Новости за 23.05.2023

Mike Trudell: D’Angelo Russell on staying with LAL: “Would love to be here and contribute.” He added that his priority this offseason will be his body: staying healthy, staying in shape. A major focus last year was his catch-and-shoot game, which he was pleased with.
Source: Twitter @LakersReporter

Mike Trudell: Rui Hachimura said, since being traded to the Lakers, it’s been “One of the best times of my life.” He said had a great experience, and learned a lot from LeBron, AD and the coaching staff, including Phil Handy (his on-court assistant).
Source: Twitter @LakersReporter

Mike Trudell: Austin Reaves: “I want to be here. It feels like home to me, in a sense … the way the fans support me. Players, coaching staff, front office. This is definitely somewhere I want to be, but we’ll see what happens.”
Source: Twitter @LakersReporter

Dave McMenamin: D’Angelo Russell calls the time he’s spent with the Lakers since the trade deadline a “complete success.” He added, “I really can’t complain about anything except the ball going in when I wanted it to”
Source: Twitter @mcten

While a return by Tyler Herro this postseason hasn’t been ruled out should the Heat advance to the NBA Finals, it’s not considered likely by those close to the situation. There’s still no definitive timetable for his return. Herro suffered the injury while diving for a loose ball in the final minute of the first half of Game 1 of the Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 16.
Source: Miami Herald

Mike Trudell: Asked about Austin Reaves, Pelinka said Reaves defines what it means to play for the Lakers as a “selfless, team guy” who “lives in the gym” and clearly can rise to meet the moment … “We’re proud to have him as part of this franchise.”
Source: Twitter @LakersReporter

Mike Trudell: Rob Pelinka: “LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who’s ever played. When you do that, you earn the right to decide if you want to give more … obviously, our hope would be that his career continues.”
Source: Twitter @LakersReporter

Ira Winderman: The Heat’s Jimmy Butler has been fined $25,000 by the NBA, “For violating league rules governing media interview access, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.”
Source: Twitter @IraHeatBeat

Only one player in NBA history has scored more career points in the regular season and playoffs combined without winning a championship: Karl Malone. “I’m at peace. That doesn’t bother me no more; that idea that you’re a loser if you don’t win a championship,” Carmelo Anthony says. “For me, I’ve won. I won back in 2003, the night I shook David Stern’s hand on that [draft] stage. I made it out of Red Hook. I’ve won at life. The ring is the only thing I didn’t get. It would’ve been a great accomplishment... Читать дальше...

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been named the 2022-23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion, the NBA today announced. Curry was selected from a group of five finalists for his dedication to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged.
Source: NBA.com

For what it’s worth, sources close to LeBron James downplayed the notion that he would actually retire. There was a working theory relating to his state of mind that makes a whole lot of sense, too, one involving the official retirement of his longtime friend and fellow future Hall of Famer, Carmelo Anthony, earlier in the day.
Source: Sam Amick @ The Athletic

It’s unclear if LeBron’s comments are merely a power move to force the Lakers’ hand into building a better roster — something he has been hesitant to do in recent seasons. For what it’s worth, Kyrie Irving and Trae Young, two All-Star-level point guards, were both sitting courtside in Los Angeles for the second time this postseason. Young, like James and Davis, is a Klutch client. The Lakers have had internal discussions about what a hypothetical trade offer for Young could look like this summer... Читать дальше...

Outside of Harden, other high-ranking targets for Houston include Brook Lopez, Dillon Brooks and restricted free agents Cam Johnson and Austin Reaves, league sources said.
Source: Kelly Iko @ The Athletic

According to Chris Haynes, LeBron James is considering retirement after getting swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets.

Following the news conference, ESPN asked James to elaborate on his statement. When you say you got to think about stuff, what thread should we be pulling on that? “If I want to continue to play,” James said. As in next year? “Yeah.” You would walk away? “I got to think about it.”
Source: Dave McMenamin @ ESPN

Asked by ESPN if he believed a full summer of rehab could get him back to the player he was before his foot injury, James nodded affirmatively. Why? “Because I’m still better than 90% of the NBA,” he said. “Maybe 95.”
Source: Dave McMenamin @ ESPN

Davis, when informed by ESPN about James’ postgame comments following Monday’s loss, was surprised to hear them at first. Like James, Davis is under contract with the Lakers for next season — one of only a few players with deals on a roster that could see a lot of movement this summer. But after considering the remarks a little longer, Davis recalled a recent conversation he had with James when he told James he “might have one more in me” when talking about the 2024 Olympics in Paris. James told Davis he might already be done by then. Читать дальше...

Harrison Wind: Michael Malone on Nikola Jokic: “That first Summer League in Vegas, 300 pounds, out of shape, hey, he’s a nice player. No one, and if anybody tells you different they’re full of shit, no one could have seen that he’d be a two-time MVP passing Wilt Chamberlain every other night.” pic.twitter.com/xS0k1LoIna
Source: Twitter @HarrisonWind

Lakers star LeBron James is uncertain if he’ll be with the team when the 2023-24 NBA season starts in the fall, and retirement is under consideration, league sources tell Bleacher Report, TNT. LeBron has a lot to weigh, sources say.
Source: Chris Haynes @ Bleacher Report

Ben Golliver: Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic on 76ers’ Joel Embiid winning 2023 NBA MVP: “I think he should have won it. He was playing extremely tough basketball the whole season.”
Source: Twitter @BenGolliver

Chris Mannix: Interesting vibe from LBJ during that press conference. Declined to delve deep into questions about next season and then ends interview with: “I got a lot to think about, to be honest, and just for me personally going forward the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about.”
Source: Twitter @SIChrisMannix

Vincent Goodwill: Malone on Jokic: “The MVP’s are real. All the narratives are silly. He’s averaging a triple-double. Do you see any stat padding out there? Give him his damn respect.”
Source: Twitter @VinceGoodwill

Jovan Buha: LeBron James says this Nuggets team is the best team he and Anthony Davis faced in the playoffs during their four-year tenure.
Source: Twitter @jovanbuha

Michael Singer: Nikola Jokic wins Western Conference Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/4RYnDnFA3g
Source: Twitter @msinger