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Cowboys

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is not a big fan of the transfer portal, lamenting that it gives young athletes an easy out instead of an opportunity to overcome challenges.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll say until the day I die, I do not see anything good for the players in it,&rdquo; Izzo said Tuesday.
The seventh-seeded Spartans, however, would not be in the Sweet 16 for the 15th time under their Hall of Fame coach without former Northeastern guard Tyson Walker and ex-Marquette forward Joey Hauser.
The Spartans, of course, are not alone in relying on transfers. Not anymore. They are all over March Madness.
Third-seeded Kansas State, which will face the Spartans on Thursday night in New York, has relied heavily on transfers with 12 on its roster under first-year coach Jerome Tang. Former Florida forward Keyontae Johnson and ex-Arkansas-Little Rock guard Markquis Nowell, both of whom earned third-team All-America recognition, are starring for the Wildcats.
UCLA and Princeton are bucking the trend because they&rsquo;re still in the Tournament without a transfer player.
Izzo could have dipped back into the portal to bolster this season&rsquo;s team after losing his top three scorers and a solid post player from last year&rsquo;s team. Instead, he chose to stick with the players he had after they chose to stay.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s something they believed in here,&rdquo; Izzo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the beauty of sticking together. And if it carries us through the weekend, it&rsquo;ll be one of the great life lessons learned.&rdquo;
EAST REGION
No. 4 seed Tennessee vs. No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic
Like many transfers, Tyreke Key left a smaller program (Indiana State) for a bigger one and the Volunteers are glad he did. After sophomore point guard Zakai Zeigler tore a knee ligament in the final week of the regular season, Key became even more valuable for the postseason.
Vladislav Goldin, meanwhile, went against the grain by leaving a larger school for a mid-major program. The 7-foot-1, shot-blocking Russian bolted from Texas A&amp;M to play for the Owls in search of more playing time. He found what he was looking at FAU, starting in 33 games.
SOUTH REGION
No. 1 seed Alabama vs. No. 5 seed San Diego State
All-America freshman forward Brandon Miller leads the Crimson Tide on the court, but key roles have been filled by a few transfers, including Mark Sears. The former Ohio University guard trails only Miller in scoring and has provided much-needed, 3-point shooting.
Four of San Diego State&rsquo;s top five scorers are transfers, including former California standout Matt Bradley, who is averaging a team-high 13 points per game.
No. 6 seed Creighton vs. No. 15 seed Princeton
The Bluejays have two transfers, two more than the Tigers. Baylor Scheierman starts and Francisco Farabello comes off the bench for Creighton. Scheierman was the Summit League player of the year last year at South Dakota State and Farabello played at TCU for three seasons.
MIDWEST REGION
No. 1 seed Houston vs. No. 5 seed Miami
The Courgars have recruited and developed most of their best players, but former Arkansas forward Reggie Chaney is in the rotation. The Hurricanes second-, third- and fourth-leading scorers are transfers: Jordan Miller (George Mason), Norchad Omier (Arkansas State) and Nijel Pack (Kansas State).
No. 2 seed Texas vs. No. 3 seed Xavier
The Longhorns often have four transfers in their starting lineup and leading scorer, Marcus Carr, has left two schools. The former Pittsburgh and Minnesota guard along with ex-New Mexico State guard Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice, the team&rsquo;s second-leading scorer, are in their sixth season of college. Carr and Rice took advantage of an extra year of eligibility that the NCAA gave athletes if they were in school when the pandemic started.
Souley Boum, who started his career at San Francisco and went on to become a star at New Mexico State, leads the Musketeers with 16.5 points a game and is also in his sixth year of college. Former Iowa forward Jack Nunge, ex-Belmont guard Adam Kunkel and former Indiana forward Adam Kunkel are also among Xavier&rsquo;s top players.
WEST REGION
No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 3 seed Gonzaga
While the Bruins have no transfers, the Zags have Rasir Bolton, who ranks fourth on the team in scoring, played at Penn State and for Iowa State before landing at Gonzaga. Malachi Smith went from Wright State to Chattanooga before choosing a lesser role at Gonzaga.
No. 4 seed UConn vs. No. 8 seed Arkansas
The Huskies&rsquo; backcourt is full of transfers. Former East Carolina star Tristen Newton runs the point, averaging 10-plus points and nearly five assists per game. Grad student Joey Calcaterra spent four years at San Diego and Nahiem Alleyne was a three-year starter at Virginia Tech.
The Razorbacks are in the Sweet 16 for a third straight year in part because coach Eric Musselman has made good use of the portal. Former Wichita State guard Ricky Council leads Arkansas in scoring and Makhi Mitchell, who played at Maryland and Rhode Island, is one of team&rsquo;s top rebounders and scores seven points a game.
___
AP Sports Writer John Zenor, Bernie Wilson, Eric Olson, Tom Canavan, Teresa M. Walker, Dave Skretta, Tim Reynolds, Jim Vertuno and Beth Harris contributed.

