Tag: Eric Bledsoe

Chinese team with a suspended Eric Bledsoe disqualified for ‘fixing’ multiple playoff games

Yao Ming, the CBA’s president, called it a “saddening” week for the league.

Two basketball teams in the Chinese Basketball Association, the Shanghai Sharks and the Jiangsu Dragons, were thrown out of the ongoing playoffs for match-fixing.

The Sharks have several players with NBA experience including Eric Bledsoe, Johnny O’Bryant, and Jamaal Franklin (who last played in March). Antonio Blakeney is the only player with NBA experience on the Dragons, although a few other players on the roster have played NBA Summer League.

Findings from an investigation from the CBA Disciplinary and Ethics Commission concluded that Shangai showed “negative contention” during the second game of a three-game series, which Jiangsu won.

Bledsoe was serving a four-game suspension for the Sharks, and he served all three during the three-game series against the Dragons. But the team was accused of “giving up” during the second game, forcing a third game, so that he could return for the second game if his team advanced to the semifinals.

Jiangsu then demonstrated a “lack of competitive effort” in the third and final game of the series, in which Shanghai won 108-104.

Jiangsu had several “unexpected errors” in the final few minutes of the game and coach Li Nan failed to call a timeout that could have at least kept them in contention.

Here is a video summary of the pivotal moments in question:

According to Mark Dreyer, each club was fined approximately the equivalent of $727,000. Shanghai coach Li Chunjiang and Jiangsu GM Shi Linjie were each given a 5-year ban from the league.

Jiangsu coach Li Nan and Shanghai GM Jiang Yusheng, meanwhile, were both handed 3-year bans.

Shanghai was scheduled to play the Shenzhen Aviators (who have former NBA and G League players Jared Sullinger, Justin Wright-Foreman, and Askia Booker on their roster). Shenzhen will now advance to the semifinals now that Shanghai was ruled ineligible.

Yao Ming, who played for the Sharks before coming to the United States, is now the president of the Chinese Basketball Association. He called it a “quite saddening” week.

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Kevin O’Connor proposes Rockets, Clippers trade for John Wall

The Ringer’s national NBA insider Kevin O’Connor proposes a deal with John Wall going to the Clippers and Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka, and Eric Bledsoe coming to Houston.

At some point earlier in the 2021-22 season, the Clippers reportedly expressed “genuine interest” in acquiring five-time NBA All-Star John Wall. Could that potentially lead to a deal between Los Angeles and the Houston Rockets before the Feb. 10 trade deadline?

In his latest column at The Ringer, NBA insider Kevin O’Connor makes the case for a Clippers-Rockets trade involving Eric Bledsoe, Serge Ibaka, and Marcus Morris going to Houston for Wall. He writes:

Bledsoe, Morris, and Ibaka combine to make $43.4M, which makes them a perfect match for Wall’s $44.3M salary. Ibaka and Bledsoe aren’t long for LA. And while Morris is a good player, wouldn’t swapping him for Wall, a five-time All-Star who’s still only 31, be a reasonable gamble?

From Houston’s view, Morris’ contract extends to the 2023-24 season, whereas Wall’s deal does not. However, because it is much cheaper annually, that likely wouldn’t be a concern to general manager Rafael Stone — since Morris can simply be dealt again, if cap room is needed.

At 32 years old, Morris likely wouldn’t be happy in a rebuilding scenario in Houston, anyway. But as long has Morris has any positive trade value around the league — and he’s currently averaging 15.6 points (36.3% on 3-pointers) and 5.1 rebounds while still providing value defensively, so he should — that scenario offers more upside to the Rockets than simply maintaining the status quo non-playing arrangement with Wall.

Thus, it’s almost certainly a deal that Houston would accept, though Stone would likely be canvassing the league for Morris suitors in such a scenario. The question is whether the Clippers are desperate enough to make such a trade, but with Los Angeles still below .500 in early February and Kawhi Leonard potentially on the way back, perhaps that could prompt them to be more aggressive in their deadline decisions.

