Tag: Portland Trail Blazers

Trail Blazers’ Chauncey Billups praises Kris Murray: He doesn’t make very many mistakes

Kris Murray has seen sporadic minutes with the Trail Blazers, but earned praise from coach Chauncey Billups for staying ready.

Kris Murray has seen sporadic minutes this season with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the 23rd pick earned praise from coach Chauncey Billups for staying ready and playing with confidence.

Murray has made 30 appearances with the Trail Blazers entering play on Thursday. He has played in mop-up duty several times and even had stints in the G League with the Rip City Remix earlier this season in November and December.

The 23-year-old recently had the opportunity to make his first start with the Trail Blazers short-handed. He recorded eight points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 19 minutes on Sunday in a 112-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Billups liked how Murray performed in that contest.

Kris is a player who doesn’t make very many mistakes. He does it right all of the time. He’ll have a chase-down block here or an offensive rebound here, he is going to do something to impact the game; it is what you’re always going to get from him. I think his confidence is just starting to pick up. The more he plays, the more confident he becomes.

Murray is averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on 38.1% shooting from the field in 12.7 minutes per game with the Trail Blazers. His numbers with the Remix in the G League: 14.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and one steal.

He was highly touted after three years at Iowa, given his ability to play on both ends of the court. He has displayed those attributes in a limited sample size this season and is looking to continue that effort for this year and beyond.

Above all else, Murray wants to play the right way, as Billups alluded to.

That is something I try to do every single day: Play the right way and just do what (Coach) tells me to do. I don’t want to be someone who Coach has got to ask to do something two or three times. It should only take once or none at all.

The organization is high on his potential to develop into a franchise cornerstone. He has impressed the coaching staff and his teammates thus far and will be looking to carry that momentum throughout the rest of his rookie campaign.

“He is such a consistent person and player,” Matisse Thybulle said. “The way he shows up and does his job. He has an effortless approach and way he moves around the court to where it doesn’t really seem like he is exerting himself. He is constantly one of the first guys down the court, crashing the glass and being able to play on each side of the ball. I think from Day 1 to now, the most impressive thing is just how consistent he has been.”

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NBA trade deadline 2024: A complete tracker of every trade

Rookie Wire is keeping track of every trade ahead of the Thursday deadline based on the latest intel available.

The week of the trade deadline is in full swing around the NBA, with teams working the phones in an effort to improve their rosters ahead of 3 p.m. EST on Thursday.

Since the start of the season, several notable names in the game have relocated after various trades. The moves have helped teams add more firepower to their rosters, while others have solidified their futures with draft picks and additional assets.

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The buyers and sellers around the league should become known as the action figures to heat up over the next 24 hours, with conversations and trade calls ramping up. The recent rumors and speculation should, once again, create another action-packed trade deadline.

Rookie Wire is monitoring the latest news and compiling each trade ahead of the deadline in this tracker. The list will be updated as news becomes available.

Last Update: Feb. 8, 3:10 p.m. EST

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Full rosters revealed in draft announcement

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams. The seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and formerĀ Indiana PacersĀ standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Here are the rosters drafted by Gasol, Catchings and Rose.

Two former Boston Celtics in trade deadline rumbles: Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon

A pair of former Boston Celtics players are making minor waves ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline.

A pair of former Boston Celtics players are making minor waves ahead of the NBA’s 2024 trade deadline. The “Stein Line’s” Marc Stein reports that former Boston big man Grant Williams may soon be on the move — and that Malcolm Brogdon would prefer to not be.

Per Stein, the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks “have held exploratory discussions on a trade that would swap Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and Dallas newcomer Grant Williams.” Such a move is undoubtedly to swap out some of Portis’ offensive capabilities for Williams’ defensive skills on the wing, which Milwaukee desperately needs. “It is not yet known if the talks will progress to something more serious.”

As for Brogdon, the former Celtics Sixth Man of the Year “has been openly lobbying the Trail Blazers to keep him beyond Thursday’s trade deadline.”

“There have been some recent rumblings that Brogdon, with one season left on his current contract after this one at $22.5 million, has been hopeful that the Blazers would entertain contract extension talks,” writes Stein.

That seems unlikely given the Blazers’ surplus of young guards, who, as the reporter notes, need floor time to develop. Still, “the prospect of a longer stay than anticipated in the Pacific Northwest for the 31-year-old has gained credence.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Pat Connaughton/Blake Wesley NBA Tracker: Jan. 29-Feb. 4

A pretty forgettable week.

The teams for Notre Dame’s two NBA representatives went a combined 1-7 this past week. They did their best though.

[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag]’s week started well enough. In the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jan. 29 loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets, he had seven points, three assists and the block on Nikola Jokic that you can see in the above photo.

Connaughton quickly took a step back as he was held scoreless for the first time this season Jan. 31 at the Portland Trail Blazers. For the week, he averaged 2.5 points and 1.3 assists a game.

[autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] also got off to a decent start. He had seven points and did his best [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] impression with three steals in a Jan. 29 defeat to the Washington Wizards.

Wesley dished out six assists while also scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds during a Groundhog Day loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 assists a game during the week.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireNDĀ on Twitter, and like our page onĀ Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

NBA Power Rankings: Knicks make a jump behind 9-game win streak

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

After an exciting first half of the season, the NBA is closing in on the trade deadline and All-Star Weekend the following week to start the stretch run for teams vying for playoff positioning.

The trade chatter will certainly ramp up considerably before Thursday, with several teams expected to be active. The impending rumors and other speculation should once again create plenty of storylines to watch over the next several days.

