Houston Rockets star James Harden made an uncontested dunk in the fourth quarter at San Antonio, but the officials somehow didn’t count it.
With the Houston Rockets up 13 points in Tuesday’s fourth quarter at San Antonio, James Harden picked off a pass at midcourt and had an uncontested breakaway dunk.
He made it. Or so nearly everyone thought.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, after going through the rim and all of the net, the ball bounced off Harden’s body and went back up through the rim — nearly going in a second time — before rolling off the rim and being secured by San Antonio.
Somehow, none of the three on-court officials ruled it a made basket, and the call was not within the league’s permitted replay review system for head coach Mike D’Antoni to challenge.
Weird sequence here. Harden converts a dunk, ball goes under and back through the net.
The call ended up being quite impactful, since the Spurs rallied to ultimately tie the game and sent it to overtime. Harden had 39 points in regulation, which expanded his NBA-leading scoring average, but he clearly should have had 41.
The sequence could certainly be cited in the future as an example of why to expand the scope of the league’s replay system.
When a fan in San Antonio expressed his displeasure at James Harden getting two free throws, the Rockets guard had a snappy response.
Houston Rockets star James Harden shot 15 free throws in the first half alone during Tuesday night’s game at San Antonio, making all 15.
Given Harden’s status as the NBA’s annual leader in points and free throws, this naturally drew some ire from Spurs fans, as it does in many visiting locations for the Rockets.
On Tuesday, however, the league’s leading scorer and former Most Valuable Player (MVP) opted to respectfully respond.
After a nearby fan yelled “No one wants to see a free throw contest!” to Harden, the 30-year-old Rockets guard had a clever response:
Nobody wants to see fouls, either!
Fan: "No one wants to see a free throw shooting contest!" James Harden: "Nobody wants to see fouls either, goddammit" pic.twitter.com/Mctq3kKJuG
Naturally, Harden made both free throws after the exchange, which played out live on the local San Antonio broadcast.
Entering Tuesday, Harden led the NBA at 38.9 points per game on 44.6% overall shooting and 35.5% on three-pointers, along with 7.8 assists and 5.9 rebounds. He averages 14.4 free-throw attempts per game, making 12.5 of those for an 86.5% success rate.
As Harden indicated, the simplest way to keep him off the line would be for defenders to avoid fouling him.
The Rockets are without Danuel House Jr. for Tuesday’s game, while the Spurs are missing seven-time All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge.
Both the Spurs and Rockets are without a key frontcourt starter for Tuesday night’s clash between division rivals in San Antonio.
Houston (13-6) is missing 26-year-old swingman Danuel House Jr. for a second consecutive game due to illness, which the native Houstonian characterized as the flu in an Instagram post over the weekend.
House was upgraded from doubtful to questionable earlier in the day, but the Rockets opted to err on the side of caution. Starting center Clint Capela did return Tuesday after a two-game illness absence, and if House follows a similar timetable, he could make his return Thursday in Toronto.
Over the 2019-20 season to date, House has been one of Houston’s best shooters and wing defenders. He averages 12.4 points in 29.7 minutes per game on 47.4% shooting overall and 44.4% from three-point range. His athleticism and length at 6-foot-6 is also important, considering that Houston’s alternative options are somewhat undersized.
With House out, former 2013 NBA Draft lottery pick Ben McLemore again starts in his place for the Rockets. The smaller 6-foot-3 guard was excellent as a starter Saturday versus Atlanta, posting season-highs of 24 points, 13 rebounds, and six made three-pointers.
[lawrence-related id=18925]
Meanwhile, the Spurs (7-14) are without 6-foot-11 center LaMarcus Aldridge, who missed his second consecutive game with a thigh injury.
The seven-time All-Star had 17 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in an impressive 10-point home victory by the Spurs over the Los Angeles Clippers last Friday. Then, with Aldridge sidelined on Sunday, the Spurs lost by a whopping 34 points in Detroit.
