NBA Southeast

Udonis Haslem's two decades of NBA experience have apparently given him a long memory.

The Heat forward clapped back at Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for saying Miami's championship window is "closed," reminding the former Celtics stars that the Heat once slammed things shut on their run in Boston.

Udonis Haslem has some words for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce 👀 pic.twitter.com/lFrBV0MKMp

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 30, 2022

The LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh-led Heat took down the Celtics in both the 2011 and 2012 playoffs, highlighted by a seven-game slugfest in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.

A little more than a year after that loss, the Celtics dismantled their veteran core, shipping Garnett and Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets.

A decade does not appear to have cleared all the bad blood between the two sides.

“What’s Miami’s identity?” Garnett said on his podcast. “That’s the first thing I ask myself. They used to be known as a defensive team that can score the ball. Now, they done turned into a three-point shooting team with a bunch of ball movement. I’m trying to still figure out who they are though. They don’t really have no identity."

The Heat are off to a disappointing 2-5 start and have lacked cohesion on both ends of the floor to start the season. Haslem is right in saying it's probably a little early to write them off—particularly after an Eastern Conference Finals appearance last season—but no one knew the Garnett-Pierce era in Boston was over until it was too late.

Perhaps the Hall of Famers are merely speaking from experience.

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony is reportedly dealing with an oblique injury that could cause him to miss some time.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Anthony is set to undergo further evaluation, at which point a timetable for his return will be determined.

The 22-year-old is averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists through four games so far in 2022-23.

Anthony is coming off a breakout second season in the NBA, averaging 16.3 points, 5.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.

There are still questions about his efficiency and consistency, but Anthony continues to show the explosiveness and scoring ability that turned heads in high school and in college at North Carolina.

The only thing that has slowed him down so far is injuries.

Anthony missed six games because of an ankle injury suffered last November, while another sprained ankle cost him time in December and January. In 2020-21, a shoulder injury kept Anthony off the court for nearly two months. He appeared in just 47 games as a rookie, averaging 12.9 points per game.

Though he has proved he can be a difference-maker when healthy, durability has become a significant concern for the Magic.

Orlando is also currently without guard Jalen Suggs due to an ankle sprain, meaning Terrence Ross and R.J. Hampton should see increased playing time until Anthony and Suggs are healthy enough to return.

Dennis Smith Jr. signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets in September, but not before kicking around the idea of transitioning to football.

"I told my previous agent, 'I'm not going overseas. If s--t don't work out, I'm just going to the NFL,'" he told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "And I was dead-ass serious. I put on hella weight. I was gonna try."

Smith said he played football in high school and would have played collegiately if he wasn't one of the top basketball recruits in the nation. He planned to play as a defensive back in the NFL once he began considering a change in sports.

"I was going to get there, though, I swear to god I would," he said.

Smith, 24, has struggled to find a foothold in the NBA after the Dallas Mavericks selected him ninth overall in the 2017 draft. He's averaged 10.8 points and 4.3 assists per game in his six-year career but has bounced around the league, playing for the Mavs, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers and now the Hornets.

He has played well in Charlotte, however, posting 13.3 points and 4.7 assists in 25.7 minutes per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field in three contests.

"Some guys figure it out late, some guys figure it out right away," Hornets head coach Steve Clifford told Bondy. "He's a talented guy. Even though with the injuries he's not the athlete he was, he's still a really good athlete, even for this league. I don't see that he's doing anything that he can't continue to do, frankly."

Getting quality minutes from Smith has been huge for the Hornets, with LaMelo Ball recovering from a sprained left ankle. He's more than earned himself a regular spot in the rotation, even when the 2-1 Hornets get healthier.

The NFL is officially on the back-burner, in other words.

The Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young, Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal and Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey have all expressed interest in playing for Team USA in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup next summer.

Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported Tuesday all three stars confirmed their desire to help the American squad bounce back from a disappointing seventh-place finish at the 2019 World Cup while also using the tournament to help bolster their chances of being chosen for the 2024 Summer Olympics roster.

"Yes, I'm definitely open to it," Young told Vardon. "I mean, even since I was in high school, it's been my dream as a basketball player. I've tried out multiple times since I've been in high school. There's been a couple of times when I could have been on that team, and it kind of hurt my heart."

Team USA manager director Grant Hill and head coach Steve Kerr have decided to abandon the program's previous desire to get NBA stars to make a commitment to play back-to-back summers, first for the World Cup and then the Olympics, per Vardon.

