his ankle and shooting 19.0 points.

 

As for Bacon, the 2017 second-round pick has appeared in 207 regular-season games for Charlotte and Orlando since his debut five years ago but didn’t play in the NBA last season after being waived by the Knicks in October play ball. Bacon signed for Monaco shortly after being cut by New York and will play in France’s top basketball league for the 2021/22 season.

 

The Lakers currently have two openings on their 20-man training camp roster, so they can add Ryan and Bacon without downsizing.

 

Suns: Ayton, Sarver, Williams, Jones, Booker, Crowder

 

Suns center DeAndre Ayton said owner Sarver’s suspension and $100,000 fine were well deserved, Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin wrote.

Coach Monty Williams and general manager James Jones were caught off guard when the investigation revealed the depth of Sarver’s behavior within the organization.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Williams said. “When you see the gist, and then when you read it carefully, you start thinking about how these things affect people.”

 

Devin Booker is happy the Suns matched the Pacers’ offer for Ayton, he told Rankin. “I’m excited for him,” Booker said. “It’s a load on his shoulders. You understand it’s not just basketball. It comes down to business at some point. You can only learn and understand these situations if you’re in them. I think he learned a lot. “

 

Jae Crowder will sit outside the camp as the team seeks to trade the veteran forward. PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet tweeted that Jones said the situation was “difficult.” “It’s a team thing for us,” he said. “It’s a difficult situation to navigate.”

 

Where will Claude end? Yossi Gozlan of Hoops Hype addressed the issue and saw the Cavaliers, 76ers, and Hornets at the top of the list of potential suitor.

 

Windhorst believes that the fact that Sarver announced the franchise sale does not mean that the issues uncovered during the investigation and the backlash the league experienced after revealing its punishment have been eliminated.

 

Southeast Notes: Ball, Plumlee, Beal, Wizards, Hawks

 

The Hornets brought LiAngelo Ball on a non-guaranteed contract, and he entered training camp intending to join his brother LaMelo Ball’s 15-man roster, he told the Charlotte Observer’s Rod. Boone.

“I feel like I can be a part of the team. I’m just going to do my best,” LiAngelo said. “But I feel like my game will be on my own, and hopefully, I can build the team and play with my brother.”

 

Mason Plumlee started all 73 games for the Hornets last season. Boone tweeted that head coach Steve Clifford said the plan was to keep Plumlee as a starter, with Nick Richards favorite to support him. Wizards star Bradley Beal signed a five-year max extension this summer, saying there’s one more place to check in his career — showing he’s a “winner,” NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes wrote. “I’ve proven I can score with the best of them, I’ve proven I can be an All-Star, I’ve proven I can be an All-NBA player,” he said. “I checked every box. Now I have to win and be the winner. This is the last box I’m going to check and will check.”

 

Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said the team’s offseason additions should make the club more substantial and more decisive. “What happens is that one or two players can change how another team views your team,” Sheppard said. “You have a tough guy or two, and all of a sudden, people say, ‘Hey, don’t mess with these guys.’ … When you look left and right, it puts [other players] more of a fight around you. It happens to you too.”

 

With the exception of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is still recovering from knee surgery in May, the Hawks’ players are in excellent shape, writes Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. to training camp. “If they do anything this summer, I hope they’ll pass the test, and we’ve had some guys come up with some good numbers,” coach Nate McMillan said. “But everyone passed the test, and we could move on. (We) I came in today, and I thought these guys would be a little sore. But they came out with another good high-intensity practice.”

 

 

Celtics: Mazzulla, Udoka, Smart, Tatum, Brown, Horford, Brogdon

 

Joe Mazura suddenly became the Celtics’ interim coach after Ime Udoka was suspended this season for violating team policy. Guard Marcus Smart believes Mazzulla is up to the job.

“It will be different if we had a new person we didn’t know and tried to make that connection with,” Smart said. “Joe has always been here. He knows the plan and the players, so it makes it easier for him to fit in with someone who’s been here and knows you.”

 

More on the Celtics as they prepare to run again in the championship game, Smart acknowledged that Udoka’s suspension caught players off guard ahead of training camp, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix tweeted. “Nobody knows anything,” Smart said. “We’re just in the wind, just like everyone else. It’s been a chaotic past few days.” Jayson Tatum said he didn’t know all the details that led to the suspension, Mannix added in a separate tweet. “There’s a lot of things they can’t say. I’m kind of in the same boat,”. I don’t know. It’s hard to answer whether things are being handled correctly.”

 

In general, players are frustrated that they don’t have more information about Udoka’s situation, though legally, teams may have to withhold specific information, Mannix noted.