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Woj: Pelicans acquire Valanciunas, swap picks for Adams, Bledsoe

The Pelicans acquire Jonas Valanciunas while opening up significant cap space with the departure of Stevens Adams and Eric Bledsoe.

The New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies are finalizing a trade that sends Jonas Valanciunas, the No. 17, and No. 51 picks in Thursday’s NBA draft to the Pelicans for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, the No. 10, No. 40, and a top-10 protected 2022 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Bledsoe isn’t expected to remain with Memphis.

For the Pelicans, trading both Adams and Bledsoe opens up the needed cap space to be able sign the likes of All-Star Kyle Lowry, who Marc Stein reported last week is at the top of New Orleans’ wish list. Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball is a restricted free agent and reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, is unlikely to have a ‘significant’ offer sheet matched by the Pelicans.

With the trade, which can’t be finalized until Aug. 6 when free agency officially begins, the Pelicans could have between $25-$36 million in cap space, depending on if restricted free agent Josh Hart is resigned.

In Valanciunas, the Pelicans are acquiring an underrated big who averaged 17.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game last season. His improving ability to spread the floor was intriguing over Adams swallowing up space in the paint for Zion Williamson and others to work with.

Report: Pelicans, Grizzlies have ‘traction’ on trade involving Eric Bledsoe, draft picks

The Pelicans and Grizzlies have reportedly made traction on a trade that would send Eric Bledsoe and the No. 10 pick to Memphis for the No. 17 pick.

With the NBA draft closing in, the Pelicans’ bid to offload Eric Bledsoe appears to be gaining steam. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Sunday that New Orleans and Memphis have gained traction on a deal that would send Bledsoe and the No. 10 pick to the Grizzlies for the No. 17 pick.

“Sources said the Pelicans have generated traction with the Grizzlies in a framework that would swap that 10th selection for the 17th pick while also sending Eric Bledsoe back to Memphis.”

This report comes a day after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, on his latest podcast, indicated that the No. 10 pick was up for grabs as the Pelicans strive to move Bledsoe in a trade this offseason as well as potentially Steven Adams.

“I think both those picks are very much in play. New Orleans, they’re going to try to get, certainly, Bledsoe’s contract off and we’ll see what they do with Steven Adams. They traded for him, they signed him to an extension. We’ll see how he fits in here as they put their team together next year. But no one is just taking that Bledsoe deal off your hands so part of a deal…you’re attaching the 10th pick.”

After a disappointing season in New Orleans, Bledsoe serieems most likely to be dealt. Freeing up the $18.1 million due to Bledsoe next season could help the team put together an offer for Kyle Lowry, who they value greatly, according to a report from The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor in the last week.

If the Pelicans are also desperate to shed Adams’ deal, netting the No. 17 pick back in a deal for Bledsoe could also serve as a sweetener in an Adams trade. Unlike Bledsoe, Adams has positive trade value. While his season wasn’t as disappointing as Bledsoe’s, Adam’s fit with the Pelicans long-term next to Zion Williamson appears less than ideal.

Theoretically, trading away Bledsoe and/or Adams would open up money to re-sign Lonzo Ball this offseason, but the Pelicans seem content to allow the restricted free agent to walk if an offer sheet is too high.

Bleacher Report proposes Eric Bledsoe-Collin Sexton trade for New Orleans Pelicans

In a proposed trade by Bleacher Report, the Pelicans would part with Eric Bledsoe and this year’s No. 10 pick for Cavs guard Collin Sexton.

The New Orleans Pelicans offseason is a vital one for multiple reasons. On top of being in a salary cap crunch that could see them lose one or both of their restricted free agent guards in Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, the team also is on a balancing act of dealing with a potentially upset Zion Williamson.

The result could mean the Pelicans may begin using some of the assets acquired through trades of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday to begin shaping a more competitive roster. Bleacher Report suggested one trade the team could make that would accomplish both sending away a player that struggled last season as well as bringing in a talented one in his place.

