Новости за 08.06.2023

Harrison Wind: Nikola Jokic asked if these playoffs and being in the Finals is the most important moment in his career. He said, yes becuase of the chance to get the Nuggets’ veterans — Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan, Ish Smith — to the Finals and a championship: “It’s maybe now or never.”
Source: Twitter @HarrisonWind

It’s been a busy week for NBA trade rumors featuring some of the biggest names the NBA has to offer, so we decided to return with one more pre-offseason edition of our trade rumors rankings series, in which we rank the five players who have appeared most often over the previous week on our trade rumors page.

There’s been much talk about trading Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and/or Kuminga for another aging star for one last title push. However, it seems Joe Lacob and his new GM could just as easily go in the other direction and jettison Draymond and Klay in a move to keep the team more viable over a longer period. What do you think is the likely direction the team goes? — Tim Kawakami: I think the most likely scenario is that the Warriors keep most of this together for at least one more season. That’s what Stephen Curry wants. Читать дальше...

Ryan Blackburn: Jimmy Butler: “Tomorrow, we’re going to come out and compete and get one at home.”
Source: Twitter @NBABlackburn

Marc J. Spears: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Tyler Herro (hand) has not been cleared to play.
Source: Twitter @MarcJSpears

The “Sombor Sling” — the nickname Nuggets coach Michael Malone and some local media members coined to describe the unforgettable bucket against the Lakers — plays off of the “Sombor Shuffle,” Nikola Jokic’s signature move that is often compared to Nowitzki’s fade. Those types of shots, often delivered after the defense appears to have taken away all the decent options for Jokic, tend to deflate entire arenas while delivering staggering blows to even the best players in the league. “I’m happy for him. Читать дальше...

Ramona Shelburne: [The Phoenix Suns don’t waive Chris Paul] unless they feel pretty good about somebody else. And I want you to keep your eye on James Harden. I don’t want to report anything, but that was in the wind for the past month or so. Everybody thinks it’s like Philly or Houston but I don’t know, there has been discussions in the wind.
Source: ESPN

A lot of conversation has been focused on how many games Ja Morant should be suspended, but Silver seems to believe that there is a better way to address the issues. The commissioner is suggesting a program to help Morant going forward. The Memphis Grizzlies star was suspended eight games for conduct detrimental to the league after a previous incident in which he brandished a gun on March 4 in a Denver-area nightclub. Silver believed at the time that an eight-game suspension was severe. “I think... Читать дальше...

Windhorst: I think Chris Paul’s future is in one of two places. One is Los Angeles, be it the Lakers or the Clippers. Both teams potentially need a point guard, their point guards on both teams are free agents, Russell Westbrook and D’Angelo Russell. And it’s not out of the realm of possibility, I think it’s worth pointing out, that the Suns could bring him back. It would be an NFL-style restructuring where his contract is paid out of its partial guarantee and they bring him back for a lesser salary. Читать дальше...

Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton underwent successful surgery on his right knee shortly after the playoffs to address an issue that plagued him this past season, league sources tell The Athletic. Middleton, 31, is expected to fully recover from the minor arthroscopic procedure, and he should be back on the court in July. Per sources, the clean-up procedure to his right knee was planned and scheduled prior to the season coming to a close.
Source: Shams Charania, Eric Nehm, Shams... Читать дальше...

“You always want a guy like me, that dog mentality,” Henderson said following his Blazers workout. “Just my personality, the culture I bring to the locker room. I’m a great leader, I’ll tell what’s up, and I can do everything on the floor. I can do everything on the floor. I’m going to go out there and give my 110 percent every day. And that’s the thing about me: I’m very consistent in effort.”
Source: Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype

“Everybody says there’s a clear-cut top three,” Thompson said. “I feel like that’s kind of doing the draft a disservice. At the same time, I feel like it’s making a lot of underdogs because nobody feels like there are only three people in this draft class. I certainly don’t feel that way. I’m just trying to prove that it’s not only three. If there’s three, I’m one of them.”
Source: Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype

Following a workout with the Pacers, Whitmore compared his game to Miles Bridges, Jaylen Brown and Anthony Edwards. Whitmore also worked out with the Jazz.
Source: Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype

Nick Smith is on the radar of several teams in the lottery, including the Wizards, Jazz, Magic, Raptors, and Pelicans.
Source: Michael Scotto @ HoopsHype

Following the NBA draft’s early entry deadline, mock draft boards have shifted, with several players rising, including Dereck Lively, Bilal Coulibaly, and Brandin Podziemski, making major first-round leaps. Julian Phillips, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Ben Sheppard, Jordan Walsh, Emoni Bates, Seth Lundy, and others rose in the second round.

To some basketball fans, however, there was no bigger story Wednesday than a bizarre, extraordinarily NSFW sequence of tweets from adult film star Moriah Mills slamming Pelicans forward Zion Williamson in the wake of the announcement of his girlfriend’s pregnancy. “Better pray I’m not pregnant because I’m definitely late,” Mills wrote in one of the spree’s few printable tweets, in which she insinuated Williamson had a tryst with her. Stephen A. Smith: “No wonder you ain’t healthy. I’m talking about your legs. Читать дальше...

The Denver Nuggets easily defeated the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals 109-94, with Nikola Jokic putting up a ridiculous 32-21-10 stat line. Jamal Murray also added a triple-double of his own with 34-10-10.

Gary Washburn: #Nuggets use 32-21-10 from Nikola Jokic and 34-10-10 from Jamal Murray for a 109-94 win over #Heat.
Source: Twitter @GwashburnGlobe

Adrian Wojnarowski: Now, Chris Paul wants to remain with the Suns. He wants to be back with Devin Booker, with Kevin Durant. But right now, for the Suns, they want to look at a lot of alternatives. Some options between now and the 28th, including trade possibilities. They’re going to have talks about Deandre Ayton. Can they move money around that can allow them to keep Chris Paul on that roster? Or find a trade so they can build out their depth. But I’m told Chris Paul and his reps want an answer sooner than that June 28 deadline. Читать дальше...

Isiah Thomas on Chris Paul’s future with Suns: There’s a lot of days, there’s a lot of room, there’s a lot of conversation left in this. Like what was just explained about waiving Chris Paul and him potentially [re-signing with] the Suns. Don’t close the door on Phoenix and him coming back and being part of the Suns, at least I wouldn’t.
Source: Twitter

Adam Silver on potential Ja Morant punishment: I get a little nervous when people talk about sending a message. Sometimes it implies that you may not be fair to that individual player. But there’s no question, in this league, that there’s something called conduct that is detrimental to the league. And it’s not just conduct that may be negative, we want to portray a positive image of players in this league. So that’s of course something I take into account.
Source: Twitter @ClutchPointsApp

NBA Central: Damian Lillard says he’s ‘definitely’ not joining Miami if they win the title “Miami win a championship, that definitely ain’t happening.” (Via @Showtime ) pic.twitter.com/9xV4L5jvHl
Source: Twitter @TheNBACentral

After the Phoenix Suns got eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in May, we took a look at their upcoming offseason. The biggest theme is their lack of flexibility with such a top-heavy roster expenses-wise, and that the new CBA would significantly restrict them toward improving the roster. We came to the conclusion that the Suns would have to seriously consider moving off at least one of Deandre Ayton or Chris Paul to move forward and regain some flexibility.

Phoenix plans to explore trade opportunities including Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton that could alter the franchise’s roster landscape ahead of a final decision on Paul’s partially guaranteed contract, sources said.
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski @ ESPN