Last night’s 116-109 victory versus the Golden State Warriors was a huge statement win for Miami, as Kyle Lowry (13 points, nine assists, five rebounds) made history, passing Jason Kidd for 12th on the NBA’s all-time made three-pointers list after going 3-8 from beyond the arc. The Heat’s sharpshooters Max Strus and Duncan Robinson also came alive off the bench to combine for 41 points to power Miami to the win!

Lowry finished the game with 13 points on 50 percent shooting (5-10), nine assists, and five rebounds. The Strus got loose and went for 24 points to lead the team in scoring, making eight of his seventeen shots and shooting forty percent from deep. Then the icing on the cake was Robinson, who contributed 17 points on 62.5 percent shooting from three.

“For us to get a win like that is huge for us with how our season has gone thus far,” Strus said in a postgame interview with Bally Sports Sun’s Will Manso. “To grind one out, out of the mud, and win one like that is huge for our confidence, and hopefully, it pushes our momentum forward.”

Manso also caught up with Robinson postgame and asked about the Heat’s “next man up” mentality. Robinson had this to say following his hot shooting night;

“We’re a deep team, so somebody goes down, different guys are going to step up and try to contribute.”

Miami seems to be heating up at the right time and is looking to keep things rolling tonight versus the Sacramento Kings at home. There are still a lot of games left, which means that the Heat can only continue to improve from here on out.

The post Kyle Lowry Moves Up to 12th On All-Time Made Three Pointers List appeared first on SLAM.

On June 30, the night NBA free agency began, a black SUV with tinted windows rolled up to Udonis Haslem’s vacation home in Orlando, FL. 

“That s**t almost got shot up,” Haslem said on teammate Duncan Robinson’s podcast, The Long Shot. “It’s creeping and it’s slow, I’m like, Who the f**k is this?!”

To his surprise, a delegation of six Miami Heat employees got out of the car. It was 6 p.m., the literal minute free agency began, and they were there to make a personal pitch for the big man to come back for his 20th season—tied for the second-longest tenure with any one team.

Usually, this type of pitch is reserved for high-profile targets. Haslem, on the other hand, has only played in 58 regular season games the last six seasons. So why the royal treatment? 

UD’s impact within the organization is undeniable. He was a key player on all three of their championship teams. He’s the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder. And when his number was called last year, he stepped up.

On the other hand, a roster spot is a valuable thing. After all, an NBA team only has 15 of them. Haslem’s critics say that spot should be used for an up-and-coming player, a new free agent or more. So why use it on a 42-year-old power forward? 

Well, the Heat clearly know the answer. His teammates know. And you can be sure that UD knows. And he was kind enough to sit down with SLAM and tell us. 

SLAM: We heard your interview on Duncan Robinson’s podcast this summer. You said: “Another misconception is I take up a roster spot…People are so focused on my age and why I’m here. There’s a reason why I’m f***** here.” So, what’s that reason?

UD: I mean, for me, there’s very few people, at any level, that can pay attention to every single detail, and that can actually do it consistently. I’m one of those people. I’m anal that way. But it doesn’t always translate when it comes from a coach to a player. But when it comes from player to player, it translates differently. 

I raise the level of everything. Not just on the court. I raise the level off the court, I raise the level of the organization. I’m raising the level of the trainers, I’m raising the level of Pat [Riley] when he’s sitting there watching. I raise the level of everything around me. I am the Heat way. We’ve rotated players, but it doesn’t matter. Regardless of who’s come here or who’s left, I remain here, and I am the Heat way. And it rubs off on others.

But every year, I have to earn the respect. Nobody’s given me s**t. Every year these guys are walking in here saying, This old motherf***er back again, and I gotta earn the respect of the new guys. The guys that have been here, they know. They understand. But I gotta earn the respect of the new guys that come in. And then I’ma show you. I’ll go out there and I’ll play. And I’ll do what I have to do. 

SLAM: Speaking of leadership, ownership is something you’ve aspired to. Could you talk a little about that? 

UD: My influence is very, very strong. And the only way I can maximize that and use it in the right way, for the Miami Heat and for myself, is to be in the highest level of leadership, and that goes in ownership. 

But I have influence around this entire NBA, as the OG. A lot of guys look up to me. A lot of guys reach out for advice. And I appreciate that. You lose those relationships if you step into a coaching situation. But I think when you step into a leadership role of an owner, and somebody who guys have trusted as a player, I think it just maximizes the power that you have and for the organization that you’re working for. 

SLAM: It seems you do have a gift, or a knack, for impacting these younger guys. I mean, the Heat have turned into this elite developmental organization for undrafted players.

UD: I call them “My Undrafted Minions.” I love those dudes, man. Those dudes, man, they got my heart. Max [Strus]. Gabe [Vincent]. Duncan [Robinson]. Caleb [Martin]. Dewayne Dedmon. 

SLAM: Why is that?  

UD: Because I understand, man. It’s such a short leash when you come here in that situation. There’s no room for error. And odds are literally stacked against you. They probably got a guy that they drafted that plays your position, or another guy that came from another team that plays your position. I just understand the pressure of that situation. If you can come through that and be out on top, and not just be on the team but be actual rotation players and guys that actually move the needle? All these guys have added years onto their career, have gotten their money…these guys have literally beat the odds.

But I don’t think people really understand the work I’ve put in to be able to impact these guys. I can’t just show up and smoke cigarettes and throw s**t at the walls and see if it sticks. 

SLAM: The only way to tap into these younger guys is to show it and to earn it. 

UD: Yeah, and I have to earn it every year, bro. I have to earn it every year. I can’t take a summer off. As soon as the season’s over, I give myself a week or two and I’m back at it. That’s how it has to be. 

SLAM: It’s amazing you’ve continued for this long at such a high level. When those guys come in, day one, the Undrafted Minions, what do you say to them?

UD: Follow me, I f**k with you. Off the top. I don’t know you, I know nothing about you. I know your situation, and based off your situation, you my brother. You’re not just my teammate. Based on your situation, you have now become my little brother. 

SLAM: Still, though, it’s one thing to say you enjoy someone else’s success, but it’s another to actually embody it. 

UD: It’s very hard. I had to learn some of these things the hard way. When you get to a point in your career and the organization starts to make a shift toward younger players, you have a choice. You can bitch and moan and complain, get shipped out or go somewhere else, or you can settle into your situation and figure out how to make the best of it. And how to win. And any situation I’ve been put in, I’ve just said, F**k it, I’m not gonna whine. Whine? How can I win in this situation? Whatever it is, whatever you put me in, how can I win here? And that’s all I’ve done. 

And oftentimes you can’t control the situations you’re in. You ask these guys around the League, there’s maybe 10 guys around the whole League that actually play the role that they want to play. Everybody else, you’re in the supporting cast. Everyone else is in the supporting cast. So, how can you star in that role? 

SLAM: It definitely takes a humbling. How do you do that? 

UD: There’s been the dark nights. You don’t wanna get out of bed, you’re in the dark all day. You’re frustrated. You don’t understand. But it’s the nature of the business. It can be nothing that you’ve done wrong.

And for me, yes, I could’ve left a long time ago and went and played somewhere else. But would my heart have always been in it? No. It’s not all about the money, it’s not all about playing. I’ve always had a long-term goal. My long-term goal was to be part of this organization for my whole career, and then from that, impact the city. I’ve always had a bigger vision.

SLAM: You’ve gone toe-to-toe with so many guys. You’ve been the enforcer, holding them accountable. What makes you so fearless? 

UD: My pops. I remember I thought he was nuts. I couldn’t imagine a man that wasn’t afraid of anything. But now that I got older, I appreciate that. My pops never thought anybody was better than him. He never thought he could lose. And you believed that if you had him on your side, you had an army with you. I just kind of inherited that. It wasn’t always like that, but I inherited that. 

That’s something I’ve been able to give to my guys. Because I do believe in each and every one of them. Even if they have doubt, I’m gonna look them in they f**king eye and tell them, I believe, so you better! You better, because I do! I don’t give a damn if you’ve been drafted 1, I don’t give a damn what school he went to. I believe in you. Kick his ass! 

SLAM: You’ve won championships. You’re in the Heat history books. You’ve got the respect. At this point in your career, what brings you joy? 

UD: Watching these dudes come in here, man, and getting their money. Getting their recognition. Watching Caleb Martin get paid this summer. Watching Duncan Robinson get paid a few years ago. Watching James Johnson get paid his $66 million when he was here. Dion Waiters getting paid his $60 million when he was here. Hassan Whiteside getting paid his max contract when he was here. That is what I enjoy. 

All those guys that I named that have gotten their money, gotten their contract, resurrected their careers, have come here on their last leg when nobody else believed. Like Omer Yurtseven. You know how much of an ass kicking I had to do with O last year? And to watch O get out there, when Bam was out, to have all those double-double games? That’s it, bro. That’s it. That’s what I need. That’s all I need. Don’t waste my time. When those guys listen, and those things manifest for them, I’m happy. 

Photos from Getty Images.

The post Udonis Haslem Has Lasted 20 Years in the NBA, and the OG Did it His Way appeared first on SLAM.

The team has relied on Max Strus and Duncan Robinson to handle the load at the power forward slot, but the team looks to be losing hope in their defensive powers as reports suggest the Heat are looking at trade suitors.

“Kyle Kuzma and Taj Gibson aren’t the only potential moves that the Heat have been linked to recently,” according to Heavy.com’s Thomas Darro. “Link them to PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets, as well as finalizing a reunion between Crowder and the Heat. But another has been Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons and Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz.”

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Kuzma of the Washington Wizards is off to a fantastic start to the young season as he’s averaging 19.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and a staggering shooting at 46.5 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. His size and length could turn him into a problem under the talented Heat coaching staff, but Heat President Pat Riley always keeps the door open to other options.

Washington is a restricted free agent this upcoming off-season due to the inability to negotiate a contract extension. The Hornets may be focused on providing their star point guard LaMelo Ball an enormous deal for the 2024 season, leaving little cap space to work for Washington.

The Heat wouldn’t mind one-year rentals, especially when there’s a lot of talent that needs to be proven out of the group. The 24-year-old would add the floor spacing, agility, and defensive intangibles that much up well against star rivals like Jaylen Brown, Khris Middleton and Demar Derozan.

Finally, the reunion Heat fans would welcome with open arms. Not too long ago, Phoenix Suns’ Jae Crowder was part of the resilient 2020 Heat squad that, as a 5th seed, went six games against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. The chemistry on display, both offensive and defensively, is in no way bound to be lost in just the two seasons apart.

With this possibly being his 10th straight playoff appearance, a reunion with the Heat opens the door to a final run at a championship.

The post REPORT: Heat Linked to Kyle Kuzma, P.J Washington, and Jae Crowder appeared first on SLAM.

Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin jumped into the starting lineup, moving Max Strus back to the Heat bench. Strus appeared and started all 18 of Miami’s playoff games last season. 

Despite his reserve role on a reconfigured Spoelstra bench, the small forward’s head is high. 

“I think what I do kind of fits in with any lineup,” Strus said per the Sun Sentinel. “So it’s not really hard to adjust to playing a certain way. I think that’s one of my strengths, is just kind of get in where you fit in – I’m just trying to do a good job of that and letting our main guys do their thing and provide spacing. And when I’m open, shoot the ball.”

Given Miami’s legendary organizational culture, it’s no surprise that Strus is embracing his new role and focusing on doing what he can to help his team win. In Miami’s season opener against the Chicago Bulls, Strus scored 22 points, including 5-7 on three-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds, gobbling up 50 percent of the bench’s total boards.

With new rotations and different players on the floor together, the Heat are playing smaller. When Strus plays power forward, he wants to focus on rebounding.

