Around the League News and Rumors (Non-Hawks) Part 2

[HMFFL]

Bam Adebayo suffered a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his right thumb during Monday’s game against the Denver Nuggets and will undergo surgery this weekend, per the Miami Heat on Twitter.

Bam was seen grabbing his right thumb/hand throughout that game on Monday, and while it was difficult to pinpoint exactly when he suffered the injury, the discomfort was quite visible. There’s no timetable on his return as it will be provided after the procedure, but a pretty standard one for this procedure looks like it could be four-to-six weeks on the sidelines, which Adrian Wojanrowski of ESPN just confirmed is indeed the timeline pending the discovery any other damage. Dewayne Dedmon is next up at center and is definitely worth a pickup before we find out more, and his ceiling isn’t the highest but he’s shown that he can produce in starts.

RELATED: 

Dewayne Dedmon

SOURCE: Miami Heat

Dec 1, 2021, 3:10 PM ET



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[Jamaaliver]

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar blasts LeBron James: 'Stupid, childish dance'

[https://hoopshype]

But apparently it’s not just league officials who took notice of LeBron James’ dance moves – so did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers icon, who started a news feature on his own Substack, called out LeBron for his ‘stupid, childish dance’ against the Indiana Pacers. “Last week LeBron was fined $15,000 for doing a ‘Big Balls’ dance after the Lakers win.. For me, winning is enough. Why do you need to do a stupid, childish dance and disrespect the other team on the court. It doesn’t make sense. Goats don’t dance.”

 

– via R.P. Salao @ Clutch Points

https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-slammed-by-kareem-abdul-jabbar-for-stupid-childish-dance/

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[HMFFL]

LeBron James did not wear a face mask Saturday night while sitting courtside at Staples Center and watching his son Bronny play in a high school basketball tournament. The Los Angeles County COVID-19 rules include a mandate for residents to wear masks in indoor public spaces, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated.

 

– via Josh Peter @ USA Today Sports

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2021/12/05/lebron-james-watches-bronny-sits-courtside-without-mask/8876932002/

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[jayu70]

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Shams Charania: Sources: Beginning Jan. 15, any NBA player who is not fully vaccinated will be unable to enter Canada to play games in Toronto. Canadian government will require all individuals entering Canada to be fully vaccinated.

 

– via Twitter ShamsCharania

 



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[HMFFL]

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Kyrie chances becoming more limited.

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[Jamaaliver]

Word is ghat Indiana is set to start z quick rebuild. They'll be moving key veterans for prospects and draft picks, but don't want a long drawn out reboot.

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How can Atlanta benefit?
What players would you most like to pursue?
What Hawks are you willing to give up?

NOTE: Malcolm Griffin can't yet be traded after signing a contract extension over the summer.

[HMFFL]

According to Shams Charania, Lillard is interested in playing with Simmons and a package including McCollum, a first-round pick, and a young player such as Nassir Little or Anfernee Simons has been discussed. Such a deal would be close to a wash salary-wise, which is important considering both teams are a little over the luxury tax. While completely blowing it up now is at least worth a discussion, it’s probably more pragmatic to acquire an All-Star like Simmons first, especially at that price, and try to compete.

 

– via Yossi Gozlan @ HoopsHype



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Damian Lillard wants a $107 million contract extension

Lillard wants a two-year, $107 million extension in July, and he and his agent need the next general manager to sell ownership on the idea. As much as anything, this cuts to the core of the Blazers’ search process. His desire for an extension into his advanced NBA years has turned into a battle for the franchise’s future, an existential threat to reshaping and redirecting the organization in a post-playoff reality.

 Among several top-level GM candidates who fit the profile of Portland’s applicant pool, there’s no enthusiasm to grant Lillard his massive extension contract through the 2026-27 season. In fact, several executives told ESPN they would be far more interested in the Blazers job with ownership’s blessing to move Lillard sooner than later.

– via Adrian Wojnarowski @ ESPN



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[jayu70]

You're not THAT guy Miles.

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[Jamaaliver]

You're not THAT guy Miles.

I agree with you.

But interestingly enough, the folks over at The Ringer make a compelling case that Myles is being underutilized.