#Spurs have downgraded Aldridge (sore right thigh) from questionable to OUT for tonight vs. Houston. It's the first time he's missed consecutive games since he sat out Feb. 12-13, 2018 to receive treatment on his chronically sore right knee prior to the All-Star break.
Previewing Tuesday’s Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Houston Rockets (13-6) face the San Antonio Spurs (7-14) Tuesday at AT&T Center. Tip-off is scheduled for shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Rockets-Spurs odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.
Rockets at Spurs: Key injuries
Rockets
SG Eric Gordon (knee) out
Spurs
PF LaMarcus Aldridge (thigh) questionable
Rockets at Spurs: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 8:45 a.m. ET.
The ROCKETS (-250) are road favorites over the Spurs (+200). The fifth-place team in the Western Conference is coming off a 2-1 homestand, which ended with a 158-111 rout of the Atlanta Hawks Saturday. They’ve won 10 of their last 13 games but are just 5-4 on the road. The Spurs lost 132-98 on the road against the Detroit Pistons Sunday, and they dropped eight of their last 10 outings.
The Rockets outscore the opposition by an average of 5.8 points per game while ranking second in the association with 120.3 points for per game. The Spurs rank in the bottom half of the conference in both points for (110.9) and points against (115.1), and they’re outscored by 4.2 PPG on average. Back the visitors.
The two Texas rivals haven’t met yet this season but will play again in Houston Dec. 16. The Spurs (+5.5, -105) are spotted a pair of possessions as the home dogs. They’re a woeful 5-16 against the spread overall and just 2-9 ATS at home. The ROCKETS (-5.5, -115) offer greater value on the spread than the moneyline. They’re 10-9 ATS overall and 4-5 on the road.
After Houston’s first three wins of the season were all decided by five or fewer points, each of proceeding 10 victories was decided by six or more points. Each of San Antonio’s last six losses was by a minimum of six points.
San Antonio is 12-9 against the Over/Under while playing to an average of 4.0 points above the projected total, largely due to inadequate defense. Houston is 8-11 against the projected totals but tops the number by an average of 2.7 points, due to the occasional barnburner.
Take the OVER 230.5 (-128). The Rockets will be able to take full advantage of the Spurs’ porous defense and could approach their 158-point output from Saturday.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan says he thinks Rockets guard James Harden could score 100 points in a single NBA game, if he put his mind to it.
If Houston Rockets star James Harden is hot enough to score 60 points in just three quarters — as he did Saturday versus Atlanta — just imagine what might he could do at that efficiency over a full game.
Fellow NBA star DeMar DeRozan, who became a childhood friend of Harden when both players were growing up near Los Angeles, may have an idea. With Harden’s Rockets visiting DeRozan’s San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, the four-time All-Star made quite a proclamation to San Antonio Express-News beat writer Jeff McDonald.
Speaking of Harden, who like DeRozan is now 30 years old, DeRozan said:
I’m pretty sure if he put his mind to it, he could score 100.
DeMar DeRozan believes his buddy James Harden could score 100 points in a game if he wanted to. Given their woes defending the 3-point line this season, the Spurs hope that day isn't Tuesday. https://t.co/Q1UxHxdZqs
100 points, of course, stands as the all-time high for points in a single game by an NBA player — set by Wilt Chamberlain on March 2, 1962. The more modern record is 81 by Kobe Bryant on Jan. 22, 2006.
As wild as it might sound, DeRozan isn’t alone in his thinking. Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose recently predicted that Harden would score 90 points in a game this season.
[lawrence-related id=18294]
Beyond just getting hot in a given game, there are some statistical reasons to believe Harden could pull it off. Consider that last year, Harden didn’t reach peak form until his legendary 32-game streak of scoring 30+ points, which began Dec. 13. Prior to that date, Harden averaged 30.0 points per game. From Dec. 13 onward, he averaged 38.7 points.
If Harden improves at a similar rate as the 2019-20 season progresses, there’s no telling what he might be able to do. Entering December, he’s already averaging a league-leading 38.9 points per game, which is even higher than his torrid stretch to finish last year. Should he improve at anything close to a similar rate, it would be silly to rule anything out.