“There’s going to be smaller guys down there that are going to have to rebound. We need our guards to step up and rebound — I’m capable of doing that. So I’m more than willing to get down there and bang with the bigs and help out on the boards.”

In addition to lasering in on his rebounding this season, Strus believes he is in the best shape of his career. 

Ahead of training camp, he said, “I’m the lightest I’ve ever been and probably the strongest I’ve been. I’m probably like eight pounds lighter, which doesn’t sound like much, but it is a lot. I’m more lean mass. So that was my plan. And I think it’s going to help me be more explosive and less wear and tear on my body.”

Strus looks to once again shine in his new role as the Heat host the Boston Celtics tonight.

The post Max Strus Embracing Reserve Role with Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

The second-year man had the opportunity to fill in a roster spot last season, but he suffered a similar injury to the one he’s dealing with now. Although Garrett’s chances of filling the Heat roster spot have slimmed, Coach Erik Spoelstra offered an optimistic outlook to Garrett for when his time will come.

“This is the journey for young players sometimes,” said Spoelstra. “Sometimes you just can’t predict it. Sometimes it doesn’t go how you want it to. But he has that perseverance and grit to get healthy and get back at it.”

As demoralizing as the injury is, Spoelstra doesn’t rule out the possibility of Garrett making the roster. He, and small forward Jamal Cain, have put in extensive hours during practice and proved their worth on the court, making effort plays.

Recent Undrafted players for the Heat, like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Gabe Vincent, had made their impact offensively when the team needed it most. In Garrett’s case, his defensive tenacity during the Summer League put Miami’s front office on notice, leading to his second two-way deal with the South Beach franchise.

“We’re all here getting at it every day,” says Jimmy Butler on the significance of pre-season games. “Whenever you get in the game, I think that’s the easy part. You just need to maintain your conditioning and then make sure you’re in a rhythm.”

Garrett may not be involved in the rotation or even be on the roster to start the season, but his determination has earned the locker room’s respect, and he now presents himself as a ‘Next Man Up’ target.

The Heat opens its 2022-2023 season at FTX Arena against their Eastern Conference rivals, the Chicago Bulls.

The post Marcus Garrett Set to Miss Final Preseason Stretch After Suffering a Wrist Fracture appeared first on SLAM.

The Miami Heat come off a 53-29 record that earned them first place in a loaded Eastern Conference. Their championship dynamic seemed to have shined all post-season long as they knocked off the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Vincent scored 17 points to go along with three blocks, helping Miami rally to a 118-107 victory over the Boston Celtics. Vincent’s production took a slight decline for the next few games as Miami ended up finding themselves down 3-2 in the series.

The back-and-forth bout left for a critical Game 6 in Boston’s roaring TD Garden. Players and fans around the league had already written off the Heat before the pivotal game, as Draymond Green boldly said that the Warriors were prepared to face Boston in the NBA Finals.

The confident statement from Green sparked Jimmy Butler to go off for 47 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists to force a series-deciding Game 7.

The Heat had fought through Game 7, even when trailing by 15 with three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. It came down to a transition three attempt from the top of the break by Butler that, had he made it, would’ve punched Miami’s ticket back to the NBA Finals. However, the ball went off the rim and landed in the hands of Boston, allowing them to ice the game and have a date with the Warriors.

That miss started the off-season of the Heat, and there were many rumors about everyone not named Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo. PJ Tucker joined the 76ers while Max Strus, Tyler Herro, and Kyle Lowry were linked to trade talks for big-name superstars around the League like Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving or now-Cleveland Cavalier Donovan Mitchell.

The summer of rumors had worn off, and the Miami Heat kept most of their pieces together. Miami will be on the short list of Eastern Conference Finals threats that can make it out of the conference and into the Finals.

The post Gabe Vincent: Miami Has ‘What It Takes to Get Back to the NBA Finals’ appeared first on SLAM.

So far we have seen the Knicks land, Jalen Brunson, on a massive four-year deal, and Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns have re-signed to their teams on supermax deals. Zach LaVine and Bradley Beal will remain with the Bulls and Wizards respectively after signing max deals. Young All-Stars like Ja Morant, Darius Garland, and Zion Williamson have also signed max extensions with their teams.

The Warriors will also look to be putting a different bench mob on the court this coming season after they let Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., and Juan Toscano-Anderson walk away in free agency. The decision seems to imply that the Warriors will invest 100 percent into their win-and-develop model as they keep their championship core intact while empowering Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman, and Moses Moody.

Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber is finalizing a three-year, $33 million contract extension, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Kleber was entering the final year of his deal, now under contract through 2025-26.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 8, 2022

Montrezl Harrell is headed to Philly after a tumultuous offseason where he dealt with some legal troubles surrounding marijuana trafficking that was later reduced to misdemeanor possession in a Madison County (KY) courthouse. The charge will be expunged from his record in 12 months if Harrell doesn’t get in any more legal trouble.

James Harden recruited Harrell due to their relationship as teammates on the Rockets. Harrell is expected to bring some toughness and grit to a Philly team that needed a backup big man behind two-time MVP runner-up Joel Embiid.

ESPN Sources: Free agent C Montrezl Harrell is signing two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, including a player option. Harrell brings more toughness to a team searching for it this offseason. He was Sixth Man of the Year with Doc Rivers/Sam Cassell in 2019-2020 w/ Clippers.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 6, 2022

Sources: The Toronto Raptors signed Thaddeus Young to a two-year, $17 million extension, which includes player incentive bonuses and a $1 million partial guarantee for the 2023-24 season, @hoopshype has learned.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 5, 2022

Gary Harris’ two-year extension with the Orlando Magic is flat $13M each season. The second season is fully non-guaranteed, a league source told @spotrac.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 5, 2022

Sumner is fully recovered from a torn left Achilles that cost him the entire 2021-2022 season. He had been coming off his best NBA season with the Pacers prior to the injury, and now he’ll join the Nets’ backcourt rotation. https://t.co/5HfzZmkDZN

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2022

Free agent TJ Warren has agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 5, 2022

Free agent center Gorgui Dieng has agreed to a one-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 5, 2022

Cole Swider signed a two-year Two-Way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, a league source tells @spotrac.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 4, 2022

Free agent center Serge Ibaka has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 4, 2022

The Brooklyn Nets signed Wake Forest Alondes Williams to a 2-way deal.

— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) July 4, 2022

Dragic is signing a one-year, $2.9M deal with the Bulls, sources said. https://t.co/f6VK9np1cf

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2022

Free agent Josh Okogie has agreed to a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2022

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has agreed on a five-year, $193 million designated maximum rookie extension that could earn him as much as $231 million, CAA Sports’ Co-Head of Basketball Austin Brown tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/z4lnVLD1GM

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2022

Restricted free agent Cody Martin has agreed to a four-year, $32 million deal to return to the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2022

Free agent G Eugene Omoruyi has agreed to a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, his agent Mike George of @OneLegacySports tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2022

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland has agreed on a five-year, $193M maximum designated rookie contract extension that could be worth as much as $231M, @KlutchSports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN. It is the largest deal in franchise history.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2022

Free agent guard Damion Lee has agreed to a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns, source tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2022

Free agent Donte DiVincenzo has agreed to a two-year, $9.3M deal with the Golden State Warriors, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Free agent guard Raul Neto is signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

Free agent center Kevon Looney has agreed to a three-year, $25.5M deal to return to Golden State, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Free agent forward Derrick Jones Jr. has agreed to a two-year, $6.6 million deal to return to the Chicago Bulls, with player option in second season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

Free agent center Robin Lopez has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Free agent F/C Drew Eubanks is returning to the Portland Trail Blazers on a one-year deal, his agent James Dunleavy of @excelbasketball tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

John Wall officially agrees with the Clippers on a two-year deal for the taxpayer midlevel. https://t.co/5yCuV4cePg

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 1, 2022

Free agent C Jusuf Nurkic has agreed on a new four-year, $70 million deal to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers, @KlutchSports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/6vmHrdOZI3

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

NBA All-Star Zach LaVine has agreed to a five-year, $215.2 million maximum contract to return to the Chicago Bulls, with a player option in Year 5, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

The defending champs lose another valuable two-way star after Otto Porter Jr. signed with the Raptors on a two-year deal that has a player option.

Free agent Otto Porter Jr. — vital member of Golden State Warriors championship team — reached an agreement with the Toronto Raptors on a two-year deal with a player option, league sources tell @YahooSports. https://t.co/ck81fptKZh

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2022

Free agent G Theo Pinson is returning to the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year deal, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Free agent Aaron Holiday has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

Free agent center Mitchell Robinson has agreed on a new four-year, $60 million contract to stay with the New York Knicks, his agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith of @Wassbasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/dnKtVQmln9

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Bruce Brown has agreed to a 2-year, $13M+ deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell ESPN.

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 1, 2022

#Pistons to re-sign Marvin Bagley III, add Kevin Knox as free-agent frenzy begins: https://t.co/WVHahAmeKR

— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) July 1, 2022

Ricky Rubio played an integral part in the Cavs’ resurgence to the playoff scene last season before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in December. Rubio was traded to the Pacers near the trade deadline but the Cavs and Rubio were mutually interested in bringing back the former lottery pick point guard.

Free agent guard Ricky Rubio is nearing a deal on a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Zion Williamson, the 2021 All-Star phenom, has locked in on signing a max extension deal with the Pelicans. Williamson missed all of the 2021-2022 season while he recovered from foot surgery. The deal keeps Williamson in New Orleans through 2027-28.

Williamson said after the season ended, “I couldn’t sign it fast enough.” Indeed, the All-Star locks in commitment to New Orleans.

The deal is expected to include protections that both sides were sorting through overnight and will finalize, sources said. https://t.co/n0hyRwRk9e

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

The Golden State Warriors lose one of their best and most versatile defenders after Gary Payton II decided to head towards playing for the Portland Trail Blazers on a three-year deal. Payton led the League in steals per 36 minutes.

Warriors were unwilling to meet that high of a price tag (and resulting tax spike) for Gary Payton II and have now lost their defensive ace off the bench to the Blazers. He led the NBA in steals per 36 minutes last season. https://t.co/iaY6xmUrG7

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 1, 2022

Free agent center Andre Drummond is finalizing a deal with the Chicago Bulls, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

Free agent Kevin Knox has agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

Free agent Kevin Knox has agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2022

Free agent JaVale McGee has agreed to a three-year, $20.1 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks, with player option for third season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Ja Morant is locked in with the Grizzlies after his agent told Woj that he signed a five-year max extension to lead Memphis as its lead guard for the foreseeable future.

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has agreed on a five-year, $193M designated rookie maximum extension that could become worth $231M, his agent Jim Tanner of @_TandemSE tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Karl Anthony-Towns has reportedly agreed to a four-year super max extension per his agent. KAT’s contract will begin during the 2024-2025 season.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed on a four-year, $224M super max extension, his agent Jessica Holtz of @CAA_Basketball tells ESPN. Deal begins with the 2024-25 season and delivers Towns’ total contract value to six years and $295M.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Jalen Brunson has reportedly agreed to the four-year deal that the Knicks offered him. Woj reported that the near-max deal includes a player option on its final season.

