FEATURES OF THE DAY
Inside the ugly split between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors
Anthony Slater, ESPN
washington traded for hope and told it to rehab in dallas
bang!
Some of NBA’s best players are ineligible for major awards because of rule that needs to change
Melissa Rohlin, NY Post
TEAM-SPECIFIC
CHI: Does Billy Donovan want to coach a rebuild? With the Chicago Bulls, he won’t have any other choice.
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune
CLE: Jarrett Allen is quickly realizing the best part about playing with James Harden
Eamon Cassels, Fansided
CLE: Thoughts on James Harden’s latest trade.
Kylie Cheung, Basketball Feelings
CLE: Inside the Cavs’ talent pipeline that turned undrafted players into contributors
Chris Fedor/Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com
GSW: Inside the ugly split between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors
Anthony Slater, ESPN
GSW: NBA’s tanking topic isn’t easy for Steve Kerr: ‘It’s not good for the fans’
Nick Friedell, The Athletic
GSW: Gui Santos and the art of conformance
Punk Basketball, Dub Nation HQ
GSW: Warriors are heading closer to All-Star break with some good mojo after beating Grizzlies
Daniel Hardee, Dub Nation HQ
Let’s be clear about what the Warriors acquired: a seven-foot-three floor-spacing big who, when healthy, gives them the exact archetype they’ve chased for years. Ya know, rim protection without sacrificing spacing, size without clogging Steph’s gravity. Porzingis hasn’t suited up yet and the fit is theoretical for now. And that’s the gamble.
The Warriors are betting that his talent, even with availability questions, is worth more than Kuminga’s long-term upside in a system that never quite found a stable role for him. They’re betting that Steph’s window is measured in months, not seasons. They’re betting that fit matters more than projection.
There’s a version of this story where Jonathan Kuminga becomes an All-Star in Atlanta, and every time the Warriors visit, someone pulls up the highlight reel and asks why they gave up too soon. There’s also a version where the flashes remain flashes, where potential never quite hardens into consistency.
We won’t know for years which version is true. What we know right now is that the fit wasn’t clean. Steve Kerr wanted connective tissue while Kuminga wanted expansion. Neither vision was unreasonable. They just didn’t align cleanly with Steph Curry’s timeline.
IND: How It Happened: inside Indiana’s acquisition of Ivica Zubac
Jake Fischer, The Stein Line
IND: Pacers beat Knicks in game with 39 lead changes
Dustin Dopirak, Indy Star
IND: Are the Pacers better off with Ivica Zubac than Myles Turner?
Dustin Dopirak, Indy Star
LAL: Observations: Game 53 vs Spurs
Iztok Franko, digginbasketball
LAL: Wembanyama scores season-high 40 as Spurs bury depleted Lakers
Benjamin Royerm OC Register
LAL: Luka Doncic as a Laker: What we’ve seen a year in and what’s next
Kevin Pelton, ESPN
LAL: Q & A: Austin Reaves
Franlyn Calle, SLAM
MIN: Consistency of effort is biggest ‘x’ factor for how far team will go
Britt Robson, MINNPOST
MIN: The Timberwolves Have A Lot Of Horsepower But No Rudder
Tom Schreier, Zone Coverage
MIN: Nickeil Alexander-Walker appreciates the love from Minnesota
Chris Hine, Star Tribune
NYK: The Knicks’ most annoying loss in quite some time
Jonathan Macri, Knicks Film School
NYK: Takeaways from loss to Pacers
Tommy Beer, Knicks Centric
PHX: Suns snap 2-game skid
Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic
PHX: Suns avoid meltdown, hold on for win over Mavericks
Kellan Olson, Arizona Sports
SAS: 3 takeaways as Victor Wembanyama goes nuclear in Hollywood
Jeff McDonald, Express News
TOR: Raptors GM says ‘there’s no preferred route’ to building next Toronto contender
Eric Koreen, The Athletic
WAS: washington traded for hope and told it to rehab in dallas
bang!
the washington wizards traded for two all-stars in six weeks and got worse. this was the plan.
trae young arrived from atlanta in january. he has not played a minute in a wizards uniform. anthony davis arrived from dallas on february 5. within days he was sent back to texas to rehab a hand injury, with a groin strain nobody mentioned until after the trade cleared. the wizards are 14-38. they rested alex sarr, kyshawn george and bilal coulibaly against brooklyn last saturday, played will riley and jamir watkins a combined 90 minutes, and lost by 34. riley scored 27 points. nobody in the building seemed to notice.
these are the actions of a franchise in full retreat. these are also the actions of a franchise that just committed roughly $107 million in salary for next season to two players who have never shared a practice court.
WAS: Alex Sarr film study: ‘You’ve got to be a little bit different to be great’
Josh Robbins, The Athletic
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