Nearly every team of the men's Sweet 16 field has been significantly impacted by the NCAA transfer portal.

Transfer portal provided boost for most March Madness teams

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Contrary to all those high-scoring games, players still are playing defense in the NBA.
Seriously, they are.
It&rsquo;s just the task of stopping two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic or Joel Embiid or anyone else in the league has become more challenging than ever.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle may have described the assignment of locking down a premier &mdash; or even a reserve &mdash; player the best: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a wild, hot mess trying to guard in the NBA now.&rdquo;
A combination of rule changes, style-of-play alterations, the ongoing addiction to the 3-point shot and more have added up to the game being significantly tilted toward the offensive player.
Someone will win &ldquo;Defensive Player of the Year&rdquo; this spring, even after a season where no one seems to be able to stop anyone with the ball. It&rsquo;s almost certain that more players will average 20 points per game than ever before. A decade ago, there were a dozen or so players. This season, 50 isn&rsquo;t out of the question (there were 27 last season and 31 in 2020-21).
The NBA will analyze all the variables after the season. But since its sense is fans love scoring, and there&rsquo;s nothing out there contradicting that stance, a massive swing of the rules pendulum toward helping out defenders doesn&rsquo;t seem likely.
&ldquo;For me, a fan, the talent level is just off the charts, and that has a lot to do with what we&rsquo;re seeing,&rdquo; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in Paris last week. &ldquo;Of course, the enormous increase in 3-point shooting is going to lead to more scoring, too, especially when these guys, even the big men, shoot 3-point shots as well as they do.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s necessarily a case that defense is not being focused on as it once was,&rdquo; Silver added. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been around the league long enough to remember when the claim was guys played no defense at all, and so there&rsquo;s a fair amount of defense played.&rdquo;
From zone defenses to constant rotations, teams are trying a little bit of everything to slow down offensive stars. Still, the stars shine. In January alone, Cleveland&rsquo;s Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points on Jan. 2; Chicago&rsquo;s Zach LaVine knocked down 11 3-pointers on Jan. 6; and Miami&rsquo;s Jimmy Butler went 23 of 23 from the free throw line on Jan. 10. (Editor's Note: Damian Lillard dropped 60 points on Wednesday as well.)
Playing defense is harder these days, but not impossible.
&ldquo;It just requires a real connectedness defensively,&rdquo; Carlisle explained.
Scoring is up again this season, with teams averaging more points (114.2) than the league has seen at any time in the last half-century. Sacramento leads the way with 119.7 points per game, with six players averaging 12 or more points.
It&rsquo;s hardly a surprise to longtime NBA veteran Ish Smith that 44 players are currently averaging at least 20 points a game.
&ldquo;I guarantee you, when I come and show my kids the game in 10 or 15 years, we&rsquo;re going to be talking about how it might be 100 guys now averaging 20,&rdquo; cracked Smith, the Nuggets guard who broke into the league in 2010. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a tribute to guys getting better. Everybody can dribble, shoot, pass &mdash; and it makes it difficult.&rdquo;
Bottom line: The standouts are simply doing what they do best &mdash; stand out. Embiid (33.4) and Doncic (33.0) lead in points per game (33.6), Jokic in triple-doubles (15), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in two-point field goals (421) and Buddy Hield in 3-pointers (196).
&ldquo;The league is in such a great place and people are so into checking out highlights and seeing high scores for entertainment,&rdquo; said David Adelman, an assistant coach for the Nuggets and son of longtime NBA coach Rick Adelman. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think the NFL is any different. I mean, it&rsquo;s hard to be a defensive back these days. That&rsquo;s probably the hardest job in sports, maybe.
&ldquo;So I don&rsquo;t see (the NBA) changing it. My son is 9 years old and he loves watching the NBA because we&rsquo;re scoring 130 points. That&rsquo;s just the way it is.&rdquo;
Given rule enforcements designed to allow more freedom of moment in both the post and on the perimeter, it&rsquo;s only natural to expect free throws to be on the rise. There have been an average of 23.8 attempts at the line this season, which is on pace to be the highest since 2010-11 (24.4).
&ldquo;Generally, when you look at some of these really, really, explosive individual performances where guys have put up huge numbers, I think you can immediately look at the free-throw line. There&rsquo;s always a correlation,&rdquo; Chicago coach Billy Donovan explained. &ldquo;The free throw and the fouling has become a real challenge, because the minute you get your hands on people, those elite scorers know how to manipulate and draw fouls.&rdquo;
The league has tried to minimize that, at least when it comes to shooters looking to draw contact on flailed 3-pointers. But the NBA knows any rule change or shift always gets countered somehow by smart players, who just find another avenue to get to where they want.
&ldquo;I remember people were saying, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s all about dunking and guys can&rsquo;t shoot.&rsquo; Now it&rsquo;s, &lsquo;They shoot too well. It should be more of an inside game,&rsquo;&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll keep looking at it.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