Free agent guard Jalen Brunson has agreed to a four-year, $104 million deal with the New York Knicks, his agents Aaron Mintz and Sam Rose of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN. The deal includes a player option on the final season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

The Wizards have added three veteran guards to join Bradley Beal in recent days — Will Barton, Monte Morris and now Delon Wright leaves the Hawks for Washington. https://t.co/4YFMxR2o7Z

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Kyle Anderson has agreed to a two-year, $18M deal to join the Timberwolves, his agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith of @wassbasketball tell ESPN. https://t.co/fWzhFhVfkx

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris has agreed on a two-year, $26 million contract extension, his agents Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022

Anthony Gill is signing a two year-deal with the Washington Wizards, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Restricted free agent C Nic Claxton has agreed on a two-year, $20 million deal to return to the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Free agent Troy Brown Jr. has agreed to a minimum deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Lonnie Walker IV is signing a one-year, $6.5M deal with the Lakers, sources said. https://t.co/7xBnStLWfo

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Rockets restricted free agent Jae’Sean Tate has agreed to a three-year, $22.1 million deal to return to Houston, his agents E.J. Kusnyer and Jordan Cornish of @beyond_am tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent center Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal to return to the Miami Heat, agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier of @steinbergsports tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent Davon Reed has agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Denver Nuggets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent guard Jevon Carter has agreed to a two-year deal to return to Milwaukee, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent Wesley Matthews has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent G Trevelin Queen has agreed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Free agent F Nic Batum has agreed to a two-year deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Free agent G Lu Dort has agreed to a five-year, $87.5M deal to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder, his agent Thad Foucher of Wasserman tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Chris Boucher is returning to the Toronto Raptors on a three-year, $35.25M deal, his agent Sam Permut of @RocNationSports tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Jones’ agent, Austin Brown of @CAA_Basketball, tells ESPN the second year is a player option.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Amir Coffey has agreed to a three-year, $11M deal with the Clippers, his agents Bill Duffy and Marlon Harrison of @BDA_Sports and WME Sports tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Free agent G Tyus Jones is returning to the Memphis Grizzlies on a two-year, $30M deal, his agent Kevin Bradbury of @REP1Basketball tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Free agent Danuel House has agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent Bobby Portis has agreed to a four-year, $49 million deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Deal includes a player option in Year 4.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent PJ Tucker is finalizing a three-year, $33.2 million fully guaranteed deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, his agent Andre Buck (@andrebuck14) told @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent Victor Oladipo has agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal to return to the Miami Heat, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein has agreed to a two-year, $16 million-plus deal with the New York Knicks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Fully guaranteed deal for Hartenstein.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Free agent center DeAndre Jordan has agreed to a deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Sources: Malik Monk is signing a two-year, $19M deal to join the Kings. https://t.co/spgbvRZspx

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns have reportedly finalized a four-year supermax extension that he will likely sign sometime next week. Shams Charania reports that he will be the cover athlete for NBA 2K23.

The Phoenix Suns and All-NBA guard Devin Booker are finalizing a four-year, $214 million supermax contract extension that he’s set to sign as soon as next week, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

Booker will also be the cover athlete for NBA 2K23, per sources.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Nikola Jokic has reportedly signed the richest deal in NBA history after signing a supermax contract extension with the Nuggets on Thursday.

Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has agreed to a five-year, $264 million supermax contract extension with the Denver Nuggets, the richest deal in NBA history, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Fifth season (2027-28) will be a player option at $60M.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Bradley Beal will stay in the Nation’s Capital after he reportedly signed a five-year max deal.

All-Star guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a five-year, $251 million maximum contract to stay with the Washington Wizards, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons has agreed on a four-year, $100 million contract extension, his agent Bill Duffy of @BDA_Sports + WME Sports tells ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

The Spurs are pulling the qualifying offer on Lonnie Walker IV, making him an unrestricted free agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Expect a strong market for Walker immediately.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

Jalen Brunson is headed to New York after Shams Charania reported that he intends on signing a four-year deal with the franchise.

Free agent Jalen Brunson intends to sign a four-year, near $110M deal with the New York Knicks in free agency, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The Mavericks never received chance to make offer, sources said.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022

According to Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, P.J. Tucker will be pursued by Atlanta, Minnesota, Brooklyn, Chicago. and Philadelphia during the free agency period of the NBA offseason. Furthermore, Schiffer reports that Tucker is unlikely to return to South Beach.

Multiple teams — including Atlanta, Minnesota, Brooklyn, Chicago and Philadelphia — are expected to compete for PJ Tucker in free agency. All are expected to offer the full mid-level/TPMLE exception. He is unlikely to return to Miami, per sources.

— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) June 30, 2022

Trent Forrest will be an unrestricted free agent after the Jazz decided not to extend a qualifying offer to the point guard out of Florida State.

The Utah Jazz will not extend a qualifying offer to point guard Trent Forrest, making him an unrestricted free agent, League Sources tell The Athletic. There is interest in working something out during free agency. Forrest was a member of the rotation this past season

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 30, 2022

Per Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, Juan Toscano-Anderson will be an unrestricted free agent once the free agency period of the NBA offseason begins on Thursday. The 29-year-old became the first Mexican-American to win an NBA title after the Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals.

“I got a championship with my hometown team,” JTA told Thompson during a phone interview Wednesday night.

“I’m stamped in the Town. I’m stamped in my country. That shit can’t nobody take from me. You’ve got to give a little to get a little. And I gave up playing time to, you know, become a legend. I’m a legend in the Town. I’m a legend in Mexico. And I’m not saying that myself. It’s showing, know what I mean?”

Juan Toscano-Anderson is at peace with leaving the Warriors.

“I’m stamped in the Town. I’m stamped in my country. That shit can’t nobody take from me.”

It’s time for the next chapter of his storybook journey.https://t.co/m94B7ILm2u pic.twitter.com/5OxoGWXG6P

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) June 30, 2022

According to Tim Reynolds, the Heat does not have a meeting scheduled with restricted free agent Jalen Brunson on Thursday.

The Heat are not planning to meet with Jalen Brunson today, and they did not have such a meeting scheduled, per league source.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 30, 2022

The Cavs are reportedly expected to match offers given to restricted free agent Collin Sexton. Multiple reports say Sexton wants a “starting guard” extension. The Alabama product is coming off a season-ending torn meniscus.

Cavs Expected To Match Outside Offers For Collin Sexton – Hoops Wire https://t.co/9k5zuRmUAd

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) June 30, 2022

The Jazz won’t extend a qualifying offer to forward Eric Paschall, sources tell @Tjonesonthenba.

He will become an unrestricted free agent.https://t.co/fcOCtqEmMN pic.twitter.com/ok07Xpx9Dr

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) June 30, 2022

Kemba Walker and the Pistons have reportedly agreed to a contract buyout. Walker will be a free agent after he clears waivers. Walker last played for the Knicks last season before he was traded to the Pistons as New York clears space to sign fellow free agent Jalen Brunson.

Four-time All-Star guard Kemba Walker and the Detroit Pistons are finalizing a contract buyout, sources tell ESPN. Once Walker clears waivers, he’ll join free agency.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Heat have guaranteed the contracts of Max Strus, Gabe Stevenson, and Omer Yurtseven as of Thursday morning.

Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven are still on the Heat’s roster this morning, which means their full $1.8 million salaries for next season are now guaranteed. This was seen as a formality. Carry on.

— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) June 30, 2022

The Sacramento Kings are exercising the option on PF/C Chimezie Metu for the 2022-2023 season, sources tell ESPN. Metu averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 21 minutes a game for the Kings last season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

Patty Mills will be exploring his options on the free-agent market after declining to sign his player option with the Nets on Wednesday afternoon.

Brooklyn Nets guard Patty Mills declined his $6.2M option and will become a free agent, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

The Kings won’t be offering a qualifying offer to Donte DiVencenzo, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Sacramento Kings are declining to offer Donte DiVencenzo a qualifying offer, which will make him an unrestricted free agent, sources tell ESPN. There will be significant interest in DiVencenzo on the open market.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

Lu Dort will be a restricted free agent after the OKC Thunder decided to not sign Durt’s team option for the 2022-23 season, per Shams Charania.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are declining the $1.9 million team option on froward Lu Dort for 2022-23 season, which makes him a restricted free agent and allows sides to negotiate a new deal in free agency, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2022

James Harden will hit the free-agent market for the first time in his career but he is likely to re-sign with the 76ers.

ESPN Sources: 76ers star James Harden has declined his $47.3M option and become a free agent. He keeps real the possibility of negotiating a new deal that would deliver the Sixers roster-building flexibility in free agency – including use of the full $10.5M exception.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

Bobby Portis told the Bucks that he’ll decline his player option and will instead become a free agent.

Portis has early bird rights in Milwaukee.

The maximum that he can sign for is 4 years/$49M.

The contract has to be for a minimum of 2 seasons and cannot include an option in year 2. https://t.co/Nu5KC9G8D9

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 29, 2022

Bradley Beal has made his long-awaited decision and will become a free agent for the first time in his career after declining his player option.

Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal has declined his $36.4M option and become a free agent, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Beal is eligible to sign a 5-year max to return to Wizards – or sign elsewhere on a 4-year deal.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

Jae-Sean Tate will be a restricted free agent after the ROckets declined his team option for the 2022-23 season. Shams Charania reports that Houston and Tate are mutually interested in signing a new deal once free agency begins on Thursday.

The Houston Rockets have declined forward Jae’Sean Tate’s $1.8 million team option for next season, making him a restricted free agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Rockets and Tate have mutual interest in discussing new deal in free agency beginning Thursday night.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2022

The Cavaliers have reportedly elected to not offer Moses Brown a qualifying offer to Moses Brown, per Michael Scott of the Hoopshype. The decision allows Brown to enter the free-agent market as an unrestricted free agent.

Sources: The Cleveland Cavaliers won’t tender a qualifying offer to center Moses Brown, @hoopshype has learned. The 7-foot-1, 22-year-old center will become an unrestricted free agent. Brown could be an intriguing development option for NBA teams around the league.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 28, 2022

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Taurean Prince and the Timberwolves have reportedly agreed to a two-year contract extension.

Minnesota Timberwolves F Taurean Prince has agreed on a two-year, $16 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2022

Ivica Zubac and his reps have reportedly agreed to a three-year extension with the Clippers, per Woj. The Clippers declining to sign his team option led to the agreement with Zubac.

Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac has agreed on a three-year, $33 million extension, his agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. The Clippers declined his $7.5M team option for 2022-2023, clearing the way for Zubac’s new deal.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2022

Tony Bradley is reportedly opting into his player option and will remain with the Bulls next season, per Woj.

Chicago Bulls center Tony Bradley is exercising his $2M player option for next season, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2022

The post 2022 NBA Free Agency Tracker appeared first on SLAM.

The controversial call came nearly a minute into the third frame. Strus knocked down a corner three-ball to cut Boston’s lead to 56-54. After the Celtics went on a run, League officials at the NBA replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, elected to overturn the ball because Strus’ heel was out of bounds on the ball. The call left Spoelstra “in shock” as Miami’s points were taken off the board.

“I was in shock,” Spoelstra said. “I was asking [assistant coach] [Chris Quinn] about that. The fact that it happened three to four, five minutes in-game time, that does change the context of how you’re playing. We were starting to gain some momentum. You feel like it’s a seven-, eight-point game, and you look up, and it’s a 13-point game, and there’s no other explanation for it other than it’s gone back to the league offices. You feel like if it happens like that, it should happen immediately, and you can adjust accordingly.”

Although the call was a major source of frustration, Spoelstra repeatedly reiterated that the overturned play wasn’t the reason Miami lost.

“Look, that’s not the reason we lost,” he said. “We still had plenty of opportunities. We just couldn’t get control of the game. A lot of that was Boston. We didn’t stop grinding, and we gave ourselves a shot at it at the end. We just couldn’t make enough plays during the course of the game. It felt like most of the game we were grinding from an eight-to-10-point deficit.”

However, because of the nature of the game and how high-profile the controversial the call was, Spoelstra knows it will be discussed at future League meetings.