The trade suggested by Greg Swartz would see the Pelicans trade Eric Bledsoe, the No. 10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft and the Lakers’ 2022 first round draft pick to Cleveland for Collin Sexton and Taurean Prince.

In theory, there are a couple of reasons why this deal could work. First, reports surfaced recently that the Pelicans were open to trading the No. 10 pick in search of a win-now upgrades. Bledsoe’s season in New Orleans went about as poorly as possible as it became clear he was not a good fit next to Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

For Cleveland, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated reported that the Cavs had begun exploring trade options for the 22-year-old guard. Entering the final year of his rookie deal before heading into restricted free agency, Sexton’s future is in question as well after Cleveland landed the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

Sexton would provide the Pelicans a lead ballhandler, which could potentially allow them to part ways with Lonzo Ball this summer as well. At 37.1% last season, Sexton was a better 3-point shooter than Bledsoe but still only right at league average. However, his ability to create offense would be a huge improvement in the backcourt for New Orleans.

While it may not be exactly this deal, the Pelicans could look to package the 10th pick with Bledsoe for an improvement and a salary dump both.

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2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans Player Review: Eric Bledsoe

Eric Bledsoe failed to meet any expectations in New Orleans this season, leading to lots of questions of his future with the franchise.

Whatever the expectation was for Eric Bledsoe this season in New Orleans, it’s almost certain he failed to live up to it. Brought in from Milwaukee as part of the Jrue Holiday trade, Bledsoe struggled offensively, took a big step backward defensively and was an X-factor — often in a number of bad ways — for the Pelicans this season.

Now, the franchise must determine whether Bledsoe simply had a down year or if this is indicative of his future and evaluate what the price of trading him  will be.

Stat of the Season

6.6.

The Pelicans’ core, depending on how the summer plays out, would likely be Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Overall this season, that trio had a net rating of plus-4.3. Remove the minutes spent alongside Bledsoe and that rating jumps to plus-6.6.

Notable Exit Interview Quote

On how he grades his season…

“It was up and down. I can’t complain. It was up and down. I’m blessed to be able to do what I want to do each and every night and that’s compete at a high level. It was up and down. I’d give it probably a C-.”

Overview

Bledsoe was not a seamless fit for this Pelicans roster, especially offensively. Playing next to Ingram and Williamson and alongside Ball, who developed into a respectable 3-point shooter, Bledsoe needed to knock down open shots, often from beyond the arc.

In Milwaukee last season, only 13.3% of his offensive possession ended in spot-up opportunities. In New Orleans, that figure jumped to 33.7%, easily the most common play type. Ironically, his efficiency in those possessions rose, but he still was only in the 56th percentile overall and the sheer volume of spot-up chances meant he needed to be more efficient.

Most notably, though, it was the open looks that Bledsoe struggled with and eventually turned down at the end of the season that proved most costly to the Pelicans’ offense. On open looks, he shot 34.4% from the 3-point line. On wide-open looks, he shot 35.4%. Those looks accounted for 338 of his 354 attempts from beyond the arc this year.

The area where Bledsoe was not expected to struggle was on defense. After a first-team All-Defense selection in 2018-19 and a second-team selection in 2019-20, Bledsoe was nowhere close to that level in 2020-21. Synergy ranked Bledsoe as a 24th percentile defender overall. His defensive rating of 114.8 was second-worst on the team.

After playing on a title contender for multiple seasons and earning a hefty contract, Bledsoe spent most of 2021 looking like the player who once tweeted “I don’t wanna be here” in Phoenix years ago.

Outlook

In hindsight one has to wonder how many of the picks and pick swaps Milwaukee sent to New Orleans was to take on Bledsoe’s contract. He was not a positive asset and now the Pelicans need to determine how to handle him.

Despite all of Bledsoe’s struggles, Stan Van Gundy showed no signs of benching him, though injuries to guards throughout the season limited how much he could consider that. The franchise will put a focus on 3-point shooting this offseason, and Bledsoe is not a shooter.

