DeMarcus Cousins said he was turned off by Rick Carlisle recruiting attempts when he was in his prime: “He’d send me weird selfies and say he was thinking about me”
[Charania] Just in: For the first time, the Memphis Grizzlies are entertaining offers to potentially move two-time All-Star Ja Morant ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, sources tell ESPN.
[Trae Young] “Bringing a championship to Atlanta was always my goal. However, between the injuries, the setbacks, and situations that didn’t make sense, we never truly got to see our full potential… It’s time to see what’s possible when the support is real and the vision is clear. We move.”
Paul Pierce on Atlanta Hawks after trading away Trae Young: “For them to give up a 4x All Star who’s an elite PG in the league & got them to the ECF & not get a draft pick out of it? If Hawks wins a Championship, I will crawl form LA to New York on my knees They’ll forever be a middling franchise”
[Highlight] During the moment of silence the Minnesota Timberwolves held before their game with the Cavs tonight a fan yelled “Go home ICE,” and everyone else started cheering.
[Haynes] Sources: New Orleans Pelicans are disappointing the market in informing teams that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears will remain with the organization past Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Cooper Flagg would need to still be playing at a high level in 2048 to match LeBron’s longevity.
Timberwolves hold a moment of silence for Renee Nicole Good
[PTFO] Kawhi Leonard bought an LA penthouse in 2019 from the co-founder of Steve Ballmer’s fellow “marquee investor” in Aspiration, records show, the day after Uncle Dennis started a mysterious LLC — and after the NBA investigated his rule-breaking demands for a house in free agency.
[Krawczynski] The Timberwolves will be holding a moment of silence for Renee Nicole Good before their game against the Cavaliers tonight.
During a delay, Benny the Bull challenged Tyler Herro to a backward half-court shot contest. Benny hit it on his first try, and Herro backed out.
Klay Thompson played his 900th game last night. Here’s his reaction to the milestone:
“It’s awesome, honestly. A dream come true & my next goal is to get to 1,000. I know that’s a high mark & only so many players have experienced that, but I’m just grateful to still be playing.”
[Injury] Anthony Davis gets injured in his left hand during the drive by Markkanen, who scores. Lauri scores once again on injured AD, who is then headed to the bench and then to the locker room, as he is in immense pain. Leaving the team without him for the last 2 minutes of the game (Jazz won)
Pablo Torre Back on the Clippers Case: Inside Ballmer’s “Shady Dealings” & Kawhi’s Penthouse | PTFO
[Lewenberg] The Toronto Raptors have shown “exploratory interest” in Anthony Davis with their trade package likely being built around RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and two or three first-round draft picks.
LaMelo Ball: “I didn’t start today so I could finish the back end.” I take full responsibility, that was my fault. That last lob, could’ve dribbled that out and some silly possession before that. The last pass, I should’ve shot that instead of putting Bull in that position.”
[Run It Back] Boogie Cousins on Rick Carlisle recruiting him to Dallas: “He’d send me weird selfies and say, ‘I’m thinking about you and I really want to coach you.’”
Windhorst on Trae: “‘One team doesn’t want to play him because they don’t have their pick & they think if they play him, they’re gonna lose more, & then the other team … thinks that if he does play, that they’re gonna win too many games …’ & he goes ‘Welcome to life in our current lottery system.’”
Coming soon : Pablo Torre Back on the Clippers Case: Inside Ballmer’s “Shady Dealings”
[Charania] Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis has sustained ligament damage in his left hand, sources tell ESPN. Depending on second opinion and if surgery is required, Davis could miss a number of months.
[Charania] The Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat game tonight in Chicago has been postponed due to condensation on the court, sources tell ESPN.
[Highlight] Jaden McDaniels finally gets the flashy end of game dunk he tried against the Nuggets
[Poole] The Sacramento Kings are the only team in the NBA who have shown legitimate interest in acquiring Jonathan Kuminga.
[Wells] Trae Young reveals he will be wearing #3 with the Wizards in New Photo After Hawks Trade
[Highlight] Anthony Edwards has now reached 10k career points which is the 3rd youngest in nba history only behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant
[Iko] The Atlanta Hawks have been enamored with Anthony Davis ‘for a while’ and are unsure about the long-term outlook of Onyeka Okongwu and Mo Gueye at the center position from a contention standpoint.
Isiah Thomas: “When you talk about track, tennis, football, baseball, arguably the best players or athletes in those sports, they all hold records. We talk about Jordan. He leads in no statistical basketball category. When you look at Kareem and LeBron, they lead in several statistical categories.”
The Cavs now have 18 losses through 39 games. Last season they had 18 losses in total.
Isiah Thomas: Jonathan Kuminga should have “raised some hell” with Steve Kerr, invoking Sprewell incident
[Brett Siegel] The Heat, Timberwolves, and Kings have shown interest in Ja Morant
Zach Lowe and Rob Mahoney share their all-star team predictions for the West. Their only disagreement is about Chet Holmgren (Zach), whereas Rob prefers Devin Booker.
Anthony Edwards is now the 3rd youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points. He’s behind LeBron and KD.
The Houston Rockets have made it clear they are not interested in trading for Ja Morant
Cooper Flagg despite the loss versus Jazz: 26 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK
Isiah Thomas: “LeBron James is sitting there. He’s holding every single basketball record. You treat him like he ain’t nothing. And you’re looking at a Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. But then when you say who is the greatest, you talk about the guy that gave you some shoes and gave you some warmups.”
[Highlight] LaMelo Ball beats the 1Q buzzer with a wild one-legged triple
DeMar DeRozan is the 7th player in the Play-by-Play Era (since 1996-97) to make 2,000 career field goals in the 4th quarter
[NBA.com] Kia MVP Ladder: Jaylen Brown’s surge bolsters his MVP case
[Amick] The Sacramento Kings are the frontrunners to land Jonathan Kuminga. Both teams are expected to circle back with each other soon to continue trade conversations.
[Charania] Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis has sustained ligament damage in his left hand, sources tell me and @BannedMacMahon. Depending on second opinion and if surgery is required, Davis could miss a number of months.
[Marc Stein] Imaging is scheduled for today to determined the severity of Anthony Davis’ hand injury sustained Thursday night in Utah, league sources say. The Mavericks are traveling to Chicago and Davis’ status for his annual homecoming game Saturday is not yet known.
The trade is official: The Atlanta Hawks have acquired Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Trae Young.
[Highlight] The Hornets head coach Charles Lee calls for a timeout after Pascal Siakam’s clutch bucket to put the Pacers up by 1, but he is being ignored by the referees (with a replay). T.J. McConnell steals the inbound pass
Heat-Bulls currently delayed from tipping off due to the hardwood at United Center being slippery from condensation
[Highlight] Anthony Edwards makes 4 left-handed threes in a row during warm ups.
[Post Game Thread] The Minnesota Timberwolves (25-13) defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-18), 131-122.
With the Pacers win over the Hornets, Rick Carlisle becomes the 11th Coach in NBA history with 1,000 career wins.
Luka Doncic reaction to the Trae Young trade: “Oh so that’s why they were out”