Instead, they'll take each tournament individually and build out the best possible roster from the players willing to make the offseason trip.

The 2023 World Cup is being split between Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines, while the 2024 Olympics are taking place in Paris. The 2021 Olympics were in Tokyo.

Team USA management is cognizant of the travel demands of that many overseas trips following the long NBA seasons and understand players may not want to make a full-time annual summer commitment.

"I've never gotten the opportunity to do a World Cup," Beal told Vardon. "As long as I'm healthy, injury-free, and there's a place for me on the team, yeah, I'll probably be there in the Philippines."

Maxey added: "I would love to play for the country. That would be cool. It's always a blessing to represent your country, play with different guys, and go out there and compete."

It will likely create a situation in which the World Cup team is filled with players who may end up on the Olympic roster fringe, depending on whether LeBron James, Stephen Curry and the rest of the American superstars opt to play in Paris.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen told Vardon he's yet to hear from Team USA officials, but he'd also “take a lot of pride in representing us on a stage in front of the world.”

"I understand that there's not a lot of traditional bigs like that in America, like the back-down bigs," Allen said. "Even I'm not even really like that typical, I guess, European basketball big in terms of just banging down there. But I'm here to fill a role, whatever they need, and I feel like I can fit into any role."

Finding centers who can fit the more European play style often on display in major international tournaments has been an issue for the Americans in recent years, but Allen's defensive prowess could bring a lot of value.

A lot of factors will come into play when building the roster, including what teams make deep runs in the NBA playoffs and which players are dealing with nagging injuries they will want the summer to rest, but the early buy-in sounds promising for Team USA.

The 2023 World Cup is scheduled to tip off on Aug. 25.

Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin got into an altercation with Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko in Saturday night's game, and he's now facing the consequences.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the NBA gave Martin a one-game suspension for his involvement in the incident. His Miami teammate, Nikola Jovic, also received a one-game suspension for leaving the bench area, while Koloko was fined $15,000.

Miami's Nikola Jovic has also been suspended one game for leaving the bench area during the altercation. The NBA fined Toronto's rookie center Christian Koloko for $15,000 for grabbing Martin during the altercation. https://t.co/wdVjUYlIlz

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 24, 2022

Midway through the third quarter of Saturday's game, Martin and Koloko were fighting for position to grab a rebound on a missed three-pointer by Raptors forward Pascal Siakam. Koloko fell to the ground and Martin was called for a foul. Martin stepped toward the rookie as he quickly got up to his feet, and the two of them engaged in a tussle that spilled into the front-row seats not far from the Heat bench.

"I just think that there's a lot of plays that were kind of leading up to it," Martin told reporters afterward. "It was a chippy game. That's typically how the game goes with Toronto. It's a chippy back-and-forth. But ultimately, I just think that emotions were high and the game was a close game. It was back-and-forth. Overall, I got to be more professional in the way I handle those type of situations."

Both Martin and Koloko received technicals and were ejected from the game. The Heat won 112-109 to improve to 1-2.

For his part, Koloko said he wasn't sure why Martin initiated the confrontation.

"He just stood there looking at me like crazy," he said. "I just stood up. I don't know."

The Heat and Raptors will face each other again on Monday night.

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 108-98 on Friday night to improve to 2-0, and Dejounte Murray was one of the best players on the floor in just his second game with the franchise.

Murray, who was traded to the Hawks from the San Antonio Spurs in June, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals, making 8-of-16 shots from the floor and 2-of-5 shots from deep in the win.

It was the second straight game Murray notched 20 points, having done so in the season opener on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, and he's drawing rave reviews on social media for his latest performance:

FROM ELIAS: Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are the first duo in NBA history to each average 20 points and 10 assists through the first 2 games of a season. https://t.co/MnloyEvfRp

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 22, 2022

I dunno how many more times I’m gonna say this. Dejounte Murray was everything this Hawks team needed and more.

20/9/9

Just missed a triple double pic.twitter.com/oJE0xa86Y9

— jxke. 🧸 (@cantguardjake) October 22, 2022

The dog has remained in the interior of Dejounte Murray.

— Peachtree Hoops (@peachtreehoops) October 22, 2022

https://twitter.com/KPelchat92/status/1583640634455298048

Looks like I was wrong about Dejounte Murray in Atlanta. Can't really declare wrong or right on anyone yet, but he's killing it

— Josh Lloyd (@redrock_bball) October 22, 2022

Dejounte Murray is so good at basketball

— cam (@DirtyBirds97) October 22, 2022

Murray wasn't the only one that was praised, though.