“I’m sure they will look at that, and we’ll probably be the case study for it,” Spoelstra said. “I’m OK if it happens the way it used to. They would look at it at the next foul or break and look at it and notice it, but it was probably 10 minutes of real-time — somebody check on that.

“I’m not crying or whining. Come on; we got beat. This was two competitive teams going at it. We had a crack at it at the end. Even as uneven as the game seemed, we had a crack at it. Our guys are never going to, like, not think we have a chance at it.”

After Strus’ three was waved off, Miami still had a chance to win in the waning seconds after cutting a seven-point deficit to two with just over a minute to go. Butler’s potential game-winner was shot, and Boston iced their 100-96 win with two free throws from Defensive Player of the Year winner Marcus Smart.

In the aftermath, Spoelstra had no issue with the best player on the Heat taking the possible game-winner, calling it a clean look and “better than anything we could have designed.”

Butler played all 48 minutes of the win-or-go-home Game 7 tilt, finishing with 35 points and nine rebounds.

“My thought process was go for the win,” Butler said. “Which I did. Missed a shot. But I’m taking that shot. My teammates liked the shot that I took. So I’m living with it.”

As tough as it is for Miami, their season is finished. Boston and the Golden State Warriors take center stage for Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors will host Game 1 of the series at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The post Erik Spoelstra in ‘Shock’ After Overturned Max Strus Three-Pointer appeared first on SLAM.

#MIAvsBOS INJURY UPDATE: Tyler Herro (groin) has been ruled out of tonight’s Game 4 vs the Celtics.

Jimmy Butler (knee), Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring), Gabe Vincent (hamstring) & P.J. Tucker (knee) will all warm up with the intent to play.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 23, 2022

The injury preventing Herro from playing is a groin injury. The Heat also announced that Jimmy Butler (knee), Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring), and P.J. Tucker (knee) would warm up and likely play, barring any setback.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year has averaged 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game during the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished the season averaging 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 dimes per game.

The post Miami Heat Announce Tyler Herro Will Miss Monday’s Game 4 appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat have thrived in the regular season, the No. 1 seed in the East with a 53-29 record, and have made it to the ECF due to their veterans ensuring that the teams’ most significant strength is their communication with one another. Vets like Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, Jimmy Butler, and Udonis Haslem have made sure that the Heat has held each other accountable while also letting each other know something they noticed on the court.

Having a team with solid veteran leadership makes life easier for you guys like Max Strus or Bam Adebayo, who is coming into his own as a veteran voice on the team. Haslem encouraged Adebayo to be more aggressive on Game 3, leading to the former Kentucky Wildcat scoring 31 points and 10 rebounds on a career-high 15-22 shooting from the field.

Strus (16 points on 4-7 threes) knocked down a clutch triple with two minutes left in Game 3 to stretch Miami’s lead from one point to four moments after Lowry suggested Coach Erik Spoelstra should run a play for Strus.

“To me, it’s a good thing everyone has an opinion instead of Spo always doing the talking and trying to figure everything out,” Adebayo said per the Miami Herald.

“It’s good that we have four or five guys communicating and talking about schemes so we can all get to a comfortable place where we can all agree on [things].”

Lowry has also been a critical mentor for backup point guard Gabe Vincent (11.3 points per game in the ECF). Vincent said Lowry has made sure to speak with Vincent about what he see’s on the court as an OG lead ballhandler and encourages him to maintain Miami’s preferred pace of play.

Spoelstra has solidified and encouraged the Heat’s culture of players leading the players. According to Tucker, Spoelstra permits his veteran circle so much leeway to speak up because they are high IQ players with substantive ideas to contribute to the game. Tucker further gave Spoelstra credit for not being “the dictator-type that he expected.”

“It’s about smart guys respecting each other, knowing what each other brings, and being able to bring that out of each other,” Tucker said. “Each of us calls each other out for not doing something right[but then] respect [each other] and keep going and not take it personally.”

Second-year center Omer Yurtseven summed up the Heat’s leadership structure as so: Tucker is the defensive guy, being more vocal on that side with some bits and pieces for the offense. Lowry is “very detail-oriented and very smart — he will see something and relay it to the team exactly, a clear picture.” Butler and Adebayo are vocal on both ends, and Haslem is “always talking, especially during timeouts.”

Having too many cooks in the kitchen could be a problem for some players. However, according to Strus, it helps “having a lot of guys that keep us stable.”

“All our veterans are really great about that,” Spoelstra said. “You can develop young guys all that you want, and we do — But what really kicks into another gear is just the veteran leadership of infusing confidence. That’s what Kyle has done the entire year.”

The Heat and Celtics will play Game 4 on Monday night, with Miami looking to leave Boston with a 3-1 series lead and home-court advantage heading back to FTX Arena.

The post Miami’s Veteran Voices Power 2-1 Series Lead in Eastern Conference Finals appeared first on SLAM.

Strus came out of DePaul in 2019 and thrived with Boston through the Summer League, even making it past the final preseason cut before former coach-now team president Brad Stevens cut him in favor of Javonte Green another undrafted prospect per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“I think they went with the more defensive-minded player,” Strus said, per Windeman. “But they said it was a tough decision for them to make. And everything happens for a reason.”

Now facing the team he took a cup of coffee with three years ago, Strus has a chance to make sure Stevens and the Celtics know how wrong they were in cutting him. When you peel back the curtain just a bit more, Strus sees one organization, Boston, giving up on him before his NBA career could start.

While the other, Miami, saw his potential and decided to take a gamble on Strus despite the former DePaul Blue Demon coming off a severe knee injury. The perspective allows Strus to seemingly play in the Eastern Conference Finals without much hate for Boston in his heart.

“No,” Strus said. “This isn’t about me. This is bigger than me. It’s the Eastern Conference finals. There’s no personal vendettas here. We’re just trying to win a series.”

However, Strus revealed that he had a Plan B after being cut by Boston. His hometown Bulls signed him to a two-way contract. Strus played two games with the Bulls before his rookie season ended after he suffered a bruised bone and torn ACL in his left knee while playing with Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. Strus averaged 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 13 G League games.

Strus signed a training camp deal the following offseason, performing well enough to earn another a two-way contract. Strus scored 6.1 points per game in 39 appearances, dropping 21 points against the Rockets on 5-8 shooting from three-point range. Strus then proved that he was worth more after playing well with the Heats summer league team in 2021, and the Heat rewarded that performance by signing him to a two-year deal worth $3.5 million to stay in Miami.

Since then, Strus has averaged 10.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 41.0 percent from distance. The 26-year-old shooting guard has shined in the playoffs, hitting three triples in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to help Miami gain a 1-0 lead.

Technically, Strus didn’t play for Boston, but the memory of being cut by Boston wasn’t something he could control. The politics of the 2019 Celtics training camp led to him being kept off the Celtics roster. The front office decided to keep Tacko Fall, leaving Stevens and then-GM Danny Ainge to choose to keep either Strus or Green. A decision that Strus was told was difficult during that fateful meeting with Boston’s brain trust.

“Danny said it was a hard decision to make,” Strus said. “And I met with Brad, too, and he said the same thing. So it happens. It’s part of the business.”

While his teammates like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had no recollection of Strus playing in the legendary green Boston jerseys, he is seemingly in a better place, playing for an organization that, from the outside looking in, appreciates him.

Strus says he won’t play with any lingering bad feelings against Boston or his former, but he doe shave a chip on his shoulder from that fateful day. In hindsight, the move worked out. Coach Erik Spoelstra caught wind of Strus after assistant GM Adam Simon put him on. Spoelstra reportedly watched the film and was impressed enough to want to sign Strus, and a week later, they brought Strus to South Beach. The rest is history.

“Of course, always,” Strus said. “I have multiple chips on my shoulder, not just that. I have a lot of things that I could fall back on for motivation and to provide energy for me, so it’s not just that.”

Strus may have been willing to bleed green, but for now, he’s soaking in the radiant Miami sunshine, up 1-0 on the Celtics in the ECF. Game 2 will be on Thursday in FTX Arena, and it’ll be another chance to write another page about his time in Boston and a chance to gloss over his time in Beantown.

The post Max Strus’ Journey From Near Boston Celtic to Key Miami Heat Contributor appeared first on SLAM.

Butler’s 41-point effort is his fifth of the postseason. He is the second player in franchise history to record five 40+ point efforts.

Jimmy Buckets enacted an all around MasterClass.

41 PTS
9 REB
5 AST
4 STL
3 BLK
63% FGM

: @MiamiHEAT pic.twitter.com/2R7iyMoMTQ

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Coming out of the break, Boston was up by eight; just three minutes into the third quarter, Miami took a lead they would never surrender after Butler knocked down a put-back layup. The lead-changing layup was a part of a game-changing 22-2 run punctuated by back-to-back-back steals from Max Strus and Butler to take a 10-point.

That double-digit lead eventually grew to 20 points after Tyler Herro hit three free throws a 1:15 into the fourth quarter after getting fouled on a three-point attempt.

“Keep the game easy,” Butler said about what was said in the locker room during halftime. “Simple. We gotta learn how to capitalize off of their mistakes, and we gotta get back. I think that’s what changed in the second half.”

Masterful in the midrange.
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/Q57Dh8Pgtx

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Butler was the catalyst for Miami imposing their will in the second half. The Marquette alum scored 27 points in the second half, along with three assists, three steals, and four rebounds (two on the offensive glass).

When Boston tried to capitalize on a 10-0 run that cut Miami’s lead to nine points with 7:35 seconds left on the clock, Miami continued to impose their will, silencing Boston each time they made it a single-digit game with triples from P.J. Tucker and Strus.

Their job on Jayson Tatum illustrated Miami’s second-half effort. Miami held the Duke alum to eight points after Tatum scored 21 in the first half, tied for a career-high in the first half. The defensive intensity on Tatum was highlighted by Butler blocking Tatum on a three-pointer from the left corner pocket. Miami also forced the St. Louis native to turn the ball over seven times.

“Contesting every shot,’ Butler said about Miami’s key to defending Tatum in the second half. “Try not to foul; he’s crafty as hell and just putting multiple bodies in front of him.”

Jimmy Butler is everywhere.
(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/d8eKSNt2CK

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 18, 2022

Boston will look to tie the Eastern Conference Finals when they face Miami on Thursday’s Game 6.

The post Miami Heat ‘Keep the Game Easy’ in Game 1 Win Over Boston appeared first on SLAM.

Jose Alvarado, Terance Mann, Max Strus, Oshae Brissett and Mac McClung. None of ’em got an invite, initially. They earned it, though, after showing out at the G League’s Elite Camp.

On May 16-17, 44 prospects will participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages and strength and agility drills hoping for an invite to the combine later in the week.

LSU’s Shareef O’Neal, Kansas’ Davis McCormack and UNC’s Brady Manek are among those expected to attend with the hopes of following in the same path the big steppers named above did in their journey to the L.

Here are some of the G League’s Elite Camp biggest success stories.   

“Grand Theft” Alvarado, who attended the camp in 2021, took the NBA by storm this season, but before then, the electric 6-foot guard was just another undrafted player, albeit one with the ACC DPOY award. After signing a two-way deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, it took just five games for the team to call Alvarado up from the Birmingham Squadron, where he was averaging 19.8 points and 3.4 swipes per game. His 11 games with 3-plus steals and the two forced 8-second violations he had on Point God Chris Paul in the 2022 playoffs has not only made Alvarado a fan favorite in NOLA but across the entire L. And now, the Elite Camp alum has a well-deserved four-year guaranteed contract to show for it.