But the franchise also didn’t show a willingness during the season to include draft picks to unload Bledsoe’s contract, which will be necessary. How it  handles Bledsoe moving forward will determine how serious the team is about winning in its future.

Examining the likely salary cap crunch for the New Orleans Pelicans

Following a disappointing season, the New Orleans Pelicans will have some tough questions to answer this offseason.

The New Orleans Pelicans are one of just two franchises – along with the Charlotte Hornets – in the history of the NBA to never pay the luxury tax. Despite the boom in money into the NBA over the years, the Pelicans have never crossed that threshold even during the years with Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday leading the team.

That makes the upcoming offseason particularly interesting for New Orleans. After a disappointing season that saw them not even earn a spot in the play-in tournament, the Pelicans now face the potential of heading into the luxury tax for a team that finished as the 11th seed last season.

Last summer’s acquisitions of Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe did not have the impact on the season that the team would have likely wanted. Adams’ two-year, $35 million extension did not seem out of line given his production in his career. However, receiving that money before playing a game alongside Zion Williamson – the franchise’s cornerstone moving forward – was a curious decision.

While the pairing had some positives on the season, including a ridiculous offensive rebounding rate of 30.6% when they shared the floor, it wasn’t the zag while the rest of the league was zigging that the Pelicans anticipated it would be.

Adams can still be an impactful player on a contender in a different situation that doesn’t include a bulldozing big man like Williamson in the frontcourt alongside him. Eric Bledsoe, though, did not produce the same kind of optimism for his future this season.

One year removed from a Second Team All-Defense honor, Bledsoe finished the season with New Orleans sporting the second-worst defensive rating, trailing only Adams. The offense wasn’t any better as his deficiencies as a shooter were glaring playing alongside Brandon Ingram and Williamson. Taking the third-most attempts from beyond the arc on the team, Bledsoe shot 34.1% on the season.

Effectively, the two offseason acquisitions anchored down the returning starters in Williamson, Ingram and Lonzo Ball. While the starting lineup had a net rating of plus-2.0 as a whole, the trio of returnees minus Adams and Bledsoe had a net rating of plus-15.5 this season.

This brings the Pelicans to their conundrum this offseason, which includes restricted free agents Ball and Josh Hart. If reports are to be believed, Ball’s contract could be in the neighborhood of $18-20 million annually after a career season in which he established himself alongside Ingram and Williamson.

Hart, meanwhile, saw his 3-point percentage dip even further below average this season but also saw his rebounding rate trend in the other direction as he averaged 8.0 per game in just 28.7 minutes per contest. In fact, his rebound rate of 13.8%, according to NBA Stats, puts him in the neighborhood of Miami’s Bam Adebayo, New York’s Julius Randle and Montrezl Harrell of the Lakers.

A conservative estimate of a contract in the $12-15 million range annually next season, then, means the Pelicans could be looking at paying $30-35 million to retain Ball and Hart. In a recent podcast, HoopsHype salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan noted the Pelicans would be roughly $37 million – including the cap hold for the No. 10 pick – under the luxury tax line.

The number crunch to avoid the luxury tax, which seems like an expectation from ownership given their history, will then get really tight really fast.

One of the logical conclusions would be to move on from their two offseason acquisitions from 2020 that did not blend with the core that they would be committing to. At the trade deadline, the Pelicans were reportedly shopping Bledsoe, though it was with a desire to get positive value back in a trade.

Following a disappointing year from both the team and the guard himself, would the Pelicans be open to cutting ties with Bledsoe at the cost of a draft pick from their war chest of draft assets?

Adams would certainly have more value in a vacuum. But at $17 million owed to him next season, finding a trade partner that can take on his salary without sending much in return is difficult. Teams like Charlotte, New York or San Antonio all may be interested in a big man as teams with cap space and a potential hole in the frontcourt.

Shipping out Adams also makes sense from a roster standpoint after a strong second half of the season from Jaxson Hayes, the No. 8 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He would be able to step into the starting lineup and, at just $5.4 million next season, would be significantly cheaper than Adams.