Contrary to all those high-scoring games, players still are playing defense in the NBA. Seriously, they are.

Analysis: Trying to play good NBA defense is a ‘wild, hot mess’

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants an apology and Kyrie Irving still isn't going to give one.
Shortly after Silver said Irving &ldquo;made a reckless decision" by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-82152b5992a02d806760bd15e070433e">tweeting out a link to a film containing antisemitic material</a> last week, the Brooklyn Nets guard again stopped short of saying he was sorry for doing so.
Irving said some things in &ldquo;Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America&rdquo; were untrue, but he didn't say he shouldn't have posted a link to it.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not the one who made the documentary,&rdquo; Irving said after the Nets practiced Thursday.
Irving again said he meant no harm in posting the tweet &mdash; which he has since deleted &mdash; but didn't apologize for doing so and instead asked reporters why they weren't asking questions about the history of Blacks in America, saying 300 million of his ancestors are buried in the country.
&ldquo;Where were you guys asking those same questions when I was a kid learning about the traumatic events of my familial history and what I&rsquo;m proud to come from,&rdquo; Irving said, "and proud to stand here and why when I repeat myself that I&rsquo;m not going to stand down, it has nothing to do with dismissing any other race or group people.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just proud of my heritage and what we&rsquo;ve been through and the fact that this has pinned me against the Jewish community and I&rsquo;m here answering questions of whether or not I&rsquo;m sorry or not about something I didn&rsquo;t create and was something I shared, and I&rsquo;m telling everybody I&rsquo;m taking responsibility, than that&rsquo;s where I sit.&rdquo;
Silver's comments were the second statement the league office has issued on the latest Irving controversy, and the first in which Irving was referenced by name.
Irving and the Nets announced Wednesday, in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League, that each would be <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-race-and-ethnicity-f88c6abbed49931ac9d1c8defefce13d">donating $500,000 to anti-hate causes</a>. But Silver felt Irving needed to go further.
&ldquo;While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize,&rdquo; the commissioner said.
Silver added that he will be meeting with Irving in person within the next week. The league&rsquo;s first statement, clearly in reference to Irving&rsquo;s tweet, said &ldquo;hate speech of any kind is unacceptable and runs counter to the NBA&rsquo;s values of equality, inclusion and respect.&rdquo;
The National Basketball Players Association also put out a statement this week echoing the NBA&rsquo;s original comments. The NBPA also did not mention Irving by name; Irving is a vice president of the union and a member of its executive committee.
Asked what in the film he disagreed with, Irving responded: &ldquo;I think some of the criticism of the Jewish faith and the community for sure. Some points made in there that were unfortunate.&rdquo;
During his first comments since a combative press conference Saturday in which he defended his right to post, Irving was asked specifically about his beliefs regarding the Holocaust.
&ldquo;Those falsehoods are unfortunate,&rdquo; Irving said, referring to content in the film. &ldquo;And it&rsquo;s not that I don&rsquo;t believe in the Holocaust. I never said that. Never, ever have said it. It&rsquo;s not come out of my mouth. I never tweeted it. I never liked anything like it. So the Holocaust in itself is an event that means something to a large group of people that suffered something that could have been avoided.&rdquo;
He was finally asked if he had any antisemitic beliefs.
&ldquo;I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from,&rdquo; Irving said.
Irving didn't say if he had taken part in the meetings between his representatives, the Nets and the ADL. He added that he isn't afraid to continue speaking about his beliefs.
&ldquo;So I take my full responsibility again, I repeat it, for posting something on my Instagram or Twitter that may have had some unfortunate falsehoods in it,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;But I also am a human being that&rsquo;s 30 years old and I&rsquo;ve been growing up in a country that&rsquo;s told me that I wasn&rsquo;t worth anything and I come from a slave class and I come from a people that are meant to be treated the way we&rsquo;ve been treated every day.
&ldquo;So I&rsquo;m not here to compare anyone&rsquo;s atrocities or tragic events that their families have dealt with, generations of time. I&rsquo;m just here to continue to expose things that our world continues to put in darkness. I&rsquo;m a light, I&rsquo;m a beacon of light. It&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m here to do.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

