Paul George says he will bounce back, wants to play for Team USA in Brazil Olympics

By Kurt HelinAug 15, 2014, 3:09 PM EDT

Paul George is a guy that worked too hard to get here to just roll over. He was overlooked coming out of high school in Palmdale, undervalued coming out of college at Fresno State, and now he’s an All-Star NBA player. He got there with some natural gifts and an impressive work ethic to hone those skills every offseason, then to play hard every night.

That’s not the kind of guy to let an injury stop him.

George met with the media in Indianapolis for the first time since his horrific injury breaking his tibia and fibula in a USA Basketball exhibition game in Las Vegas. All he talked about was coming back. Here are some highlights, via Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports and Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

Paul George on injury: "It’s something that I think I can overcome…A bump in a road. Something that will make me stronger going forward."

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) August 15, 2014

Paul George: "Going forward, I don't think it will affect me in a negative way."

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 15, 2014

Paul George on return timeline says: "We don't want to put a date on it or a timeframe on it."

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 15, 2014

Paul George said sitting out whole 2014-15 season is a "possibility" but "I’m holding out a little hope."

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) August 15, 2014

USA Basketball came under a lot of criticism in the wake of the injury — from where the stanchions were placed to the demands on players time — but George was having none of it.

Paul George says criticism USA Basketball is getting is "unfair. It's a freak accident."

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 15, 2014

PG said USAB criticism is unfair: "It was a freak accident. Sucks I was on the bad side of it. I would love to still be a part of Team USA."

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) August 15, 2014

Meaning he wants to be on Team USA in 2016 when the plane heads to Rio for the Olympics.

Paul George on wanting to play in Olympics in 2016. "Absolutely, it’s in Brazil." He then cracked a smile.

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) August 15, 2014

As for talking about the injury itself:

"It felt like gasoline was on my leg and someone set a match," said Paul George, about the pain he felt when he broke his leg.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 15, 2014

PG sounded like mostly everyone else when asked if he saw replay: "I watched it one time. That’ll be the last time I see that video."

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) August 15, 2014

I’d be shocked if we saw George back on the court next season. Aside the basic healing timeline, even if he pushed to get back for the end of the season this is not going to be a Pacers’ season he wants to rejoin. They are in for a tough year.

But when he comes back in the fall of 2015, watch out.

Dončić dodges suspension, NBA rescinds 16th technical

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 4:32 PM EDT

Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

This was unexpected, especially after crew chief Kevin Scott said after the game last night: “Doncic was assessed a technical foul for his use of profanity directed at the officials in protest to a no-call that was correctly judged in postgame video review.”

The NBA league office reviewed the incident (as it does with all technicals) and rescinded what would have been Luka Doncic’s 16th technical.

Luka Dončić’s (DAL) technical foul (7:51, 3rd qtr) from the game on 3/26/23 has been rescinded upon league office review.

— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) March 27, 2023

That 16th technical would have triggered an automatic one game suspension. With it rescinded, Dončić is clear to play Monday night when the Mavericks take on the Pacers.

Sunday night in Charlotte, Dončić was given a technical when he didn’t get a call on a leaning baseline jumper and said something to the nearby official.

Luka Dončić got his 16th technical foul of the season, resulting in a one-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/K3X0Np47dA

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 26, 2023

This incident comes days after Dončić was fined $35,000 for making a money gesture towards a referee in frustration after a Mavericks loss.

Through all this the Mavericks have lost four straight, 7-of-9, and have slid back to 11th in the West, outside even the play-in. Their team is disintegrating and if they don’t pick up some wins fast they have less than two weeks until they are on summer vacation.

MVP showdown off: 76ers to sit Joel Embiid due to calf tightness

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 2:32 PM EDT

Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

Recently Joel Embiid said,” ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.” Today’s news plays right into that narrative.

Embiid has been playing through calf tightness for a few games now — he only played a half against the Bulls last Wednesday — but still putting up numbers (46 points against the Warriors, 28 and 10 against the Suns). However, there had been some concern in the organization about not pushing things and making sure Embiid is healthy for the playoffs. Which is why they will rest him on Monday night, short-circuiting an MVP-race showdown against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN broke the news and John Clarke of NBC Sports Philadelphia has confirmed it.

Joel Embiid is out tonight. His calf is still bothering him. https://t.co/SqRdaoBRmg

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 27, 2023

Embiid did go through part of the 76ers’ shootaround this morning. The decision was made after that point.