 

Jaylen Brown tried to play down questions about Kevin Durant’s summer trade rumors, The Athletic’s Jared Weiss tweeted. Brown was the most prominent player mentioned in Boston’s discussions with Brooklyn. “I think it’s been that way since I’ve been here. It’s not surprising or surprising that it makes me feel a certain way,” he said. “That’s it. I’ve talked to my teammates and the team about it, and it’s time to play basketball.”

 

Weiss added in a separate tweet that Brown also expressed confusion as to why the organization gave Udoka such a severe penalty. “I wish we had more of details,” he said. “As far as we know, it’s hard to make a decision based on whether the workplace is voluntary or not, and we know this has happened in the workplace before. It looks like it will mean much more than what’s in sight.”

 

Al Horford missed 13 regular-season games last season as the Celtics decided to lighten the workload of the 36-year-old big man. According to Weiss (Twitter link), Horford said he prepared this offseason to handle the increased workload and back-to-back games this season. Pacers let Malcolm Brogdon choose which team he prefers to play for, telling them he wants to be traded to Boston “because I want to win,” Bontemps tweeted.

 

Heat Notes: Butler, Martin, Strus, Herro, Lowry

 

There’s a lot of speculation this offseason, and with the Heat’s current roster makeup, Jimmy Butler will play many minutes at power forward. That’s not a prospect he likes at the team’s media day on Monday, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

“I can hit four, yeah,” Butler said with a laugh. “If they need me to play four, I can, yes. If they want to talk about me playing four, I can. But I don’t play four.”

 

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote that Caleb Martin may have been an early favorite to get a starter, who “likes to start at power forward.”

 

However, Martin’s primary concern is being part of the rotation.

 

“As long as I’m playing and being productive, that’s fine,” Martin said, adding that he’s “pleased” for the team to walk away from signing or trading another power forward.

 

More on the Heat as they head into training camp. At 6-foot-5, Max Strus doesn’t seem like an option to start at “four.” Jackson added that he’s willing to do anything that makes him part of the roster. “I want to start over,” he said. “That’s my goal.” Struth started 16 regular-season games and all 18 playoff games last season due in part to injuries. “You don’t start in the Eastern Conference finals, and you’re considered a bad basketball player,” he said.

 

Sixth Man of the Year winner Herro expressed his desire to be the starter this season after the playoffs. Jiang noted that rookie scaling candidate Herro had softened that stance. “I’m a team player,” said Herro, 22. “Whatever (coach Eric Spoelstra) and our organization want me to do, I’m willing to do it. I have my own goals. The team always thinks about me as an individual and what the players want to do. So whatever they want me to do, whatever role they think is best for me, I’ll do it.”

 

In June, team president Pat Riley said Kyle Lowry needed to improve his form. Lowry took the criticism with a grain of salt, saying he hadn’t done anything different in the offseason and said his fitness “wasn’t the problem,” Jackson recounted in another story. “Honestly, he has his opinion,” Lowry said. “Right? Everyone has their own opinion, and it doesn’t help me. All I do is motivate myself, and I always motivate myself.”

 

Sixers Notes: Tucker, Harden, Petrusev, Embiid

 

According to a team press release, veteran forward P.J. Tucker, a primary free agent acquired by the Sixers this summer, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He has been cleared to work on the field and will be at the team’s training camp in Charleston, South Carolina.

The process took just 10 minutes, tweeted Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Tucker clarified on Monday that the procedure was completed six weeks ago, adding that he was “back on the court and doing everything,” tweeted Derek Bodner of the Daily Six Newsletter.

 

We have more info on the Sixers when they start training camp, and Tucker said he and James Harden hope to land in Philadelphia sooner, Kyle Newbeck of The Voice of Philadelphia tweeted. “Honestly, James and I wanted to come the year before,” Tucker said, presumably referring to both players being a good fit for the Rockets after Daryl Morey became Philadelphia’s top executive. Harden was traded to Brooklyn before his end with the 76ers last year, and Ben Simmons landed with the Nets.

 

As previously reported, draft and reserve big man Philippe Petrusev will be in Europe for at least another year, playing in his native Serbia after signing with Red Star. According to Eurohoops.net, Petusev supports the “plan” the Sixers have for him. The No. 50 pick in the 2021 draft said in an interview, “They support it,” he said. “The Europa League is the highest level of competition in Europe, and I will develop the most there.”

 

Joel Embiid said the team’s primary goal. This season’s regular season is to be a defensive force, Newbeck wrote. “Our focus is on defense,” Embiid said. “Our goal is to win and be the best defensive team in the league, and that will take all of us.”

 

Newbeck added that Harden said he’s happier and healthier after dealing with a nasty hamstring injury the last offseason. “Mentally, it was challenging for me because I fell in love with the game of basketball. … It was very tough, a lot of tough moments, dark moments, and I never really experienced those because I’ve been All healthy and playing basketball. But I’m in a perfect space right now, and I feel like I’m back where I need to be, where I should be.”