“I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from,” Irving said.

Silver wants apology for 'reckless' post; Irving offers none

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1523643566639108096" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been voted the NBA&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive season, sources tell ESPN. A formal announcement is expected this week.
&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1523643566639108096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

ANALYSIS: It was another massive season for the Nuggets star, averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists. He also showed considerable improvement on the devensive end of the court where he averaged 0.9 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
He also became the first player in NBA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season.
Jokic lead the Nuggets to a 48-34 record and the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference without its other two stars in Jamal Murray &ndash; who miseed the entire season &ndash; and Michael Porter, Jr. who only played in nine games.
We'll see how close the voting was later in the week when the NBA makes the official announcement with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo who were both finalists for the award.
AP Story by Pat Graham:
DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic put up numbers never seen before in NBA history. Not from Wilt. Not from Kareem. Not from &ldquo;Air Jordan.&rdquo; Not from LeBron.
With a historic season, the Denver Nuggets big man earned his second straight Most Valuable Player award, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday. The NBA was preparing to make the announcement in the coming days, likely this week, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the voting results have not been announced.
ESPN, citing sources, first reported that Jokic would be named MVP again.
The 7-foot center became the first player in league history to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. And that sort of dominance by the player nicknamed &ldquo;Joker&rdquo; helped convince voters that he should be the 13th player of the NBA&rsquo;s exclusive MVP back-to-back club.
The other finalists &mdash; who will finish second and third in some order &mdash; were Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who led the league in scoring average, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks.
The 27-year-old Jokic averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists on a team that was missing two max players in Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (back). Required to carry the load night in and out, the big man from Sombor, Serbia, answered the call and guided the Nuggets to a 48-win season. They earned the No. 6 seed in the West before losing in five games to the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just remarkable what he&rsquo;s done,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone recently said of Jokic. &ldquo;I know that I&rsquo;m very biased, I admit it wholeheartedly &mdash; the MVP isn&rsquo;t even a competition. There&rsquo;s other great players, I&rsquo;m not saying they&rsquo;re not great players, but what Nikola Jokic has done this year, with this team, with everything that we&rsquo;ve had to go through, is incredible.&rdquo;
The award is likely the start of a huge offseason for Jokic, who is eligible for a supermax extension that could guarantee him nearly $254 million over five seasons starting with 2023-24. He&rsquo;ll make $32.4 million next season.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing more important&rdquo; than keeping Jokic, Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly recently said.
Jokic joins rarefied company in winning for a second straight season. The other players to win two in a row include Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James (twice), Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (twice). Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell each won the award in three straight seasons.
Next year, Jokic will have his chance at a threepeat as well.
The award comes as no surprise to his teammates. They had a front-row seat to his performance every night.