In 2019, Terance Mann’s phone was on 1% as he headed to the airport, going home after not being invited to the Draft Combine despite showing out at the G League Elite Camp. As he was preparing to check his bag, the 23-year-old looked down at his phone and saw a number he didn’t recognize. It was the NBA, calling to tell him to turn back around so he could take part in the Combine after all. Now coming off his third year in the League, the FSU product averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 boards for the Clippers, showcasing flashes of brilliance and growth as a secondary option, highlighted by back-to-back 20-pieces in February.

Former undrafted DePaul prospect Max Strus is lighting it up for the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semis. The third-year sharpshooter was able to showcase his scintillating skills for scouts during the Elite Camp in 2019. In 23 minutes per game, Strus is averaging 10.3 points on 41 percent shooting from downtown, knocking down nearly three trey balls a night. The definition of an unphased shooter, Strus shot 50 percent from three with defenders within two feet of him and now remains a vital part of the Heat’s championship run.

Before he was flying through the air in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Oshae Brissett signed with the Toronto Raptors as a two-way player, averaging 14.7 points and 6.5 boards for the Raptors 905 G League squad. Starting the 2021-22 campaign with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (the Pacers’ G League affiliate), the undrafted prospect out of Syracuse was ultimately given the opportunity to sign with the Pacers for the remainder of the season, where he proved a force to be reckoned with in the paint, dropping 27 points and 6 boards in a late February win over the Celtics and 28 and 8 in their final game of the season.

An undrafted guard out of Texas Tech and now the reigning G League Rookie of the Year, Mac McClung showcased his top-tier athleticism and dawg mentality to scouts and coaches at last year’s Elite Camp. After averaging 21.7 points and 7.7 dimes while swiping 1.4 steals per game in the G League, the rookie signed a two-way deal with the Lakers, appearing in their season finale, where he tallied 6 points, 3 boards and a signature reverse throw-down.

Follow along on G League (@nbagleague) and SLAM socials for details on players throughout Elite Camp, storylines and stream info.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The G League Elite Camp Returns to Chicago Looking to Fulfill More NBA Dreams appeared first on SLAM.

The Heat had seven scorers in double-figures, led by Jimmy Butler (23 points), Max Strus (19 points, and Gabe Vincent (15 points). Victor Oladipo scored 13, followed by a 12-point effort from Bam Adebayo and 10 points apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker.

Jimmy Buckets.

23 PTS
9 REB
6 AST

(via @MiamiHEAT) pic.twitter.com/Q07uFchjN7

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 11, 2022

Defensively, the Heat held the Sixers to 36.5 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent from beyond the arc. As for the superstars of the Heat, Joel Embiid was held to 17 points (7-12 shooting) and five rebounds, while James Harden contributed 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 5-13 shooting 2-6 from the three-point line.

BAM JAM!

(via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/hzLqkmDuvb

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 10, 2022

The 76ers had a rough night; overall, Miami came out firing on all cylinders, outscoring Philly in all four quarters. Miami shut the door on any comeback hopes immediately in the fourth quarter when they went on a 12-0 run powered by a 7-0 spurt from Herro and Struss, who scored five straight points to open the fourth frame. Adebayo stretched the lead to 25 with a three-point play, forcing Coach Rivers to sub out Embiid since Game 5 was no longer in question.

“We did what we were supposed to do once again,” Butler said during his postgame interview with Chris Haynes of YahooSports. “We won at home, we’re a different team when we make shots, and I don’t like that. I want us to be able to get spots no matter what, and then we worry about making shots. Right now, we’re cool.”

This interview is gold

(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/RlR8OdXRsd

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 11, 2022

The post Jimmy Butler on Miami’s 120-85 Win in Game 5: ‘We Did What We Were Supposed to Do Once Again’ appeared first on SLAM.

And though the Heat has been an excellent start to the season, Shooting guard Duncan Robinson has struggled so far.

Robinson, who signed a massive five-year, 90 million dollar contract, is currently shooting 32.8 percent from three, short of his historic 44.6 percent from the season prior. He struggled during Monday’s games against the Denver Nuggets, shooting 1-9 from the three-point line.

Although Duncan has struggled to get his shot to fall, people throughout the franchise are still confident in Robinson’s abilities.

“I know Duncan is a heck of a shooter,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said to the Miami Herald. “We all understand what he is, what he’s doing and how he can get the ball off, and how many shots he can make.

“Duncan knows exactly what he’s doing,” Heat teammate Max Strus said of Robinson per the Miami Herald, “He just got paid $90 million, I think he’s good enough. So he’s an unbelievable shooter. He’ll be fine. Trust me, it will all come around. It’s just a slump and he’ll get out of it.”

Robinson is still a lethal weapon in the Heat offense and should be more of an asset moving forward with Bam Adebayo out with a thumb injury.

The post Heat Confident Duncan Robinson Shot Will Fall appeared first on SLAM.

“If they’re in the NBA, or playing overseas in the G League, whatever they do obviously got them somewhere. So, you want to continue to groom that stuff,” he explains over Zoom. “Let’s say you watch 30 games of a guy and he’s a really good three point shooter [and] he shoots the ball really well from both wings and the top of the key, we’ll go through that stuff. And then when you see that he struggles from the corner, [or] he struggles off the pick and roll or off the dribble, then the workout would consist of trying to improve that.” 

Training typically starts in June following the NBA playoffs. As a coach, Derrick says he’s “super big on the details of the game,” and, through extensively studying a player’s film, he’s able to simulate in-game play to help player’s maximize their potential. 

“I’m not inventing some new style of training that doesn’t exist. What I try to do is watch film on these players so that when they come in, I know where they’re at out on the floor, I know what type of system that their team is currently running. So, when I’m putting together the drills, it basically mimics what they would do in the game.”

He continues: “[Using] SWOT analysis, one thing I do is track their percentages, even in the workouts. It holds them accountable. If we start in the middle of June and we’re shooting—let’s say we shoot 100 three’s at the end of every workout, and they’re making 60-70. And then by the time you get to July, you know, they’re consistently hitting 80-85, sometimes 90. Once they see that, they know what we’re doing is working. And then obviously a lot of this stuff is mental, so that when they get in the game, they just have the confidence that they put in those hours and those reps. Hopefully it leads to some kind of success in their season.”

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A post shared by Derrick De La Grana (@coach.dd)

Derrick knows the game well, having grown up around it his entire life: his father, Octavio De La Grana is currently the Assistant Coach/Player Development for the Miami Heat, but prior to coaching in the NBA, he led the high school program at Florida Christian in Miami. During those early years, a young Derrick would often accompany his father to camps and clinics, where he’d be fully immersed in skills training and coaching. 

In high school, Derrick suited up for Florida Christian, where as a point guard he amassed over 2,000 career points and earned First Team All-County and All-State honors. He then took his talents to the NAIA’s Reinhardt University in Georgia.

While attending college, Derrick’s father joined the Miami Heat’s staff in 2007, the season after Shaquille O’Neal and D-Wade won the title. It was then that Derrick got an exclusive inside-peek at what it took to run a successful championship organization. After graduating in 2010, Derrick took his talents overseas to play for the Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. While there, he was also commissioned to run skills clinics in Chile, as well as China, Costa Rica, Germany, and Puerto Rico. 

Following his pro career, Derrick took on a head coaching job at Calusa Preparatory School in 2012. He says it was then that a lot of young hoppers in the area also started hitting him up to run through drills and workouts, prompting him to pick up a “side hustle” in training one or two players at a time. 

“I really started studying, watching film and designing my own workouts to cater to a specific player. So, if a kid was 6-foot-8 and he was a bigger type of guy, [I would try] to do stuff for that kind of kid,” he says. “Just kind of doing more detail oriented stuff.”

Since then, Derrick has worked with hoopers at every level of the game: from Tyler Herro’s lil’ bros Austin and Myles Herro to Columbia-commit Emily Montes and basketball influencer Tristian Jass, who has 2 million followers on Instagram.

He started consistently training pro players, such as James Johnson and Ellington, five years ago. With Miami being a vacation spot for many players, as well as his dad’s ties with the Heat, Derrick and a friend decided to put together an open gym.

It was then, Derrick says, that he started to learn the ropes, and through working with Johnson and Ellington, he built up his confidence as a trainer. 

“I’ve always been confident in what I did, and what I brought to the table with that stuff. But when those guys are telling you, you’re onto something, we like what you’re doing, that really gave me the confidence to just step into any gym or training facility and be able to do what I do without questioning stuff. That was probably what got me going.” 

His clientele has grown by fostering relationships with players and coaches around the League. He linked up with D-Lo through Johnson—the two played together on the Timberwolves, and Russell had even bought a house near him. 

“JJ was like, Hey, this is a guy that I work with sometimes, you know, if you ever need a gym, you ever want to workout, hit him up. And we spent last summer together when everything was shut down [during the pandemic], going from random gym to random gym trying to get working. It was cool.” 

Derrick uses the opportunity of working with NBA players to pick their brains and learn from them, as well as other coaches around the League.  

“Sometimes with different players on different teams, some of their coaching staff will sneak in, so that I get to coordinate with those guys and learn from them, too. It’s been pretty dope to [work with players] when [they] go to different teams and branch out a little bit.” 

While he didn’t necessarily see being an NBA Player Development coach as his exact career path—growing up with a coach as a father, he “always knew” he’d follow that route, and even aspired to become a basketball coach like Pat Riley “with all the swag and all that”—his journey has led him to skills training. With a “laid back” approach to his craft and music blasting in the gym, he tries to make sure that his players are comfortable and tapped in while they dedicate their offseasons to the grind.

“I try to keep a chill vibe, because at the end of the day, this is offseason,” he says. “These guys come in and they’re here to get better. They’re here to work.” 

Photos via Kimberly Toledo and Ethan Zabari. Follow them both on Instagram, @holytoledophoto and @ethanzabarifilms.

The post How NBA Player Development Coach Derrick De La Grana is Preparing Guys like D’Angelo Russell For the Upcoming Season appeared first on SLAM.

Two-way contracts are contracts that allow for a player to play for both the NBA and the G League while being under the control of an NBA franchise for the duration of that season. These contracts are limited to two per team and can only be given to players with less than four years of NBA experience. Players on a two-way contract do not count against an NBA team’s 15-man roster.

The first change is that two-way players will now be eligible to play more than the maximum of 50 games they were allowed to play in the NBA.

In prior seasons, teams were only allowed to keep a two-way player on their roster for 45 days before having to be signed to a full NBA contract or be sent back down to the G League. In 2020-21, this was changed so that players could be active for 50 games at the NBA level.

The proposed change would do away with this rule entirely.

Secondly, players under two-way contracts will now be eligible to play in the playoffs and won’t need to be signed to a full NBA contract to do so. This is a situation that the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves in last year with Luguentz Dort, who was on a two-way contract prior to the playoffs.

These two changes will impact the league in a significant way, especially for teams fighting for playoff spots.

One example of this can be seen on the Golden State Warriors with their two-way revelation Juan Toscano-Anderson. Toscano-Anderson has already played 21 games for the Warriors this season and will inevitably reach his 50 NBA games before the end of the year.

Max Strus, a two-way player for the Miami Heat, is in a similar situation after having played 19 games. Strus, averaging 14.9 minutes per contest and shooting .365 from 3-point range is a player that the Heat would almost certainly like to have available for a playoff run.

In seasons past, this would have meant the Warriors or Heat would have needed to cut a player to keep Toscano-Anderson or Strus. Now teams may no longer need to make those types of concessions.

The proposed change to two-way contracts is still pending board approval but has “massive support” from NBA executives, per Charania.

The post NBA, NBPA Proposing Significant Changes to Two-Way Contracts appeared first on SLAM.

Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson have shown up to work through the first stretch of the season and will be instrumental in the team’s success for the rest of the year.

For more information about the numbers behind our Heat Check series, hop over to our main Heat Check 2020-21 post.

Tyler Herro	17.0p, 6.5r, 4.5a
Gabe Vincent	7.0p, 2.0r, 2.0a
Avery Bradley	14.0p, 2.0r, 1.7a
Max Strus	7.0p, 0.0r, 1.0a
Kelly Olynyk	8.3p, 5.3r, 2.3a
Goran Dragic	16.5p, 2.8r, 4.8a
KZ Okpala	1.5p, 2.0r, 0.0a	–
Duncan Robinson	12.5p, 3.8r, 0.5a
Bam Adebayo	19.0p, 7.3r, 5.0a
Andre Iguodala	2.0p, 5.0r, 1.7a
Chris Silva	1.0p, 0.0r, 0.0a
Jimmy Butler	11.5p, 4.5r, 6.0a
Meyers Leonard	4.5p, 1.5r, 0.5a
Kendrick Nunn	6.0p, 1.7r, 2.3a
Maurice Harkless	0.8p, 1.0r, 0.3a

Team-by-Team Breakdown

The post Heat Check 2020-21: Miami Heat appeared first on SLAM.

While each team only played a few games in the preseason, there were several standouts that were somewhat surprising. Could these guys carry the momentum into the regular season and be breakout candidates?

1. Talen Horton-Tucker (Los Angeles Lakers)

20.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.3 SPG, .538 3P%

Talen Horton-Tucker takes the cake for the most impressive preseason campaign. While many of the superstars around the league did what we all expected, Horton-Tucker took the league by storm.

Still just 20 years old, the No. 46 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft is looking like he could end up being a steal. Horton-Tucker played in all four of the Lakers’ preseason games, putting up insane stats in the 31.8 minutes per game that he was on the floor.

2. Cedi Osman (Cleveland Cavaliers)

21.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, .684 FG%, .667 3P%

Cedi Osman is entering his fourth NBA season and has gotten off to a quick start in the preseason. He averaged nearly a point per minute in the two games that he played after totalling 42 points in 44 minutes of action.

He’s been a full-time starter in Cleveland for the past two seasons and could really give them a lift this season if he is able to keep up this highly efficient level of production. Although he will have some competition for playing time with rookie Isaac Okoro, he should still be an impactful payer for the Cavaliers going forward.

3. Theo Maledon (Oklahoma City Thunder)

15.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, .444 3P%

Theo Maledon was projected to be a late first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft but fell to Oklahoma City early in the second round at pick No. 34. Through his two preseason games, he looks every bit of a first-round talent, running point guard for the Thunder in 29.5 minutes per contest.

Although his numbers don’t jump off the page, his feel for the game was among the best of any rookie in the preseason. His vision, basketball IQ, and natural ability to run the offense smoothly was well beyond his years as an NBA professional.

4. Harry Giles III (Portland Trail Blazers)

10.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Harry Giles will get a fresh start in Portland this season and it might be exactly what he needed. After spending the first two years of his NBA career in Sacramento, the former No. 1 overall player in his high school class could finally be coming around.

Through four preseason games, Giles was impressive with how productive he was in just 21.5 minutes per contest. Both offensively and defensively, he looked like he had taken another step in his game. Although the forward rotation is crowded for the Trail Blazers, Giles could end up being an extremely important piece this season.

5. Max Strus (Miami Heat)

16.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, .474 3P%

Max Strus could shape up to be one of the more exciting two-way players in the NBA this season. Yet another deadly shooter for the Miami Heat going forward, he knocked down six threes in one of his preseason games.

Originally undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Strus will get the chance to work his way up the ranks in the 2020-21 season. Although a small two-game sample size, Strus was one of the most surprising standouts in the preseason.

The post Breakout Candidates From the 2020 NBA Preseason appeared first on SLAM.

However, to return to the NBA Finals in 2021, Miami would have to get better with teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks appearing far more formidable than last season.

Heat Roster Additions

Biggest Acquisitions

• Precious Achiuwa: Precious Achiuwa could have been a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, as the combo forward is prized for his athleticism and defense. If that sounds like it’s right up Miami’s alley, it’s because it is.
• Avery Bradley: Avery Bradley continues to be one of the league’s better 3-and-D guards, and with his playoff experience, he’s going to provide a veteran presence in the Miami Heat’s locker room.

Heat Roster Subtractions

Biggest Losses

• Jae Crowder: Jae Crowder has made a name for himself as a tough and mobile combo guard who can be relied upon as a 3-and-D option. Perhaps the drafting of Precious Achiuwa made him question his future role in Miami but a $30 million contract is an incentive in and of itself.

• Derrick Jones Jr.: The high-flying Derrick Jones Jr. was a decent defender who used his athleticism to sky for rebounds and blocks when in position. Fortunately for Miami, by drafting Achiuwa, they’ll at least be able to replace what Jones provided.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Miami Heat: Offseason Summary 2020 appeared first on SLAM.

On paper, they’re a good team. Chicago made a couple of smart moves this offseason but their improvement in the immediate future will be dependent upon the players that are already there.

Bulls Roster Additions

Biggest Acquisitions

• Patrick Williams: Patrick Williams was one of the fast-risers in the 2020 NBA Draft, which usually means he has a higher boom-or-bust potential. The rookie forward projects as a versatile defender with a strong slashing ability; almost a re-hashing of current teammate Thaddeus Young.
• Garrett Temple: Garrett Temple is a heady veteran point guard with great length, a high basketball IQ, commendable defensive performances and a decent 3-point stroke. He averaged a career-high 10.3 points per game last season with the Brooklyn Nets.

Bulls Roster Subtractions

Biggest Losses

• Shaquille Harrison: A 6’7″ combo guard, Shaquille Harrison was primarily known for his defense in his time with the Chicago Bulls.

• Max Strus: Max Strus’ calling card is his perimeter shooting, as he knocked down .363 percent of his 3-point attempts (8.9 per game) as a sophomore at DePaul in 2018-19. However, last season, he only converted .305 of his threes (9.1) in 13 games with the G League’s Windy City Bulls.

All NBA Team Offseason Summaries

The post Chicago Bulls: Offseason Summary 2020 appeared first on SLAM.

In addition to a summary for each of the 30 teams (accessible in the link grid below), we’ve also tiered the top NBA free agents league-wide and published a general comparison of all teams’ cap space. Follow @SLAMnewswire on Twitter for constant offseason updates as we head into free agency.

Projected Roster Players

Projected Free Agents

2020 NBA Draft Picks

Exceptions Available

• Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception – $9,258,000
• Bi-Annual Exception – $3,623,000

Key Offseason Decisions

• Will Kris Dunn sign his qualifying offer or work out a long-term deal? Dunn’s Qualifying Offer is for $7.1M. If he signs it, he’d be an unrestricted free agent in 2021. He’s found a place as a defense-minded wing, so he may still have a future in Chicago.
• Will Lauri Markkanen sign a contract extension? If Markkanen doesn’t sign an extension this offseason, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
• How does a new front office view holdover free agents Shaq Harrison and Denzel Valentine? Both have been in and out of the rotation over the years with the Bulls. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see either back or both gone.

Projected Team Salary

$144,189,894

Otto Porter Jr. is a lock to pick up his $28.5M player option. There was a point where it looked like the Bulls might have let Kris Dunn walk but his play now necessitates them giving him a qualifying offer to retain his restricted rights. There are a few teams with cap space who could make Chicago sweat an offer sheet but anything reasonable and the Bulls will match. Because they will already be over the cap, Chicago is probable to keep their rights for the other restricted free agents as well. (@KeithSmithNBA)

Cap Space Forecast

-$35,049,894 (11^th out of 30). $19,212,330 under the Luxury Tax.

Team Salary Cap Outlooks

The post Chicago Bulls: Salary Cap Space 2020 appeared first on SLAM.

We’ve listed the entire roster with comparisons to last year’s launch rating below. We’ve also identified some general NBA 2K21 ratings trends for the league as a whole.

Bulls NBA 2K21 Ratings

View the NBA 2K21 player ratings for other teams below.

The post Chicago Bulls: NBA 2K21 Ratings appeared first on SLAM.

Also included in the team-by-team breakdowns are all partial/non-guaranteed players for the 2020-21 season, essentially expanding the list to include any individual that could plausibly hit free agency this summer.

Related: CBA Explained – Different types of NBA free agency

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Pistons

Indiana Pacers

Milwaukee Bucks

The post 2020 NBA Free Agent List – Central Division appeared first on SLAM.

Fall had originally been signed to an exhibit 10 deal after going undrafted out of the University of Central Florida in the 2019 NBA Draft. He’ll now fill in the two-way contract slot that was made available earlier today when the team converted Max Strus’ two-way deal into a two-year pact.

Fall can spend 45 days with the Celtics over the course of the 2019-20 season and will spend the rest of the year with the Maine Red Claws. He’s seen limited usage with the C’s throughout preseason, averaging just 6.9 minutes per contest, but will see no shortage of opportunities in the G League.

The post Celtics To Convert Tacko Fall’s Deal Into Two-Way Contract appeared first on SLAM.

The Celtics have 14 guaranteed contracts on the books for the upcoming season, as our Roster Count page shows. The team’s two-way contracts are spoken for (Max Strus, Tremont Waters), leaving the three prospects to compete for the last spot on the team, barring any unforeseen roster move by General Manager Danny Ainge.

Gates, who played his collegiate ball at Xavier University, is a 6’8″ forward who went undrafted in 2018. He caught on with the Windy City Bulls of the G League where he made .375 of his three point attempts. Boston is unable to add him to its G League squad if he doesn’t make the NBA team, as Chicago’s affiliate still owns his G League rights.

The post Celtics Add Kaiser Gates To Training Camp Roster appeared first on SLAM.

Below is a list of the contract types the Boston Celtics have heading into training camp. This resource will be updated as players are signed and waived. Check back often to see if your team’s roster configuration has changed.

For a complete list of all the NBA teams and links to each team’s roster breakdown, check out our 2019 NBA Training Camp Roster index. Follow the curators of this database, Chris Crouse and Austin Kent, on Twitter.

More NBA Training Camp Rosters

The post Boston Celtics Roster Count: 2019 Training Camp appeared first on SLAM.

This time around, automatically entered into the draft, the 23-year-old went unselected but came to terms on a two-way deal with the C’s shortly thereafter. The two parties will be able to make the deal official when the 2019-20 campaign officially begins on Sunday.

In his final season on campus, Strus averaged 20.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for DePaul while shooting .363 from beyond the arc on 8.9(!) triples per contest.

The post Celtics To Sign Max Strus To Two-Way Contract appeared first on SLAM.

by Mark Hostutler

Corruption in college sports has been a fixture on the front page for much of the NCAA’s century-long existence.

A payroll for football players at SMU. The Minnesota basketball program’s academic scandal. Countless illegal enticements for members of Miami’s football team. A seemingly orchestrated cover-up at Penn State.

There are, of course, numerous other examples that predate these more modern ones, but the space here is too limited to sacrifice it on the history of such malfeasances.

The public knows what happens to the guilty parties: Wins are vacated, probation is enforced, the postseason is banned or perhaps a death penalty is levied or a Heisman Trophy returned.

The notion of amateurism among major college football and basketball is downright laughable to anyone with common sense. Even back in 1950, before the industry’s commercialization, when the hoopsters at City College of New York were shaving points, college sports were about as pure as the waters of the Hudson River.

Whereas much is reported on the consequences that the culprits in these cases must face, very little has been said about the blue-chip athlete who refuses his seat on the gravy train of $100 handshakes from boosters, free car rentals, and no-show summer jobs.