A big man who can protect the rim on one end and spread the floor on the other end could be useful in the playoffs...and could be used to hurt us by opposing East teams. NY, Chicago and Charlotte seem like they could use him in some capacity.

I wouldn't mind adding him to our big man rotation (off the bench) in exchange for one of the injury prone/underachieving young wings.

<cough, cough -- Reddish -- cough cough>

Spoiler:

Are the Pacers Building Around the Wrong Big Man?

Myles Turner has played second fiddle to Domantas Sabonis in Indy and found himself in a steady stream of trade rumors...perhaps it’s time for the Pacers to do something drastic



Indiana’s Myles Turner spends a lot of time on the court waiting. He spots up in the corner and waits for the ball to come to him or he touches it for a second at the 3-point line before giving it back to someone else. His job is to drag his defender out of the paint and create room for Domantas Sabonis to operate.

He’s had that job for a long time. This is the fourth season the two big men have played together for the Pacers. Turner has played off Sabonis for so long that he has gotten pretty good at it. He almost doubled his 3-point rate when Sabonis moved into the starting lineup in 2019-20 and has increased it every season since. Now Turner takes more than half of his shots from behind the arc. There’s more to it than just him opting to take more 3s. The ability to get them off (4.6 per game) is a skill in and of itself. Turner doesn’t need much time to shoot anymore—he’s ready before he even catches it. That’s one reason why he’s shooting a career-high percentage from 3 (39.5). It will probably regress somewhat as the season goes on, but it shows how comfortable he has become out on the perimeter.

This is the best version of Turner we have seen. He’s shooting a career-high percentage from 2-point range (67.3), but his offensive leap has been hidden because he’s taking the fewest number of shots (8.6 per game) in his career.

Turner is huge (6-foot-11 and 250 pounds with a 7-foot-4 wingspan) and he’s pretty athletic for his size. He’s not as skilled as Sabonis, but he doesn’t need to be. Turner is bigger, a better athlete, and a much better shooter. All he has to do is catch and finish. Turner has become a better player now that he’s doing that in only the most efficient areas of the floor. His true shooting percentage has jumped from 56.6 to 64.9 over the past three seasons.

Indiana’s offensive rating is one point higher when Turner plays without Sabonis than when he plays with him. There’s some addition by subtraction going on. The Pacers don’t get all the benefits of playing a stretch 5 like Turner when Sabonis is on the floor, because opposing teams can put their center on Sabonis and keep him in the paint to anchor the defense. That strategy becomes harder when the Pacers have a perimeter player at the 4 who can spread the floor and attack bigger defenders off the dribble.

The Pacers aren’t feeding Turner the ball in the post when Sabonis is out. But he’s playing more like a traditional big man instead of camping out at the 3-point line. He rolls to the basket, catches dumpoff passes from the guards, and grabs more offensive rebounds.

It has to be frustrating for Turner. His job is to do the dirty work of spacing the floor and protecting the rim for Sabonis while Sabonis has been an All-Star the past two seasons without doing much of either. Turner has made the individual sacrifice without getting the team reward...Turner has outgrown a complementary role. He will never be a primary option, but he could do a lot more in an offense where Sabonis isn’t featured.

Turner is the one Indy should keep. He’s the same age as Sabonis, but his elevator is going up instead of down. Sabonis puts up bigger numbers, but Turner is the better two-way player. Sabonis has never shown the ability to make anyone better while Turner’s mere presence on the court does that for everyone around him. He hasn’t even entered his prime yet.

The Ringer

[Jamaaliver]

Officially the steal of the 2020 draft?

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[HMFFL]

You're not THAT guy Miles.

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He became vocal after his good game against the Knicks. His field goal attempts need to be more consistent, but you're right, he shouldn't be a #1 or #2 option, so he's not that guy. He's probably concerned about being a free agent after next season after other big men seeing a decrease in salary.

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[Jamaaliver]

Steph finally broke the record. I look forward to Trae and Luka competing to break the record again in about ten years.

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[HMFFL]

Steph finally broke the record. I look forward to Trae and Luka competing to break the record again in about ten years.

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I couldn't be happier for him. He makes watching a game note enjoyable with his rare skillset and he's usually smiling. His passion and admiration for the game shows.

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[Jamaaliver]

Obviously Embiid starts over J Allen, but the rest of this lineup feels right.

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[basketballRob]

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