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The league announced the 14 reserve players for the All-Star Game on Thursday, with several first-time selections joining the mainstays in the exhibition this year. Of course, the announcement wasn’t without controversy regarding those snubbed players.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

Rookie Julian Phillips praised after Bulls win over Trail Blazers

After the Chicago Bulls’ recent win over the Portland Trail Blazers, rookie Julian Phillips earned lots of praise.

The Chicago Bulls have been dealing with a ton of injury issues this season. Zach LaVine, in particular, has missed a ton of time, but a lot of other players up and down the roster have been absent for some games throughout the season. Among them has been Patrick Williams, who is dealing with a foot issue and hasn’t played since January 25.

In Chicago’s recent game against the Portland Trail Blazers, rookie forward Julian Phillips stepped up, earning some big minutes off the bench with Williams absent from the lineup. The result? His best game of the season so far.

After the contest, Phillips earned some praise from Ayo Dosunmu, among others. (H/t KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago)

ā€œThe whole locker room loves him because when you have his energy, it becomes contagious,ā€ Dosunmu said.

Phillips finished the game with a career-high 11 points to go along with two rebounds, one assist, and one block while shooting 4-of-7 from the field and 1-of-3 from distance.

Head coach Billy Donovan also had some words to say about Phillips after the contest.

ā€œI donā€™t mean this critically of him, but he plays in a very small box. He does the things he knows he can do,ā€ Donovan said. ā€œHeā€™s a really good cutter. Heā€™s really good athletically on the glass. Heā€™s obviously a terrific athlete. I think the thing Iā€™ve been most impressed with from summer league to now has been his ability to pick things up very quickly. He has a very high IQ. He instinctively knows when to cut. He finds his way into plays. He’s a very conscientious decision-maker. I donā€™t look at him as a high-mistake player.ā€

Alex Caruso even called him a “sponge.”

ā€œHeā€™s pretty stoic in general,ā€ said Caruso. ā€œHeā€™s trying to be a sponge, trying to learn. Heā€™s doing a good job of taking everything in stride. He knows the game and does little stuff within the game to try to help us win.ā€

Phillips’ opportunities may not come often, but he took advantage of the one he got against Portland.

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2024 NBA Mock Draft: Latest first-round projections at midway point of season

Rookie Wire took a look at the 2024 NBA draft class and where the top prospects stand as of Feb. 1.

The top NBA draft prospects worldwide have collectively reached the second halves of their respective seasons as they look to showcase themselves in front of scouts and executives.

The class this year has seen several players help their stock, while others have struggled and fallen down draft boards. Some players have also dealt with recent injuries and other factors that have prevented them from reaching their potential.

The draft is widely considered open at the top of the board, with several prospects in the conversation to be the first selection. Unlike last year, when Victor Wembanyama was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut choice this year.

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Prospects will continue to see their standing fluctuate over the remaining two-plus months of action on the court as scouts have more time to evaluate them. The sheer unknown atop the draft board should create plenty of storylines to follow over the remainder of the season.

The NBA announced on Wednesday that the draft will be expanded to a two-night format, with the first round set to take place on June 26 at the Barclays Center. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York the following night.

Rookie Wire looked at the class and where the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The order was determined by the reverse order of the NBA standings as of Feb. 1.

Note: Player fit wasn’t necessarily taken into account with each pick.Ā Pick protections and other notes courtesy of Tankathon.

Rookie Wire Power Rankings: Hornets’ Brandon Miller rises up past Chet Holmgren

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2023-24 season.

Over half of the NBA season is in the books as teams and players around the league look ahead to the trade deadline and All-Star break in the next two weeks.

The trade chatter figures to ramp up considerably before the deadline on Feb. 8, with several teams expected to be active. The impending rumors and other speculation should once again create plenty of storylines to watch over the next several days.

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The league announced the All-Star starters for each conference last week and will unveil the reserve players on Thursday. Though there likely won’t be a rookie announced as an All-Star, the class will be well-represented during the NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but to illustrate the best players week to week.

Jamal Crawford is happy to see Scoot Henderson make the Rising Stars game

Jamal Crawford was a big fan of Scoot Henderson entering the season, and the NBA legend was happy to see him make the Rising Stars game.

Jamal Crawford was a big fan of Scoot Henderson entering the season, and the former 20-year veteran was happy to see the rookie make the NBA Rising Stars game.

Henderson was among 11 first-year players selected to compete in the annual showcase at All-Star Weekend on Feb. 16 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is his third selection to the game after previously representing the G League Ignite in the competition.

The third pick is averaging 12.2 points, 4.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds on 37% shooting from the field in 38 games this season with the Portland Trail Blazers. He is fifth among rookies in scoring and one of six first-year players with a 30-point game.

Crawford, speaking Tuesday on “NBA on TNT” with Adam Lefkoe, Vince Carter and Candace Parker, was excited to see Henderson earn the nod after a slow start this year.

I like Scoot Henderson. The fact that he started out rough, it wasn’t pretty from the start. He has found his footing and has figured out pace and figured out how to get going, so to see him make this game, I’m really, really happy for him.

Henderson, as Crawford mentioned, had a bit of a rough start.

He played in the first five games of the season and was then sidelined for nine games due to an ankle injury. He struggled with efficiency over his first 19 games, averaging 10.8 points, 4.1 assists and 2.7 rebounds on 36.7% shooting from the field, including 25% from 3-point range.

The 19-year-old has since improved, posting 13.7 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 19 games on 36% shooting from beyond the arc. He has four 20-point games in that stretch, including a career-high 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on Jan. 14.

Henderson looks to have progressed with each game, which was to be expected after missing time. He is developing into a franchise cornerstone and proving himself as a top-three pick last year.

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