There’s already bad blood between the Grizzlies and Thunder.
Adding Matt Barnes to the equation only intensifies things – especially with Serge Ibaka.
Barnes, who was traded to Memphis this summer, got into it with Ibaka in 2013 while playing for the Clippers:
Barnes’ bad feelings have not subsided.
Barnes:
Me and Serge can fight right now if he was here. I just don’t like him.
He’s get that air about him that he’s the toughest guy on the planet. He’s not.
Ibaka isn’t backing down, either:
James Harden, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and Kemba Walker were All-NBA guards this season.
Not included: Klay Thompson.
That’s a costly missed opportunity for Thompson, who also finished behind Bradley Beal in voting. Thompson’s max contract in free agency this summer projects to be worth $190 million over five years. If he made All-NBA, it would have been a projected $221 million over five years.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
Thompson:
That’s cool and all, but when you go to five straight Finals – I respect those guys. But, holy, when you go to five straight, it takes more than just a couple All-NBA guys.
But whatever. I’d rather win a championship than be third-team All-NBA. So, it’s all good.
Do I think there’s that many guards better than me in the league? No.
To me, the All-NBA teams should honor the players who had the best regular season that year. It’s not about who the best players are. It’s not about who advanced furthest in prior years. It’s about who performed the best during that regular season. (Obviously, better players are more likely perform better.)
That wasn’t Thompson, and I didn’t think he was particularly close.
Maybe Thompson conserved energy for the playoffs. That would have been the right approach. The Warriors are good enough to bank on reaching the postseason, and the organization should emphasize this time of year.
But a side effect is being less deserving of regular-season awards.
That’s why super-max contracts probably shouldn’t be tied to All-NBA. A player’s value to his team stems so much from the playoffs, and these awards are voted upon immediately after the regular season.
For the most part, it will work out fine. But Thompson is the exact type of player to get slighted. I wouldn’t blame him for resenting the system.
He’s focused on a different question – who are the best guards, especially in the playoffs? – than most All-NBA voters were answering. Incidentally, Thompson’s question is much more similar to one teams ask themselves when determining players’ salaries. Unfortunately for Thompson, the All-NBA voters’ considerations will matter much more in how much he gets paid.
The Warriors have a historically long nine-day layoff before the NBA Finals.
It probably won’t be long enough for Kevin Durant.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant (strained right calf) and center DeMarcus Cousins (torn left quadriceps muscle) were evaluated by the team’s medical staff earlier today.
Durant, who has not yet been cleared to begin on-court activities, continues to make good progress with his rehabilitation. At this point, it is unlikely that he will play at the beginning of the 2019 NBA Finals, but it’s hopeful that he could return at some point during the series.
Cousins also continues to make good progress with his rehabilitation and practiced with the team today for the first time since suffering the injury on April 16. It’s anticipated that he will play at some point during the 2019 NBA Finals, but the exact date is to be determined and depends on his progress.
The status for both players will be updated next Wednesday.
The Warriors are better with Durant. They’re also really darned good without him.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala still make Golden State extremely talented. Those players fit well together.
The competition will get harder against the Bucks or Raptors, but the Warriors can still prevail without Durant.
Of course, as soon as he’s healthy, Golden State will welcome him back with open arms. Whatever complications he brings, his ability justifies dealing with them
DeMarcus Cousins is trickier. He’s been out longer and not the same level of player. He could help in small doses, but it’s harder to find a place for him in the rotation, even if he’s healthy enough to play.
Super-max contracts have made All-NBA teams incredibly important.
This year’s selections (first-team votes, second-team votes, third-team votes and voting points in parentheses):
First team
G: James Harden, HOU (100-0-0-500)
G: Stephen Curry, GSW (91-9-0-482)
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (100-0-0-500)
F: Paul George, OKC (71-25-3-433)
C: Nikola Jokic, DEN (59-38-2-411)
Second team
G: Damian Lillard, POR (8-87-5-306)
G: Kyrie Irving, BOS (0-52-39-195)
F: Kevin Durant, GSW (29-71-0-358)
F: Kawhi Leonard, TOR (0-73-23-242)
C: Joel Embiid, PHI (40-57-4-375)
Third team
G: Russell Westbrook, OKC (1-43-44-178)
G: Kemba Walker, CHA (0-4-39-51)
F: Blake Griffin, DET (0-13-76-115)
F: LeBron James, LAL (0-13-72-111)
C: Rudy Gobert, UTA (1-5-69-89)
Also receiving votes: Bradley Beal, WAS (0-1-31-34); Klay Thompson, GSW (0-3-18-27); Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN (0-0-20-20); LaMarcus Aldridge, SAS (0-2-11-17); Danilo Gallinari, LAC (0-1-4-7); Ben Simmons, PHI (0-0-7-7); Mike Conley, MEM (0-0-4-4); Donovan Mitchell, UTA (0-0-4-4); Pascal Siakam, TOR (0-0-4-4); Nikola Vucevic, ORL (0-0-4-4); Dwyane Wade, MIA (0-1-0-3); Luka Doncic, DAL (0-1-0-3); Andre Drummond, DET (0-1-0-3); DeMar DeRozan, SAS (0-0-3-3); D’Angelo Russell, BRK (0-0-3-3); Tobias Harris, PHI (0-0-2-2); Devin Booker, PHO (0-0-1-1); Eric Gordon, HOU (0-0-1-1); Jrue Holiday, NOP (0-0-1-1); Kyle Lowry, TOR (0-0-1-1); Lou Williams, LAC (0-0-1-1); Marvin Bagley III, SAC (0-0-1-1); Domantas Sabonis, IND (0-0-1-1); Anthony Davis, NOP (0-0-1-1); Myles Turner, IND (0-0-1-1)
The fallout:
Kristaps Porzingis got bloodied, reportedly while being jumped, in Latvia a couple weeks ago. Details were scarce. Reliable details were even rarer.
But the Mavericks are apparently ready to move on.
Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News:
a team source told The News that Porzingis returned to Dallas several days ago and that both of his hands are fine.
Furthermore, the source said, Mavericks officials investigated the incident in Latvia, have spoken at length to Porzingis and are satisfied that the incident was a case of the 7-foot-3 23-year-old being “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The Mavericks do not deserve benefit of the doubt with their investigations. Their investigation into sexual misconduct in the workplace didn’t name team photographer Danny Bollinger, whom multiple women accused of sexual harassment. (Dallas later fired him.) The Mavericks also traded for Porzingis, who had been accused of rape, and then claimed they didn’t know about the accusation at the time of the deal.
Dallas has called Porzingis its No. 1 offseason priority.
