NBA Notes: Cavs, free agency, Warriors, Stephen Curry, Grizzlies, Ja Morant

Cavaliers

As I wrote previously, the Cavaliers still need to add a player to a standard contract before the start of training camp. So, no hurry. They have about six weeks.

My feeling is they should add a backup center. But I also like the idea presented by Tommy Wild of SI.com. He suggested that the Cavs look into veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, a former Sixth Man of the Year and current free agent.

“Throughout Brogdon’s career, he’s gained the reputation of being a solid playmaker and a tremendous defender, which the Cavaliers could desperately need, especially at the start of the season,” Wild wrote.

“Darius Garland could very well miss the start of the regular season as he rehabs from his offseason toe surgery, and the Cavaliers are already considering limiting Lonzo Ball by not having him play in back-to-backs. 

“After that duo, the Cavaliers have Craig Porter Jr., who they still aren’t sure how he’ll perform in a full, consistent rotation spot. 

“These unknowns could pave the way for Brogdon to receive some significant playing time earlier in the season, possibly even start.”

Not a bad idea. But I’m still leaning big man. We’ll find out what the Cavaliers decide soon enough, I’m sure. You can read my full post here.

Warriors

Not surprisingly, the Warriors’ offense tanked when Stephen Curry was out, as relayed by Zach Kram of ESPN.

“Golden State scored just 104.2 points per 100 possessions when it was without both Curry and Jimmy Butler, according to Cleaning the Glass,” Kram wrote. “That figure ranked in the 5th percentile of all lineups leaguewide. For comparison, Golden State was up at 120.1 points per 100 possessions (85th percentile) with Curry.

“However, Butler’s presence solved that problem after the trade deadline. The Warriors had a perfectly respectable 113.9 offensive rating when Butler took the floor without Curry, ranking in the 47th percentile. Average is just fine in those circumstances, because the Warriors are so great with Curry that they just need to hold serve without him. Add in phenomenal, 99th-percentile defense in those Butler-without-Curry minutes, and it’s easy to see why Golden State went 23-8 with the third-best net rating in the league after Butler first suited up.”

With Curry now 37 years old, Golden State is likely to try to rest him much more during the regular season. But they have to figure out the Jonathan Kuminga ordeal before making another move.

Grizzlies

The key stat for the Grizzlies? That would be the 30.5 percent Ja Morant shoots on 3-pointers, as Kram pointed out.

“The Grizzlies are in a strange spot on their competitive timeline: They took a step back this summer by trading Desmond Bane, but they still boast a deep, balanced roster led by a couple high-paid stars,” Kram wrote. “But they’re not going to make any playoff noise if Ja Morant can’t fix his rickety 3-point jumper.

“Over his past three injury- and suspension-riddled seasons, Morant has shot just 30.5% from distance, which is the worst mark among all point guards in that span (minimum 500 attempts). Over his entire career, Morant’s made only 31.6% of his 3s, which is the second worst among active point guards (minimum 1,000 attempts); only Russell Westbrook is less accurate. Morant has other standout skills, but that’s simply not a winning formula in the modern, space-obsessed NBA.”