Magic rookie Paolo Banchero had a solid performance despite an off night shooting. He finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocks, making 6-of-18 shots from the floor and 1-of-6 shots from deep.

The 2022 No. 1 overall pick was praised for his performance despite Orlando's loss:

Paolo Banchero had an off shooting night (6-18 FG).

He still put up 20/12/2/1/3.

Ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/fYmWwHwxeV

— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 22, 2022

Paolo is a mixture of Melo/PG. Orlando didn’t miss with their pick.

— Alex Bazzell (@alexbazzell) October 22, 2022

I know it’s a small sample size of just 2 games but I was very wrong on Paolo Banchero draft night. Kid is a stud. Does everything well(except shoot 3’s right now). #Magic are very fortunate to have him as a cornerstone. His defense and rebounding was very overstated as weakness

— Brett Adams (@badamsufl) October 22, 2022

PAOLO BANCHERO 🔥

— 5 ✰ B*TCH (@realkenmarie) October 22, 2022

Paolo Banchero is locked in for ROTY.

— 〽️ (@13ossman5) October 22, 2022

Paolo Banchero is SPECIAL

— t.O. (@ThereGoesTO) October 22, 2022

Banchero is absolutely unreal

— Mitch (@HerbertFrogz) October 22, 2022

Both of these players have bright futures ahead. However, the Hawks are currently a much more complete team, and it's going to take the Magic some time to get there, especially with such a young roster.

The Hawks will host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, while the Magic will host the Boston Celtics on Saturday aiming for their first win of the season.

The Orlando Magic came up short against the Detroit Pistons in Wednesday's season opener, but the performance of No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero gave fans of the team plenty to be excited about.

Banchero finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He is the first player since LeBron James to have at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in their first NBA game.

Since 1969, only three No. 1 overall picks have dropped 25+ PTS, 5+ REB, and 5+ AST in their NBA debut.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James
Paolo Banchero pic.twitter.com/IFmdWyBUT0

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 20, 2022

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Banchero was clearly upset about the 113-109 loss but said it "means a lot" having his name alongside James' after his first career game.

Leading up to the draft, there was a lot of debate about what the Magic would do with the top pick. There was a widespread belief for a long time that Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr. would be the choice.

Coming out of the NBA Draft Combine, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz wrote that rival teams "firmly believe" that Smith "is all but assured" to go No. 1 overall.

On draft night, though, it became clear Orlando's front office pulled a fast one and was going to select Banchero.

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst, the Magic's apparent misdirection was actually just "the product of a grueling process to choose between top prospects" that included Banchero, Smith and Chet Holmgren.

They also noted the Houston Rockets, who had the No. 3 overall pick, proposed a trade to Orlando for the top choice after it became clear Banchero was going to be the selection.

"The negotiation was brief, and the Rockets got the message: A deal was highly unlikely," MacMahon and Windhorst wrote.

It's only one game, but the Magic appear to have made the right call. Banchero was excellent against the Pistons. He scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to help keep the game close.

Wednesday's game was an excellent showcase for all three of Orlando's lottery picks from the previous two years. Jalen Suggs had 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Franz Wagner finished with 20 points, five assists and four rebounds.

As the trio of Banchero, Suggs and Wagner continue to gain experience, the Magic have the makings of a very strong foundation to build around for the first time since the end of the Dwight Howard era.

Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight appeared to have a handgun in his lap when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Sunday.

In a photo of the arrest obtained by TMZ Sports, Bouknight is seen passed out in his car seemingly holding a Glock handgun in his lap before officers arrested him.

According to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report obtained by Kallie Cox and Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer, the 22-year-old Bouknight was found in his vehicle around 1 a.m. local time on Sunday in a parking garage.

"Police radio communications, obtained from Broadcastify, indicate first responders from Medic, Charlotte Fire and CMPD attempted to rouse Bouknight and have him open the locked car," Cox and Boone wrote.

Officers found Bouknight was the owner of the car and had a pending concealed carry permit when they ran the tags and information on the vehicle.

Cox and Boone noted North Carolina has an open carry policy "in cases where the gun is considered legal and the person is not banned from having a firearm."

Bouknight was released from custody after posting a $2,500 bond. He hasn't been charged with any crime related to carrying a weapon.