It’s all a number crunch the Pelicans front office is going to have to navigate this offseason. Even if ownership is willing to pay the luxury tax, which David Griffin stated was the case under the right circumstances during his exit interview, it makes little sense to do so with a roster that finished outside the postseason last year.

Will Adams’ or Bledsoe’s time in New Orleans be short then? Or will Ball or Hart be the cap casualties in restricted free agency?

Eric Bledsoe praises mature Lonzo Ball’s improvements as leader

Dating back to the preseason, Lonzo Ball has made it a point this season to become a better leader in his fourth year in the league.

Dating to the preseason, Lonzo Ball has made it a point to become a better leader in his fourth year in the league. While it’s something both he and Stan Van Gundy have spoken about this season, it’s not something Ball — or any other player — can self-evaluate.

That makes Eric Bledsoe’s comments after Sunday’s win over the Hornets interesting. Ball’s backcourt mate throughout the season, Bledsoe has seen Ball’s development throughout the year and spoke on how he’s improved as a leader.

“Just the way, when he has the ball, how mature he is with making plays,” he said. “He’s been doing it all season long. No matter win, lose, he always wants the ball. Even if he doesn’t have the ball, he tries to encourage other players out there. He’s just going to get better as he gets older.”

Most recently, Ball spoke about his need to improve as a communicator by telling a story of his rookie season, using it as an example of learning when he needed to speak up in the locker room. As he’s grown more comfortable in his role within the league and the Pelicans, he’s become a more natural leader on the court, which has helped him to his breakout season.

Steph Curry made Eric Bledsoe look silly before hitting a 3-pointer and NBA fans loved it

Poor Eric Bledsoe.

Steph Curry is coming off an incredible April in which he hit 96 3-pointers and averaged over 37 points while keeping the Warriors in contention for a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament.

And now he’s off to a pretty good May, too, as he went off for 41 points in a big win over the Pelicans in New Orleans on Monday night.

Curry had eight more 3-pointers in the win, which pushed the Warriors into the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference, including one in which he made Pelicans guard Eric Bledsoe look a little silly before calmly sinking the shot.

Check this out:

I love Curry’s sly smile after hitting that one.

Here’s another angle:

Twitter loved it:

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Lonzo Ball scores career-high 33 points as Pelicans earn comeback win vs. Timberwolves

In the biggest game of the Pelicans season, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson combined for 70 points in a comeback overtime victory.

With four minutes to go on Saturday, the Pelicans season looked to be done and dusted. Even with three games against Golden State – their primary opponent for the 10th seed – still on the schedule including a back-to-back starting on Monday, a 10-point deficit to the lowly Timberwolves looked to be the death knell in a season of disappointment.

In the blink of an eye, though, New Orleans suddenly looked something like that team many thought they could be this season. A frantic series of defensive stops and trips to the free throw line and a putback by Willy Hernangomez with 21.9 seconds left ultimately led to an overtime period that Zion Williamson and the Pelicans dominated to keep their postseason hopes alive.

“I have talked…all year about our team’s resilience,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “All year. And I’ll stick with it. We’ve had games where we weren’t good. We’ve had games where we’ve given up leads like tonight. But this team has never quit on anything. After a bad game or the other night in Denver (where we were) way down and come back, tonight down 10 with four minutes to go and get it to overtime. We needed that.”

Three days removed from a wild comeback that culminated in a controversial finish in Denver, the Pelicans played out nearly the same script in Minnesota, though this time with a far happier conclusion. That ending could be only be reached, though, through the expected heroics of Zion Williamson and a career night from Lonzo Ball.

Williamson poured in 37 points on 14-of-17 shooting from the field with nine rebounds and eight assists, a staggering stat line that shouldn’t feel as normal as it does. The yin to his yang on the night was Ball, who matched his career-high in 3-pointers with eight and surpassed his career-high in points with 33, the first 30-point game of his career.