Opponents reacted to Harden’s epic scoring run to begin the 2019-20 season with more frequent double teams, but the Rockets have recently had more success countering those — as we saw early versus Atlanta.
If the Hawks keep doubling Harden, it becomes 4-on-3 and the Rockets are going to execute it well. pic.twitter.com/5Adb35pX8d
In turn, that might lead to more isolation opportunities for Harden in the games ahead. That certainly happened after halftime Saturday, when Harden scored 29 points in the third quarter alone.
It's now been 5 games since teams started to double team James Harden very aggressively, sometimes from the moment he crosses half court.
His stats in those games: 38 PPG, 8.6 AST, 52 FG%, 40 3PT%, 14.2 FTAG, 71.3 TS%, 5 TOV, 119.1 ORTG (Rockets 116.6 ORTG).
Harden’s current career-high scoring mark is 61 points. He last set that in March against, of all teams, DeRozan and the Spurs. That could make for a fun matchup Tuesday in San Antonio, as far as scoring potential.
At the moment, the Spurs (7-14) rank No. 26 in defensive rating, while the Rockets (13-6) are No. 2 in offensive rating. Harden attempts more three-pointers than any other NBA player, and the Spurs’ current mark of 39.1% allowed on threes is second-worst in the league. Furthermore, Harden and the Rockets will enter the game on two days of rest.
There are no guarantees, but on paper, it certainly looks like a favorable matchup for the former Most Valuable Player (MVP). DeRozan obviously hopes that history won’t be made against his team, but it doesn’t sound as if he’d be shocked if it somehow was.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Danny Green sat down with USA TODAY’s LeBron Wire to discuss an amazing start to the season for their team.
Few understand the ins and outs of the NBA better than Los Angeles Lakers guard Danny Green.
He started on the fringes of the league and saw a glimpse of LeBron James’ first run in Cleveland, before winning championships with San Antonio and Toronto in his career, on his way to becoming one of the league’s most dependable two-way wings. But he’s currently on a run he’s never experienced before as his Los Angeles Lakers have jumped out to a 17-3 start, one that he called ‘special’ on and off the court.
Green sat down with USA TODAY’s LeBron Wire on Monday morning to discuss a promotion with the Lakers and Delta Airlines, but we managed to touch on some other topics such as how the China trip brought the team together and how LeBron’s ability to take criticism has set the tone for the entire Lakers team.
LeBron Wire: 20 games in, 17-3, where would you say you are at? Your goals are bigger than a good record, are you in good position for your bigger goals?
Danny Green, Los Angeles Lakers: I think we are. We recognize obviously we’re ahead of where we expected to be. But we know we can potentially do so much more. Not so much more, but we have a ways to go. That’s what’s so exciting about it. Our best games, we still haven’t played our best basketball. We still have a good amount of room to grow and get better. We also still haven’t been focused for a full 48 minutes this season.
LW: Going back to Cleveland with LeBron, is there anything with his leadership that you notice is different? Is he more vocal than he used to be?
DG: He’s always been vocal. He’s just got that championship DNA right now. He’s matured over the years not only as a player but as a person. He does more things off the court with teammates. We bond, we have a group that’s in-tune and he knows how important that is for us to be clicking on the court. And it’s the most surprising thing to me at this point in his career is he’s a guy that’s accepting criticism to learn and will actually listen to his teammates to let them push him. You don’t see guys who are superstars, or even guys that are the greatest player to ever play or the greatest of his era, willing to openly be accepting of criticism. Actually listening to teammates. Not just giving orders but taking orders. Yes, he’s been a great leader not just to win but he cares about the group and the bigger picture.
LW: Any stories of LeBron taking criticism recently? Any examples of him taking criticism for the betterment of the team?
DG: There’s so many, there’s not just one. He’ll take ownership when he does mess up. In a film session he will say that’s my box-out, that’s my x-out, that guy there was a miss. And we will tell him, ‘Bron you need to do this, we need to you be more aggressive, we need you to pass more, he’ll listen. He’ll actually take that with a positive attitude and actually apply it to the game to help our team.