Meet Dave Batton, who exactly 40 years ago said thanks, but no thanks to Kentucky after it offered him an excess of $20,000 for “four summers’ work” on a horse farm in Lexington.

Although turning down the small fortune was, as Batton said, “the right thing to do,” it complicated his life in ways he never could have imagined. Combine that with a professional career that was a casualty of the early-1980s labor feud between the NBA and its players’ union, as well as current health issues, and you have a 57-year-old man who struggles to find peace.

Batton came of age athletically in a cramped suburb, in Springfield, PA, a stone’s throw from Philadelphia in blue-collar Delaware County. The 6-9 power forward possessed a soft touch from the perimeter, but gradually developed the toughness to match his considerable skill. Anything but the archetype of the plodding post player in his sport, he became as dangerous underneath the rim as he was 15 feet from it.

As a teenager in a densely populated township of almost 30,000 people, Batton inherited a basketball torch originally lit by Geoff Petrie, the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year. It passed from Petrie to Tom Ingelsby, a second-round selection of the Atlanta Hawks, then Mike Arizin, the son of one of the NBA’s all-time greats, and finally to Batton. Petrie and Batton attended Springfield, the public high school, while Ingelsby and Arizin enrolled at Cardinal O’Hara, the local Catholic school.

“I played a lot of sports back in the day,” said Petrie, also a draft pick of baseball’s Washington Senators, who twice became NBA Executive of the Year as general manager of the Kings. “And the experiences I remember most were the neighborhood rivalries and representing your turf.”

“We played basketball nine hours a day every day,” said Ingelsby, who guided Villanova to the 1971 NCAA title game. “Gyms were open sparingly, so we were outdoors a lot.

“Heck, I just wanted to make my high school team. There were 2,000 boys competing for five starting spots.”

Clearly, nothing came easy for the four prodigies whose graduations were separated by only eight years (1966-74).

“You didn’t have to fly to [Las] Vegas when you were 10 just to find a good game,” said Arizin, an All-Southern Conference performer at William & Mary. “You were restricted to the courts that were within walking distance. Not only did that breed a familiarity with one another, but also a toughness.”

For Arizin, role models were never at a premium.

“It’s not that I didn’t idolize my father,” he said, referring to Paul Arizin, a legend of the Philadelphia Warriors enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. “But I aspired to be like Tommy. He seemed more real to me. And I know Petrie used to bully him, and he returned the favor with me. So all I could do was torture Dave. To see how he evolved from a deer in the headlights to an offensive beast, well, I’m glad I got my shots in while I could.”

Batton eventually made his elders proud. Armed with a venomous jumper and an equally-as-lethal array of moves in the paint, he averaged 30.3 points per game as a junior at Springfield. His exploits that season set the table for a fierce recruiting battle between Kentucky and Notre Dame.

“Kentucky would send 20-plus alumni dressed in blue sport coats on a private jet to several of my games, both home and away,” said Batton, a third-team Parade All-American as a senior in ’73-74. He packaged 25.3 points and 16.0 rebounds per outing that year and led the Cougars to a Central League title. (He erupted for 39 points and 23 boards in his scholastic finale, a state-playoff loss.)

“I was so worn down my senior year because I was traveling and touring colleges,” he said. “The rules that dictated how many official visits you could take were a lot different back then. I flew to Washington State, Utah, and I’ll never forget my trip to N.C. State right after they won the national championship.

“I spent the weekend in Raleigh, partying with David Thompson, and never once stepped foot on their campus.”

The Fighting Irish and coach Digger Phelps got involved relatively late, just months before their historic upset of UCLA in January 1974 snapped the Bruins’ 88-game winning streak. (UCLA’s loss was a harbinger of sorts, as it fell to the aforementioned Wolfpack in the Final Four.)

“I watched that game on TV, and it made a huge impression on me,” said Batton. “Even though I wasn’t Catholic, I grew up in a Catholic neighborhood where all the boys were glued to the TV on Saturdays, watching Notre Dame football and dreaming of going there. That influence was always in the back of my head.

“When I visited Notre Dame [the previous October], I went to the football game against USC, and the students stood cheering the entire time in the pouring rain. It felt like home.”

Prior to his trip to South Bend, however, Batton assumed he was headed to the Bluegrass State.

Said Batton: “[Wildcats coach] Joe B. Hall stood in my backyard at 29 West Avenue in Springfield—where my father, God bless his soul, built a hoop that was 12 feet high because he didn’t know the difference—and he offered me 20K. He said it would be for working during the summers on Claiborne Farm.

“I couldn’t do it, though. My parents raised me to know right from wrong. Plus, there were rumors that the NCAA was investigating Kentucky, so I didn’t want them to think I was on the take. And one other important thing: I’m allergic to horses.”

Staying close to home was a viable option, too, but one that Batton ultimately declined.

“I was interested in Villanova because I would’ve been at ease there,” he said. “Philly fans are the best in the world, it was 15 minutes from my house, and [Villanova coach] Rollie Massimino’s wife made the best meatballs I’ve ever had in my life. But I’m smart, and any smart guy knows you can’t pass on a degree from Notre Dame.”

Phelps believes Batton, deep down, was enamored with the burgeoning power he was building.

“When I left Fordham and got the Notre Dame job [in 1971],” Phelps said, “I wrote a letter to [Notre Dame football coach] Ara Parseghian saying how much I admired his program and wanted to replicate it with basketball. And that slowly became a reality. For a stretch, we were the Game of the Week on NBC for like 10 straight weeks. We were a machine, and that’s what I sold Dave on.”

“A lot of guys were being induced with a lot of different things back then, but that wasn’t Digger’s style,” said Kansas football coach Charlie Weis, a classmate and close friend of Batton’s and the skipper at his alma mater from 2005-09. “Digger was out there grinding to get the best players, and as Dave knows, he promised them nothing.”

Once Batton arrived in South Bend in the fall of 1974, Phelps brought in the NCAA to probe his claims about Kentucky.

“Digger had the NCAA there interviewing me from the first day of practice,” he said. “They made me swear on the Bible and threatened to take away my eligibility if I didn’t tell the truth. It made me uncomfortable, and that discomfort stayed with me all four years I was there.”

On the court, it didn’t take long for the college hoops world to see why Batton was so heavily wooed. He started in the frontcourt his first two seasons alongside Adrian Dantley, a budding two-time NBA scoring champion.

Batton’s statistics improved in every major category each year. As a junior in March 1977 and one week before the then-32-team NCAA Tournament commenced, Batton’s contributions lifted the unranked Irish past 29-0 San Francisco, which sat atop the polls for two months. The hosts punched their ticket to the dance that afternoon, as Batton’s length helped shut down Bill Cartwright, the Dons’ 7-foot All-American.

“I remember stuffing one of Cartwright’s shots right back into his face early in the game,” Batton said. “They thought they were going to come into our house and push us around, but that block sent the message that we would be the aggressors.

“I was one of five guys on my team to score in double figures [in the 93-82 victory], but our crowd was so loud and animated that NBC ended up giving the Player of the Game Award to our students.”

The climax of Batton’s collegiate career, though, occurred the next winter in his final campaign, when the Irish advanced to their only Final Four in program history. Batton’s norms of 14.0 points—on 57 percent shooting—and 6.8 boards led a talent-rich squad that featured Bill Laimbeer, Bill Hanzlik, Kelly Tripucka, and the late Orlando Woolridge, each of whom played at least a decade in the NBA.

“People forget how Dave was the key to that Final Four team,” said Weis. “He just had the sweetest stroke of any big man I’d ever seen in the ’70s.”

“Dave was one of the most coachable players I ever had,” said Phelps, an ESPN analyst for the last 20 years who is in remission from bladder cancer. “He and Laimbeer changed the image of big men because of their ability to hit the outside shot from the elbow against a 2-3 zone.

“When teams zoned us, I would send the point guard through [the lane] and out to the corner. Then, Dave or Bill would flash from the block to the high post and run the offense from there.”

Tripucka, who only shared the floor with Batton for a year, appreciated his teammate’s personality as much as his ability.

“Dave was a guy you were drawn to and loved to hang out with,” said Tripucka, a two-time All-Star with the Pistons. “We all looked up to him, and that’s what made him a great leader and someone you could rely on.

“He was a throwback player because he wasn’t fleet of foot or couldn’t jump real high, yet he was ahead of his time as a big man who could shoot and not shy away from contact.”

The Irish’s ’77-78 season ended when they succumbed to Duke in the national semifinals in St. Louis. The Blue Devils were coached by Bill Foster, who tried to lure Batton to Salt Lake City when he held the position at Utah.

Who captured the crown that season? Kentucky, naturally. Who says cheaters never win?

Fast-forward seven years to 1985, when Hall retired after 13 seasons at the Kentucky helm. The country finally learned the details of what Batton already knew and what many had suspected: The Wildcats had been committing major NCAA violations during Hall’s tenure.

Two young and enterprising reporters from the Lexington Herald-Leader drew the ire of the Big Blue faithful and revealed to the nation the Wildcats’ myriad misdeeds. (In fact, Jeffrey Marx and Michael York garnered a Pulitzer Prize for their work.) In general, they exposed the improper benefits Kentucky basketball players had been receiving.

Sports Illustrated then reached out to Batton, seeking confirmation of the cash he was tempted with, as the magazine described more of the program’s wrongdoings.

“I got a call from an SI reporter telling me he had a copy of the NCAA investigation and asking me if, from my end, it was true,” Batton said. “All I said was ‘yes,’ and that was the end of our conversation. In his story, I thought I was unfairly portrayed as a rat.

“That’s why I’ve had a general distrust of the media ever since.”

The author of that article, Alexander Wolff, along with colleague Armen Keteyian, soon co-wrote Raw Recruits, a groundbreaking book that shed light on the sordid underbelly of college hoops and remains relevant today. Batton’s ordeal was recounted in the book.

“I hadn’t heard what went on with Dave and Kentucky, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Tripucka said, laughing. “You heard whispers about what they were doing. I went to the Olympic trials [in 1980] that were held on their campus, and I got to compare how we lived with how they lived. My dorm was a closet at Notre Dame, but they had athletic dorms at Kentucky with pool tables and kitchens.”

After the ABA’s merger with the NBA, the Nets—with two years as members of the latter under their belt—drafted Batton in the third round in 1978. But he opted to play in Italy while the league was mired in contract issues that stemmed from its influx of ABA talent.

“My agent [Larry Fleisher] was the founder of the Players’ Association, and he was always fighting for our rights,” Batton said. “He asked me if I would be a test case for free agency. That concept didn’t exist then. As players, we just wanted to have more of a say in our futures.

“Our suit went all the way to the Supreme Court before we lost.”

At last, Batton made his NBA debut in ’82-83 with the Bullets and appeared in 54 games, tallying 3.3 points and 2.2 boards in roughly 10 minutes of action a night. That offseason, Washington traded him to San Antonio, where, after a conversation with its owner, he quickly hopped on a plane and returned to Europe.

“When I became a Spur, the minimum salary in the League was around $45,000, and some guys had to pay for their own hotel rooms,” Batton said. “[Owner] Angelo Drossos wanted to make a deal with me. He said he’d pay me $60,000, but if we didn’t win 50 games, I’d have to pay the money back. Ridiculous, right?

“Those were the stunts they were pulling back then. I can’t prove it, but I know in my heart I was blackballed by the owners because of my lawsuit.”

Despite the toll it took on his professional reputation, Batton has no regrets about challenging the infrastructure of the league, at the late Fleisher’s behest, and assisting players in their quest for more freedom in the marketplace. He just wishes he could get more credit for the line he drew in the sand.