“I thought he was great,” Van Gundy said of Ball. “I really thought he was great. And I thought it was one of the better jobs he has done, on top of that, of keeping us organized and poised coming down the stretch. He had us organized and I thought that was good.”

“We’ve been through it time and time again,” Eric Bledsoe added. “Somebody had to step up and it was them two. They had the ball in their hands tonight and we needed them to make plays.”

While Williamson was the inevitable force in overtime that fouled out three separate Wolves front court players in the extra session, Ball was the long-range specialist in the early stages of the night that made the win possible.

“I think whenever a momentum change in our favor, Lonzo was there,” Williamson said. “Whether it was hitting a three or just creating something on a fastbreak or just defense. Whenever we needed a momentum change, Lonzo was there for us tonight.”

After knocking down three 3-pointers in the first quarter, Ball more than doubled that in the third quarter, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the arc in the period. His eighth 3-pointer in the fourth quarter tied his season- and career-high and his free throw shooting, another massive area of improvement in his game, iced the game in the overtime session.

“They were helping in a lot on (Zion),” Ball said. “When the ball came to me, it wasn’t like they were 6’9”, 6’10” (players) closing out. It was guards closing out to me so I had pretty good looks at it. I was just letting it fly when it was open and it was going in.”

New Orleans’ rally in the final four minutes featured a healthy dose of missed opportunities from the Wolves, who had won four straight entering the night but still sport a 20-45 record on the season after Saturday’s loss. On the offensive end, though, the Pelicans made trips to the free throw line through Brandon Ingram, Eric Bledsoe and Hernangomez to make their comeback.

With the Pelicans down two following a Ricky Rubio jumper with 38.6 seconds left, it was Ball who crashed the offensive glass after missed 3-pointers by himself and Ingram to keep the ball alive before Hernangomez’s putback tied the game with 21.9 seconds remaining.

Needing a stop defensively to force overtime, Williamson switched onto D’Angelo Russell and forced a long, fadeaway 3-pointer that missed. Ball, again, fought for the rebound to help see the clock hit zeroes and send the game to overtime.

“(We) got a lot of guys on this team that have that fight in them, that dog in them that came out tonight,” Ball said. “We ended up going into overtime with a good stop by (Zion) and then he carried us in OT and we came out with a win.

“I love playing like this, especially with the pressure up high,” he added. “I feel like I play better. I’m just blessed to be in this position, to finally be here and play in these big games for us. For me, (I’ll) just keep coming in with the same attitude and do what I can do to help my team win.”

In overtime, Williamson went full battering ram, fouling out Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid in consecutive offensive possessions as he scored seven of the Pelicans’ 17 points. Ball added five, all of those coming at the free throw line. He matched his career-high of 29 points after splitting a pair with 48 seconds remaining.

He added two more on the next possession to set a career-high and eclipse the 30-point mark. After Ingram, the team’s best free throw shooter on the year at 88.5%, missed a pair, Ball knocked down the final two of the game to seal the win.

“I’m just happy we won,” Ball said. “The points are going to be there depending on the night. I’m not really too worried about that. It’s the fact that we won is all I carry about. I know we have to finish these last nine (games) strong so that’s what I’m focused on.”

Saturday’s win sets up a back-to-back that will effectively determine the Pelicans’ postseason fate. A bizarre scheduling quirk sees Golden State visit on Monday and Tuesday for the first meetings between the two teams this season.

After wins by both teams on Saturday, the Pelicans sit three games back of the Warriors with eight games remaining, making both games virtual must-wins. But all those stakes are possible largely only because of Ball, Williamson, and a nearly perfect final four minutes of regulation on Saturday.

“This was the biggest game of the season and now Monday will be biggest game of the season,” Van Gundy said. “One of the things we talk about…is the game you’re playing that night has to be the biggest game of the year and that’s how you have to approach it because we can’t afford very many losses. Obviously, we’re fighting with Golden State so everybody will focus on that but if you give away a game tonight, it just gets further and further out of reach.”

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