LW: So you’re taking to me because of this Delta collaboration with the Lakers for the Showtime Seat Exchange, what’s the deal?
DG: It’s an amazing, amazing collaboration. I was very excited for this one. It’s no shock as to why, it’s an exceptional collaboration with a great airline like Delta. I think it’s amazing to give people an opportunity to exchange tickets for seats and how quickly it happens. The first few days it filled out and they will give people another opportunity to do it again in the New Year. It’s pretty cool for people to donate their game tickets and then you get the opportunity to fly anywhere. It’s great that they give people a chance to see the game and if you have tickets leftover, you have a chance to fly anywhere in the world.
LW: Cool. How big of a factor is Anthony Davis in instilling the attitude on defense?
DG: He’s been the Defensive Player of the Year. Hands down. He’s led by his actions, by his vocal, by his communication. His standards for everybody and for ‘Bron. He’s the reason why you see ‘Bron out there scrambling and hustling, doing all the things that he’s been doing. He’s been pushing him on that end of the floor. We all have, but those two have a special relationship. AD has been leading by example and with his words and what he’s done vocally. That’s why our defense has been so great thus far. We want to try and be better for the full 48, but he’s the foundation of our defense.
LW: Big road trip but you have the Christmas game against the Clippers, can you look at it as a chance for redemption for opening night?
DG: We look forward to every chance to play against everybody. Not just the Clippers but we lost to Toronto and we lost to Dallas. We’ve played Dallas twice, we beat them in a close one before, those are teams that will be marked on our calendar. There’s a lot of great teams in the West and the East, above-.500 teams. We have a helluva road trip coming up with Denver, Utah and Portland. It’s going to be interesting and fun at the same time. But of course the Clippers, how good of a team they are and how good they are playing, it’s a real good challenge for us to take head on.
LW: How special has this start to the season been compared to some of the other experiences in your career?
DG: I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever started this well record-wise. I’ve been on some pretty special teams but more so than anything, which is more important than record, it’s the bonding, the chemistry. I’ve been a part of some real good teams where the chemistry on the court was unbelievable but I’ve never been a part of a team where the chemistry has been…I think the China trip really helped us. It’s been unbelievable off the court. We talk to each other, we talk to each other in our group chat, we hang out off the court, we plan things together. I think the China trip is what really helped us. I’ve never been part of a group that clicked this early, everybody hanging out with everybody, this early in the season. Yeah, that’s what makes it special for me. We’re having a lot of fun off the court together, that’s something I’ll never forget. I think these are memories that guys will keep close to them and hold them because of the group we have and how special it’s been off the court.
HoopsHype speaks to executives around the NBA to determine what they think about San Antonio Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge’s trade value.
Even after their surprisingly dominant victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, the San Antonio Spurs still sit at 7-13, have a -2.4 net rating (good for 20th in the league) and boast the dubious distinction of being the first Gregg Popovich-led team ever to lose eight games in a row.
The team’s horrid start has led many around the league to wonder if San Antonio could be open for business as the season progresses, particularly if they don’t turn things around soon. And one of the players consistently mentioned as a potential trade target is seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.
As one league executive told HoopsHype: “I think it’s still early in the season, but the West is really tough [so you never know when it comes to trades]. I don’t think you can ever count out Gregg Popovich. I think they will make these decisions closer to the February trade deadline. There are some issues with LaMarcus: Is he a center now? Can he play with a fast-paced team? Also, matching the salary in a trade for LaMarcus or DeMar could be tough.”
Aldridge has two years and $50 million left on his contract. On the season, he’s averaging 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds (the second-lowest total of his career), 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocks (a career-high) per game on 51.7/35.5/83.3 shooting splits. What’s more, he ranks 33rd in Value Over Replacement Player (+0.6) and 35th in Win Shares (+1.8), meaning that two valued catch-all metrics rate him higher than the average fan might.
Overall, those are numbers that could sway a contender into thinking Aldridge could be the missing piece needed to make a run. The best way to put it might be: If Aldridge is your best player, as is clearly the case in San Antonio, your team is going to have trouble on most nights. But as a secondary or even tertiary piece, there’s a chance he could be a legitimate difference-maker.