“I remember running into Dennis Rodman one night somewhere in the Midwest when my career was over,” Batton said, “and he blew me off. I thought to myself: You dumb mother——. I was one of the guys who paved the way for free agency.

“Oh, well. I made more money overseas and played fewer games. Had more fun, too.”

Tripucka has no doubt that Batton had the goods to stick around the NBA longer.

“With his size and range, Dave absolutely would’ve been serviceable as a backup,” he said. “Forget talent, though. You have to have someone in your corner and be lucky. Every franchise, every coach has a different philosophy. I ended up being traded, and it was the worst thing for me. I averaged as much as 26 a game in Detroit, but was dealt to Utah where I was scoring 10 and setting screens for everyone else. Meanwhile, Detroit won a pair of Championships right after I left.”

According to Phelps, it was wise to choose a foreign country over a seat at the end of an NBA bench.

“Many of my guys went over there because you could be the star,” he said. “The money was better in some places [in Europe], too. They did that for a while, and stuck their money in a Swiss bank tax-free, and now they’re rich.

“A lot of those opportunities could be attributed to Larry Fleisher. He wanted what was best financially for the players. He was the godfather of the modern NBA.”

A half-century later and a time zone away from where he first picked up a basketball, Batton admits he glances in the rear-view mirror more often than he should. But he does so with a perspective that only the repeated flip of a calendar can give.

With three grown children, Batton now lives outside Houston and works for Percheron, LLC as a landman, overseeing the instillation of pipelines for gas and oil. His company aims to increase America’s energy efficiency and, as he says, “decrease our dependency on Saudi Arabia.”

In 2004, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and placed on the transplant list. Fortunately, he was taken off the list in 2008, as his condition improved.

“My heart is always offbeat, and some days it’s hard to function,” he said. “But life is beautiful. Every day I have is precious.”

Mark Hostutler is a former award-winning journalist at the Delaware County (PA) Daily Times and the author of Heads of State: Pennsylvania’s Greatest High School Basketball Players of the Modern Era. To contact him, e-mail guruhoss@yahoo.com.

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by Vincent Goodwill / @vgoodwill

Ali, Malcolm, Wiley, Chappelle, Pryor…Rasheed Wallace?

Ahead of their time, smart, possibly too conscious for their own good. Most times, true geniuses are considered quirky, crazy even. It isn’t until way down the line that their brilliance is discovered.

“Personality-wise, Rasheed’s a unique dude,” says Lamar Odom. “He gets a bad rep and bad perception. When you look from the outside in, you think he’s a crazy dude, but he’s down-to-earth. He’s one of those dudes I have respect for.”

Perception may be some people’s reality, but it ain’t always the truth. Sheed’s relationship with the refs is like Al and Jesse’s with the establishment, and his relationship with the League itself is…well, it’s not great. A few months after losing in six to the Cavs in the EC Finals, Rasheed said the outcome was set up by David Stern. Given the opportunity to retract recently, the four-time All-Star stands firm. “(It was) just what it sounded like, he don’t care about basketball,” Sheed proclaims. “He cares about ratings, that’s all he want. That’s why he tried to bring all that European stuff over here. That’s not basketball.”

Rasheed’s also not down with the new rule that keeps high school kids from declaring for the NBA Draft, an adjustment that has been applauded by most critics. He stops short of being offended, but…

“Not really disrespected, just ashamed,” he says. “They done sat up here and prevented a way for the majority of young black kids to get out of messed-up situations, by putting that age limit on there. So you tell me, read between the lines.”

“And the anger and the sorrow/mixed up leads to mistrust/now it gets tough to ever love again”—Jay-Z

Why should he explain himself to those who want his downfall? To those who call him an underachiever, who tell him he should be posting up on the block more often, who say the Pistons are better off without him. Would you?

As the Isley Brothers’ “Voyage to Atlantis” plays on his boombox—in case the Air Force 1s and ACE bandage weren’t enough, Sheed lets his musical choice confirm his old-school chops—Wallace sings along before taking time to explain what Odom meant. “I don’t kiss they (media) ass, I’m not a media darling,” he says. “Majority of them don’t like me because I tell it how it is. Hey, I’ma keep telling it how it is. I ain’t gonna lie to the people; I ain’t gonna lie to the young boys out here. They try to pull the curtain over a lot of these young guys’ eyes. I’ma tell them what goes on.”

Because the 33-year-old Wallace keeps the mainstream at a distance—so purposefully it’s damn near admirable—he’s like a riddle wrapped in an enigma. A Spike Lee joint disguised as an Oliver Stone movie. The skirmishes with coaches or referees stand out to the TV-viewing public, but they don’t define him. What about the things you don’t see? What you refuse to acknowledge? The unpublicized visits to Detroit hospitals, surprising sick kids. The time, money and energy he and his wife, Fatima, spend with charities. Why should he strip his layers of complexity so the majority can understand him?

Maybe because if you really knew Rasheed Wallace, his face would be plastered across billboards, Nike might try to turn his AF1s to Air Maxs. He wouldn’t be old-school anymore. He wouldn’t have his privacy, that “get the fuck away” mentality that works so well. Maybe you would judge him. Or, maybe you’d call him a decent fellow.

“Can’t see me skill for skill/or check for check/It’s the bow tie flow dog/I bring it to your neck”—Jay-Z

Then there’s his game, so aesthetically perfect that Maya  Angelou’s words should accompany video of his eight-foot fadeaway off the glass. It’s almost unfair someone 6-11, 230 can do what he does, so effortlessly he often blends right into the game.

You know the credentials: top-tier talent with an unselfish mentality, learned on the legendary Philly playgrounds and perfected at the feet of Dean Smith at UNC. Watching him on TV doesn’t do his game justice. You would think, given what’s said about players who come from the playground, Sheed doesn’t have fundamentals. But he knows every position on the court and does things even HD can’t translate.

Out of all the superlatives used to describe Wallace, the one most overlooked is this: He’s authentic. You could take Sheed and put him in a gym with the Big O, Russell, Magic and Michael, and he’d be just as much in his element as all of them. From the Palestra to the Palace, Sheed is genuine.

Charles Barkley: “If you put a Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan brain in his body, (a guy) who wants to kill the other guy…We’ve never seen a player who’s (nearly) seven feet tall, can post up and shoot threes, we’ve never had a player like that in the NBA. If he had a killer instinct, this guy could be the best player in the NBA.”

This will mark the third year in a row and fourth of his career in which Sheed had at least 100 blocks and 100 three-pointers. Big deal, you say at first? Well, Sheed is the only player in NBA history to have more than one such season.

Chuck’s partner on TNT, Kenny Smith: “If he wanted to be the best player in the NBA, he could be. Rasheed Wallace is the X-factor, he has a box game that can create double teams. Then all of a sudden he steps out and starts hitting threes and he becomes unguardable. For a seven-game series, he can be just as good as Kevin Garnett.”

Best player in the game? Those guys don’t average 13 and 7, like Sheed is this season. Well, who’s the best PF in the game? Tim Duncan, maybe? Sheed put 23 and 15 on him when the ’05  Finals adversaries met in January, adding three steals and two blocks. Against last year’s MVP, Dirk Nowitzki? Twenty-one and 9, with four swats and three thefts in a February Motown matchup. Oh yeah, and he held Diggler to 3-18 in a 23-point drubbing.

At one point, after abusing Dirk in the post, Sheed could be overheard yelling at the Maverick bench, “He can’t guard me!” Wearing wry smiles were Dallas coach Avery Johnson and Sheed’s former Tar Heel teammate, Jerry Stackhouse.

If the Pistons are to win their second title in five years, the man they call Roscoe doesn’t have to be just a big contributor—he has to lead this team to the promised land. Tayshaun Prince can play his long-armed D, Rip can continue scoring with his increased range and Smooth Billups can play like Zeke, but it’s on the big fella. He knows this, whether he admits it or not.

“He’s the key, I don’t care what nobody says,” Chauncey states. “Myself and Rip (Hamilton), you know exactly what you gon’ get. Sheed? He’s always the wild card. When he’s excited about the game and ready to rock, can’t nobody keep him from getting 25 and 15.”

“Even when I’m wrong/I got my point across/they depicted me the boss”— Notorious B.I.G.

His well-publicized disagreements with coaches throughout his 13-year career have never actually been looked at from this standpoint: What if Rasheed was right?

Sometimes observers get caught up in the messenger and the volume instead of the content. Mike Dunleavy and the Hack-a-Shaq routine? Hated it, and the strategy didn’t work. Playing zone defense? Disliked it more, and helped lead to last year’s flameout in the EC Finals. Rasheed has the ultimate respect for the coaches who command it, the ones with jewelry: Larry Brown and Dean Smith.

As far as his beefs with coaches, Rasheed holds no grudges, takes no prisoners. “I just leave it at that, ’cause they’re not gonna change my views of how I think the game should be played,” he says. “We’re the ones out there playin’, seeing it from a different perspective. From always sitting on the sideline, compared to being out there on the floor, you’re gonna see different things.”

Making it clear that he takes nothing personal is paramount to Wallace. Last season, a national writer made waves when he wrote that Sheed “hates” Saunders. When Sheed saw said writer, he set the record straight. “He said that off of starting something,” Sheed says. “Me and [Flip], we ain’t never had problems, as far as players and coaches, but you got some of that with other teams, so that makes for good news. We’re not like that. He tried to come out here and start some shit about saying I hate this man. So I had to come out here and cuss his ass out.”

When you come from certain places, the word “hate” has definite meaning. It’s not something you throw around, or use to describe a player-coach relationship. “It’s not like I hate [Flip], or wanna blow his car up,” he makes clear. “When you say ‘hate,’ that’s some kill-or-be-killed shit.”

Captain Chauncey puts it in perspective: “I think people put a lot of extra on it. Every player on every team at some point is gonna get into it with the coach. We’re prideful guys. A lot of times, that pride gets in the way and you gonna say, Naw, fuck that, this is what we supposed to do, what we gonna do. That’s just the nature of the beast. Anything going on with him, it’s 10 times worse.”

“His crew’s your crew or they might be next/Look at they man eye, big man they never try so we roll with him stole with ’em/I mean loyalty”—Notorious B.I.G.

When his teammates look in Rasheed’s eyes, they see the leadership he exudes, a loud man with quiet confidence. During crucial timeouts, while TP22 and Smooth discuss strategy, Sheed sits in front of the scorer’s table, sometimes looking at the stat sheet, making sure the straps on his kicks hang properly off the back. Nonchalant.

He’s not the type to flex muscles at his teammates or to blast them in the papers when they don’t perform. He takes a more cerebral approach. Call it unconventional charisma. You may call him big-mouthed after he does it, but his swag gives his teammates confidence while putting the bulls-eye on his own back, making himself the target of the fans while the other four are free to just go out and play.

“I’m the team megaphone,” he says. “I don’t see myself as the leader. We got a team full of veterans that know what we gotta do to win.”

When Sheed screws up, his teammates defend him to the end. They know he makes the game easy, covers their mistakes, so it’s only fitting they cover his. You can’t buy that loyalty with words. Respect is the ultimate currency in a real locker room with veteran teammates.

Jermaine O’Neal and Zach Randolph learned from Sheed, and now Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson are his pupils. He even gives Dwight Howard advice during games. “Gotta stay in they ear, so they can learn the game the right way,” he says. “All the flashiness, throw that shit out the door. Learn this game, play it the right way.”

As for The D’s chances at a ring this spring, Wallace won’t guaransheed anything, but he knows the doubters are there, hears them loud and clear. “We gon’ be there, shit. We always there, they always count us out every year. They say this team is better or that team is better, but we always there in the end.”

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