The University of Connecticut alum has been cited for traffic violations three times within the past year, including speeding and reckless driving charges in November 2021 and February. He has court appearances scheduled throughout the rest of this year for those offenses.

"We are aware of the incident involving James Bouknight and are in the process of gathering additional information," the Hornets said in a statement released Monday. "We will have no further comment at this time."

Bouknight was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Hornets. He appeared in 31 games off the bench as a rookie.

The Atlanta Hawks are set to open their season against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Forward De'Andre Hunter should be in the lineup for that game and, presumably, for the foreseeable future.

The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter was set to be a restricted free agent next offseason. However, Atlanta beat the 6 p.m. ET deadline on Monday to sign the Virginia product to an extension.

Hunter will now stick around on a four-year, $96 million extension.

At the 6 PM ET buzzer: Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter has agreed on a four-year, $95 million contract extension, his agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith of @Wassbasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/mDm6hZTosm

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 18, 2022

Locking up the 24-year-old is big for the Hawks. It eliminates any potential RFA drama next offseason and any sort of contract distractions Hunter might have this season, and it ensures that Atlanta has its core group for the foreseeable future.

The Hawks now have Hunter, Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela all signed for at least the next three seasons. Offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray signed on a two-year deal.

Extending Hunter should also put an end to the idea of trading for Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder.

Crowder requested a trade from Phoenix, and the Suns appear willing to cooperate. While they haven't found a trade partner just yet, they're not forcing Crowder to play, either. The 32-year-old was placed on the inactive list to start the regular season.

The Hawks are one of several teams that had been linked to Crowder in the waning days of the offseason. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Atlanta had "emerged as a suitor" for Crowder.

"The Hawks and Suns have had conversations in recent weeks and months, I'm told, as Atlanta has seen if there's a pathway to bring Crowder into a Big Three of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and John Collins," Charania

What's interesting to note here is that Hunter wasn't included in Charania's "Big Three" comment—and there might be a legitimate reason for that. At the time of the report, Hunter wasn't under contract long-term and might have been considered a trade chip.

Trading a young quality defender for an aging Crowder wouldn't make much sense in a vacuum. However, it's an option Atlanta might have explored if it felt that Hunter was destined to depart next offseason.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Suns want a player who can contribute now, not future draft capital for Crowder. If Atlanta's Big Three of Young, Murray and Collins are off-limits, that leaves Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic as the biggest trade candidates.

Flipping Bogdanovic, who has been ruled out for the opener, could still be an option, but Hunter was the player more likely to move the needle for Phoenix.

The other factor to consider here is that with its starting lineup signed for the next two seasons, Atlanta appears eager to build a long-term contender. Crowder, who is on an expiring contract, doesn't exactly fit that plan.

Bogdanovic is also signed through the 2023-24 season.

Trading for Crowder would make sense for Atlanta in one of two scenarios—if the Hawks believed it would net them a title run this season or if they were resigned to losing Hunter in 2023.

Adding Crowder wouldn't suddenly make a team that won 43 games last season elite. And since Hunter is going nowhere, there's no need to maximize the value of his departure in a trade.

Now, NBA roster movement can be unpredictable, and there's always a chance that Atlanta flips a couple of back-end players and/or a pick to land Crowder. There's also a chance that the Hawks pursue Crowder as a free agent if he's able to secure a buyout from Phoenix or another team.

According to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, Phoenix has some interest in dealing Crowder for Utah Jazz point guard Jordan Clarkson. That could result in Crowder becoming a free agent.

"That outcome would seem to result in Crowder securing a buyout from Utah, and then his pick of destination, albeit at an unknown salary," Fischer wrote.

However, Hunter's next contract means that, for now, we should probably pencil out the Hawks as potential suitors.

Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo has been ruled out of the team's season-opening matchup against the Chicago Bulls with a left knee injury.

Any injury to Oladipo is going to raise concerns given his recent injury history. He has undergone multiple surgeries on his right quadriceps tendon and last played more than 36 games during the 2017-18 campaign.

The Indiana University product appeared in just eight games for Miami last season, although he played in 15 postseason games.

There was a time when Oladipo was one of the better two-way players in the NBA. He is a two-time All-Star who led the league in steals per game in 2017-18 as an All-NBA third-team and All-Defensive first-team selection.

It is not realistic to expect the 30-year-old to be that type of player following so many injuries, but he is a key part of Miami's rotation heading into the 2022-23 season.

Look for the Heat to give more playing time to the combination of Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent in the backcourt following this setback.