As far as teams that could pop up as potential Aldridge suitors, HoopsHype asked various NBA executives for their thoughts on the matter, and one of the first landing spots that was mentioned was a familiar team for the big man: “The Portland Trail Blazers could make sense,” a Western Conference exec told us. “Would Portland give up Hassan Whiteside plus Zach Collins or a pick?”
Portland did start the season off quite slowly, but after the addition of Carmelo Anthony, who is averaging 17.7 points and shooting 37 percent from three for the Blazers and now mans the 4-spot for them while on a minimum contract, they might be less inclined to make the potentially expensive move for Aldridge since they’re getting so much value out of Anthony’s deal. Plus, losing Whiteside’s defensive prowess and switching to a starting frontcourt of Anthony and Aldridge would force the Blazers to score 125-plus points per game in order to win, since it would be one of the weaker defensive 4-5 combinations in the league.
Portland wasn’t the only team mentioned for Aldridge. Another one that came up was the Denver Nuggets, who are 13-4 and aren’t even playing their best basketball yet.
“Maybe Denver could be a destination for Aldridge,” a Western Conference executive mentioned to HoopsHype. “If they think he can play the 4, it could make sense. He probably can’t play the 4 at this stage, but I don’t know how other front offices feel. Malik Beasley and Mason Plumlee for LaMarcus is one possible trade scenario.”
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
With Nikola Jokic off to a slow start this season, averaging 16.1 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 24.2 percent from three, Aldridge could be brought in to take some of the pressure off of the 24-year-old. If Denver believes the duo could coexist as a starting frontcourt in the modern NBA, that move could help slide Paul Millsap to a bench role, where he could do some serious damage against opposing second units.
A third Western Conference club was also brought up as a potential destination for Aldridge. The Phoenix Suns, losers in six of their last seven games after a surprisingly strong start to the season, were mentioned by a Western Conference executive, though he questioned if they had the salaries to match San Antonio on such a deal.
If the two sides could figure out the financials, Aldridge would be a completely logical target for a Phoenix team so desperate to turn the corner, since he’s a veteran All-Star who can play the position where they are probably the weakest: power forward. You could do a whole lot worse than a starting frontcourt of Aldridge and either Aron Baynes or Deandre Ayton when he returns from suspension. Remember, the Suns nearly signed Aldridge back in 2015. The big man has said he was “very close” to joining Phoenix, but he ultimately chose San Antonio.
Finally, the Sacramento Kings were the last team mentioned by league execs for Aldridge. “Would Sacramento trade [multiple salaries] and picks for Aldridge?” an NBA executive wondered. “I’m not positive if the money works, but can Aldridge step in and teach Marvin Bagley?”
Sacramento is 8-10 through 18 games, tied with Phoenix in record out West. Landing Aldridge would be huge for their playoff odds this season, something they haven’t done since 2005-06, the longest active stretch of futility in the NBA. The one area the Kings could use some help is at the frontcourt, where young buck Richaun Holmes is presently the starter. To be sure, the 26-year-old Holmes is doing a commendable job at the moment, averaging career-highs in points (10.9), rebounds (8.1) and blocks (1.5), but there’s no question Aldridge would both provide an upgrade to Sacramento’s starting five, while allowing Holmes to come off the bench, where he’d present matchup nightmares against opposing backup centers.
For teams like Phoenix and Sacramento, both trying mightily to turn the corner behind talented young cores but lacking in the veteran All-Star leadership needed to do it, Aldridge would be a fantastic trade target.
But we do have to take into account the fact that the Spurs fully guaranteed the final year of Aldridge’s deal recently, so they likely didn’t head into this season with the intention of trading their best player.
At the same time, though, there’s no way San Antonio thought they’d struggle this much in 2019-20, fielding a team that would set the losing streak record under Popovich. As such, and as if often the case in the NBA, we must remember things can change quickly in this league, and if the losing continues, don’t be surprised to hear Aldridge’s name start to get mentioned as a potential trade target as we get closer to February’s trade deadline.
HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy contributed to the reporting for this article.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
Previewing Friday’s Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets
The Los Angeles Clippers (14-5) head to the Riverwalk to face the San Antonio Spurs (6-13) Friday with tip-off coming just after 8:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Center. We analyze the Clippers-Spurs odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.
BetMGM BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL
BET $1, WIN $250 in free bets if ANY NFL team scores a touchdown Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. Bet now and win! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
Clippers at Spurs: Key injuries
Clippers
SF Rodney McGruder(hamstring) out
Spurs
PF Chimezie Metu (foot) out
Clippers at Spurs: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 1:15 p.m. ET.
The Spurs are just too much of a risk even at home to think about a wager. Los Angeles is -250 and that could shift before game time. That being said, it is too hard not to make a selection here.
Our pick is with the CLIPPERS (-250).
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Los Angeles returns a profit of $4 with an outright win.
Los Angeles is 10-9 against the spread, but just 2-5 on the road while falling nearly two points per game below the cover line. Those numbers are not all that good and yet, San Antonio is much worse. The Spurs carry a 1-9 ATS at home on the season. It could be 0-10 if it hadn’t been for a fortunate bounce. San Antonio averages eight points below the spread at home. That is the worst in the entire league.
Pick LOS ANGELES (-6.5, +100). The Spurs with that “average loss a game” is above the spread which is almost unheard of by now. The even odds for the Clippers provide a ton of value as Los Angeles just has to win by seven points or more.
The projected total is set at 223.5. Both teams can score 110+ points and Los Angeles can top 120+. The projection seems low and the OVER (-129) is worth a slight wager. Just make sure Kawhi Leonard plays for Clippers.
Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
HoopsHype speaks to executives around the NBA to determine what they think about San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan’s trade value.
Last week, the 2019-20 San Antonio Spurs earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first Gregg Popovich-led team to lose eight games in a row. And although they finally got off the schneid on Saturday, they wound up dropping their next game against the Los Angeles Lakers, giving them nine losses in 10 games, a 6-12 record and the league’s 10th-worst net rating.
San Antonio’s slow start has led many to quietly begin to wonder if the Spurs might consider changing things up in the form of a deal. The two likeliest trade candidates are their two highest-paid players, DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, simply because it wouldn’t make much sense for the Spurs to ship out any of their promising young talents who are on cheap contracts, especially since it looks like this is a rebuilding season for the club.
For the purposes of today’s article, we focused on what DeRozan’s trade value might look like if San Antonio did start shopping him and asked several executives for their input.
On the year, DeRozan is averaging 22.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor and 82.7 percent from the foul stripe. The advanced numbers may not like him much (and that’s putting it kindly, as DeRozan doesn’t rank higher than 100th in any of Box Plus/Minus, Value Over Replacement Player or Win Shares per 48 minutes), but he’s just one of 11 players putting up a 22/5/4 stat line this year, along with elite talents like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Surely, then, a team lacking scoring and playmaking on the perimeter would be interested in acquiring DeRozan if he were to be put up on the trade block… right?
It’s not so clear.
“It’s a difficult valuation,” one Western Conference executive told HoopsHype. “You’d think that any team that trades for him either has plenty of three-point shooting elsewhere or they’re desperate for a player who can create his own shot. I’m not sure off the top of my head which team makes sense as a suitor.”
Perhaps a team like the Orlando Magic, who rank 11th in defensive rating but dead last in offensive rating, would make sense as a potential DeRozan suitor.
According to Synergy, the 10-year veteran presently ranks in the 72nd percentile as a pick-and-roll scorer, 86th percentile as an iso scorer and 87th percentile in scoring out of the post. The Magic’s ranks in those three play-types as a team? Out of the pick-and-roll, Orlando scorers rank 15th in the NBA in production, 27th in isolation scoring and 25th in post-up scoring.
DeRozan would give the Magic offense a huge boost, one that it desperately needs.