Undoubtedly this will spark the load management discussion around the league again, and Embiid is going to take heat for this — but this is a situation where the team’s medical staff made the call, likely over Embiid’s objection.

From the 76ers perspective what matters is having Embiid healthy during the playoffs — they are going nowhere without him — and there is no reason to take undue risks with the team all but locked into the No. 3 seed in the East.

James Harden is still expected to make his return to action Monday from a three-game absence.

But it robs fans — including those who bought tickets in Denver — of one of the great showdowns in the league, and one of the more anticipated games of the season’s final weeks. The NBA has to find a way to balance player health with having their best players on the court for the biggest games. Keep telling fans the regular season doesn’t matter and they will start treating it like that.

Joel Embiid not stressing about MVP: ‘If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.’

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 1:44 PM EDT

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Joel Embiid is the MVP betting favorite — -160 at our partner PointsBet — heading into Monday’s showdown with the reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokić (+180 at PointsBet).

Embiid campaigned for the MVP award the past couple of years but came up second to Jokić. This season, Embiid is not stressing about it. Or at least trying not to stress about it. Here is what Embiid told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

What matters — it’s just about winning, winning, winning. I’ve been focused on that. We’ve been doing that. Whatever happens, happens. If I win MVP, good. If I don’t, it’s fine with me.

Why hasn’t Embiid won the MVP? Outside of Jokić also being deserving and the complaints of Antetokounmpo and others that the criteria for the award are constantly changing (which suggests there are criteria for the award, but there are none officially), Embiid thinks it’s because he is not well-liked.

People always thought that I was crazy when I said this — I really believe that I’m not well-liked. And it’s cool with me, that’s fine. I’ll be the bad guy. I like being the a–hole anyway. I like being the underdog. So that’s fine with me. My thing is … when I leave the game, I want to make sure that they say: No one was stopping him offensively and defensively, and he was a monster.

There’s no doubt he will leave the game remembered as one of the great 76ers and a “monster” on both ends when healthy. However, resume matters with legacy and an MVP award helps with that. Just not as much as being the best player on a championship team, something more difficult to pull off because it requires a lot of help (it’s up for debate whether Embiid has the help he needs around him to win it all, and if they can stay healthy enough to make that run).

This season the MVP race is a tight three-way contest between Embiid, Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+450 at PointsBet). There are legitimate cases to be made for each member of this trio. However, with the Sixers surging (and the Nuggets stumbling a little), things may break his way this season.

Another dominant performance against Jokić with just a couple of weeks left in the season would stick in voters’ minds and help his cause.

Kyrie Irving has fan ejected during road loss to Hornets

By Kurt HelinMar 27, 2023, 10:35 AM EDT

Sunday was not a good day for the Mavericks and Kyrie Irving.

In addition to losing their second-straight game to the Hornets (and fourth straight overall) to fall out of even the play-in out West, Irving had a Hornets fan ejected from the game Sunday. Irving pointed the situation out to the referee, and soon arena security was involved and the man was escorted out.

Security removed a fan from the Mavericks-Hornets game after Kyrie Irving spoke with the referee. pic.twitter.com/cx4LeXevyG

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 26, 2023

A fan has been ejected for heckling Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/FdEg69flHp

— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) March 26, 2023

It is unclear what the fan said to Irving, but more players in recent years have taken this step with fans they feel had crossed the line of common decency. Irving addressed the situation in his postgame press conference.

“He called me out my name. So I just had to make sure I looked him eye to eye and see if he’d say it to my face.”

-Kyrie Irving on getting a fan ejected. pic.twitter.com/fhi7tNxUgP

— Jerry Donatien (@JerryDonatien) March 26, 2023

Irving and the Mavericks heard boos from their fans at home last Friday during a loss to these same Hornets, and Irving’s response that night was more defiant in tone.

“So what? Just the way I feel about it. I’ve been in New York City so I know what that’s like. You obviously want to play well, but there’s only five people on the court who can play for the Dallas Mavericks. If the fans wanna change places, then hey, be my guest. Got years of work ahead to be great enough to be on this level. But our focus isn’t necessarily on the boos, it should be on the performance.”

That performance has been lacking — the Mavericks have lost four in a row, 7-of-9, and if the postseason started today they would be fishing in Cabo. Irving hasn’t been the problem (the Mavericks are 4.5 per 100 possessions better when he is on the court), but he hasn’t been the solution, either. Irving is a free agent after this season and said he and Luka Dončić are still getting used to playing with one another.

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