Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving is set to play in tonight’s crucial Game 5 between the Cavaliers and Bulls despite injuries to both of his legs.
Irving’s right foot has been strained since Game 2 of Cleveland’s first round series against Boston, and now he’s said to be truggling with tendinitis in his left knee after overcompensating for the sore right foot.
From Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com:
“If the consideration is now, then, I mean, I should have been sitting out maybe about four games ago,” Irving said. “I just … I can’t do it. Mentally, I can’t do it. I can’t look myself in the mirror and sit on the bench or sit in the locker room while I watch my teammates go out there.
“I’d rather give 30 percent, 40 percent, rather than give none at all. I just literally can’t do it. I can’t sit on the bench and be hurt and be OK with that. And still, I still know I can be effective. So whether I got to the free throw line eight times [like he did in Game 3, going 8-for-8], which I’m still happy about … My jumper may not be falling or the legs under me, but I’m just going to continue to just go.”
Something has clearly been off with Irving, who shot a combined 5-of-23 in Game 3 and Game 4 against the Bulls and handed out just two assists, telling reporters that a lack of acceleration was limiting him. For the playoffs as a whole, his PER has dipped from 21.5 in the regular season to 18.9 in the postseason, revealing a pronounced decline in efficiency.
If this were the regular season, the Cavaliers could shut Irving down for a week without much thought. Neither injury is particularly severe and would likely be significantly improved with a few days of rest.
But right now, the Cavs are in a dogfight for their playoff lives with the scrappy Chicago Bulls, with the series tied at two games apiece. Sitting Irving down would likely mean starter’s minutes for second-year guard Matthew Dellavedova — he of the 8.5 PER — and that’s a disaster waiting to happen against a Tom Thibodeau-led defense. Besides, it’s not like the rest of the Cavs are fully healthy, either — LeBron James will be playing through a sore left ankle after turning it in Sunday’s Game 4.
Because of those factors, the Cavs don’t have much choice but to have Irving play through his ailments for the remainder of this series, starting tonight in Game 5. Likewise, Chicago is listing Pau Gasol as questionable for Game 5 with his hamstring injury, which often takes at least a week or so to heal.
Where it could get interesting is if the Cavs advance. We saw the Los Angeles Clippers play Chris Paul through a strained hamstring in Game 7 of their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, only to shut him down for the first two games of their next series against the Houston Rockets to help heal. The obvious takeaway is that the Clippers put a higher priority on games late in a series than Game 1 and Game 2. Should Cleveland advance, coach David Blatt could have a similar dilemma with Irving.
But for now, that’s nowhere near the forefront of Blatt’s mind. His group simply has to survive a gritty Chicago team, and it sounds like Irving will be a big part of his plan — healthy or otherwise.
PELICANS FIRE HEAD COACH MONTY WILLIAMS
The New Orleans Pelicans sent shock waves through the league Tuesday with their decision to fire 43-year-old head coach Monty Williams.
The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who said New Orleans general manager Dell Demps had been wrestling for more control of the franchise and “pushed out” Williams.
Around Williams’ staff this season, there was a sense of decreasing management support and unnecessary obstacles, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Williams, who had one year left on his contract and a team option for a second, had a scheduled meeting with management Tuesday morning, where there was an expectation that the franchise would pick up the 2016-17 option on his deal, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Instead, New Orleans president Mickey Loomis let Williams go.
Williams had coached the Pelicans since 2010. In that 2010-11 season, his first with the franchise, the Chris Paul-led Pelicans won 46 games. But after Paul forced a trade elsewhere and the roster was gutted, Williams guided a rebuilding team to incremental win improvements of 21, 27, 34 and finally 45 wins in this past season, culminating with the West’s No. 8 playoff spot.
After selecting Anthony Davis first overall in the June 2012 NBA Draft, Williams molded the roster around Davis and helped him develop into one of the game’s premier players.
New Orleans now joins Denver and Orlando as franchises with current head coaching vacancies. Given the presence of Davis and other talented young players like Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson, it seems the New Orleans job would be the most attractive to potential candidates.
That said, any prospective candidate — including perhaps embattled Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau — would have to work with New Orleans owner Tom Benson. Just two weeks ago, Benson wrote a public letter of congratulations and support for Williams, his staff and the entire team. That letter:
Dear Monty, Dell and all of the Pelicans Coaches and Players:
“I wanted to thank each and every one of you for a job well done this past season. We made the playoffs in a very strong finish at the end of the season. That is a tribute to your hard work and determination. You were able to overcome the adversities that face every team, but it was the way you all came together as a team that made us all very proud.
“Our fans were truly galvanized by your dedication. Our theme this year was to Take Flight. I am confident that we have begun to take flight as a team. We now must turn our attention to getting better and coming back for the 2015-16 season with an even stronger resolve.
“I am very excited about the future of our Pelicans and you have my word and my resolve to bring everything to bear to win. New Orleans deserves an NBA Championship and we have the foundation, facilities and fans to make this a reality.
Just days later, that foundation has been rocked.
OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
The Brooklyn Nets are more likely to trade Joe Johnson than they are to buy out veteran guard Deron Williams, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com.
Williams is owed $43 million guaranteed over the next two seasons, and Brooklyn could theoretically reduce its cap figure (and repeater-tax status) by using the stretch provision to buy Williams out, much like the Detroit Pistons did with Josh Smith.
But according to Aldridge, the Nets could instead try to clear space by moving Johnson. Though he’s making even more than Williams at almost $25 million per season, Johnson’s deal expires after next season — which could make teams more likely to take him on, given no long-term commitment.
But a buyout of Williams, while potentially saving the Nets millions of dollars via the “stretch” provision, is not in the cards. The Nets are not interested in giving Williams $43 million to not play. The intriguing question is whether the Nets can deal Joe Johnson and his expiring contract, at $24.8 million next season. For one year, even at that price, Johnson would have suitors.
The Nets say they’re intent on bringing back center Brook Lopez in free agency, likely on a near-max deal, and also hope to retain Thaddeus Young. If that’s the case, shedding either Johnson or Williams would likely be necessary to keep Brooklyn under next year’s luxury-tax line.
The Philadelphia 76ers today unveiled a set of new logos for immediate use, beginning with the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 19. From the team’s news release:
The logo set is effective immediately and updates the iconic Sixers design through the incorporation of new and traditionally significant elements:
The team’s new primary logo is a modern interpretation of the classic Sixers insignia, stylistically redeveloped to include a patriotic blue border with six white stars and “PHILADELPHIA” adorned across the heading. The familiar white basketball has been visually updated with a positional rotation of the seams. The emblematic ring of 13 stars present in the primary, partial and secondary logos continues to represent the original American Colonies.
The Sixers will also introduce new uniforms for the 2015-16 season at an event on June 18.
Ben DuBose is a veteran sports reporter who has followed the Houston Rockets and the NBA since Hakeem Olajuwon was Akeem Olajuwon. He writes for both SheridanHoops and ClutchFans, an independent Rockets blog. You can follow him on Twitter.