And, for what it’s worth, Orlando has reportedly expressed some interest in DeRozan. One of the executives who spoke to HoopsHype said that they’ve also heard the DeRozan-to-Orlando rumblings, while another mentioned both the Magic and the Sacramento Kings as sensible suitors for the All-Star 2-guard: “A landing spot for DeRozan is probably a team that badly wants to make the playoffs and, right now, they’re in the 7-to-10 range in their conference. The Magic, the Kings and other teams like that would make sense. What the Spurs could get back really depends on if they’re willing to take back money in the deal.”
Other teams mentioned by league execs as theoretical landing spots for DeRozan include the Houston Rockets, the Detroit Pistons and even… his former team.
“It sounds crazy, but Toronto actually makes a lot of sense as a landing spot for DeRozan,” another Western Conference executive said. “As far as what Toronto is giving up, it would probably have to be a first-round pick plus Serge Ibaka or Marc Gasol.”
That theory might seem far-fetched but with DeRozan cast as the team’s third fiddle behind Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, and surrounded by the Raptors’ other promising young pieces like Fred VanVleet, his second go-around with Toronto could go even better than the first.
Of course, we would be remiss not to mention DeRozan’s enormous contract, which has an uncertain future, as a potential stumbling block in trade talks.
That same Western Conference exec shared the following on how teams view DeRozan’s deal: “With a player option next year, the team that’s trading for him has to be comfortable with him potentially leaving a couple months later, or having to re-sign him to a new long-term deal. Maybe this turns into an opt-in-and-trade scenario, so there’s more security for the team and they know what they’re trading for contractually.”
DeRozan’s contract pays him $27.7 million both this season and in 2020-21, with the latter campaign containing a player option, meaning that whichever team does theoretically acquire him would do so without knowing whether he’ll be on their roster next season.
One NBA executive pointed out that perhaps an extend-and-trade involving DeRozan would benefit all parties involved: “He wants an extension, so maybe we see an extend-and-trade. As for how much he’d get, the extension can’t go above 105 percent of his current contract. But maybe that’s a possibility.”
But the concern is stymied a bit by the fact that it likely wouldn’t cost a team all that much to land DeRozan, not with a contract that hefty for a player in his 30s.
“I don’t think DeRozan or Aldridge are worthy of getting two assets back in return,” another Western Conference executive said.
Would a single protected first-round pick not be worth it for a couple of years of DeRozan, particularly for an offense-needy team fighting to make the playoffs?
If the Spurs’ struggles continue, we may get a better idea of San Antonio’s asking price and whether teams are willing to meet it based on how they perceive DeRozan and his contract situation.
HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy contributed to this article.
You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.
LeBron James has rarely gotten credit for his defense in recent years, but he stated it as a team goal to be the best defense in the league.
It’s been the common thread from the start of the Los Angeles Lakers season until now, but it bears repeating as long as they keep it going, that they’ve won with their defense. Anthony Davis has rightfully gotten much of the credit as he openly discussed the Lakers having a more defensive mindset and challenging LeBron James to be a great defender again.
Now the defense-first rhetoric that came from Davis and head coach Frank Vogel has even trickled over to LeBron James, a player whom many thought had left his days of playing defense in the regular season behind him. Following last night’s win in San Antonio, James told reporters that he wants the Lakers to “strangle” their opponents and be the best defense in the NBA.
“We’re a defensive-minded team. That’s where we want to make our mark, that’s where we want to be the best in the league. Be able to just strangle teams in the fourth quarter… Honestly, we want to strangle them for 48 minutes, but teams are going to make runs, teams are going to make plays and we’ve got to be consistent with our game plan, and we did that tonight, especially in the fourth.”
According to Basketball-Reference, the Lakers have No. 1 defensive rating in the league while NBA.com has them ranked No. 7. But as LeBron mentioned about shutting teams down in the fourth quarter, the Lakers have unquestionably done that better than anyone with a fourth quarter defensive rating of 96.5 according to NBA.com, best in the league. When it’s been winning time, the Lakers have shut their opponents down. More than anything, that’s the reason they have the best record in the NBA.