Guard Bones Hyland posted on Twitter: &ldquo;Man.. All year I&rsquo;ve been saying it, I just woke up happier then ever like I won the award!! I&rsquo;m so proud of my boy man!! Great Player but a even better Leader &amp; Great Role model! Thanks for showing me the ropes this year Jokey! Congrats Ma Brother.&rdquo;
Former Nuggets coach George Karl posted: &ldquo;Incredible Jokic! He earned it. He was better this year than last and carried his team all season.&rdquo;
Known for his pinpoint passing as much as his soft touch, Jokic finished with a league-leading 19 triple-doubles. The 41st pick of the 2014 draft now has 76 in his career, which trails only Chamberlain (78) among centers.
After being knocked out of the playoffs &mdash; he averaged 31 points, 13.2 rebounds &mdash; Jokic was asked how he might celebrate should he win MVP.
&ldquo;Probably with some music, beer, friends around, family,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Like how you&rsquo;re supposed to do probably.
&ldquo;But if I don&rsquo;t get it, I&rsquo;m not going to die. I&rsquo;m just going to keep playing, keep trying to play the right way like I did my whole life.&rdquo;
There was a time when the Jokic was maligned for his game. More specifically, his defense and not being able to jump. His once-pudgy frame &mdash; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich good-naturedly ribbed him about it &mdash; has more strength to it.
Ever bother him that his game doesn&rsquo;t seem to generate the level of respect as other standout players?
&ldquo;Can&rsquo;t care less, brother,&rdquo; Jokic said.
He sees the court with the clarity of a point guard and has an arsenal of shots that includes smooth baby hooks around the rim and a soft 3-point touch.
Popovich had the apropos answer when asked if it was more important to take away Jokic&rsquo;s shot attempts or passes: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody has figured that out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great one.&rdquo;
Jokic cares immensely about winning &mdash; games, not hardware. He&rsquo;s not one to lobby on his own behalf, just letting his numbers do his talking. Last season when he won, he averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 boards and 8.3 assists. This season, he took his game to another level in making his fourth straight All-Star team.
&ldquo;If that&rsquo;s enough, it&rsquo;s enough,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If not, you cannot control that.&rdquo;
Funny story about his MVP trophy from a season ago: A few weeks ago, he said he wasn&rsquo;t exactly sure where it was as his family moves.
&ldquo;It is here in Denver,&rdquo; Jokic recently cracked.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds, AP Sports Writer Arnie Stapleton and freelance writer Michael Kelly contributed to this report.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season,

Report: Nuggets' Nikola Jokic wins MVP for second straight year

Wizards star Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols at Team USA camp, placing his return to play status up in the air, sources tell me and @joevardon.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1415463200573767684" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: <a href="https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1415463511833124868" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Reynolds of AP Sports</a> added that Bradley Beal has indeed entered the health/safety protocols while in Vegas, raising the possibility that he may not be able to attend the Tokyo Games, but there is nothing definitive about that at this point. This could be potentially crushing for Team USA, as they have already had a hard time scoring the ball in their exhibition games, and without starting shooting guard Bradley Beal, things may only get more difficult.
Expect updates to follow.

According to The Athletic, Wizards' Bradley Beal has entered health/safety protocols at Team USA camp.

Wizards' Bradley Beal enters health/safety protocols at Team USA camp

Joining the likes of many successful players before him (such as Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Kevin Love, John Wall and Isaiah Thomas), NBA hopeful and Clemson Tiger alum Aamir Simms is tirelessly grinding at Impact Basketball to prepare for the upcoming 2021 draft.&nbsp;
Working with longtime pro trainer Joe Abunassar, one of the most respected influences in the game, Simms has toiled away in the gym with the scorching Las Vegas heat seeping into the facility, focusing on two areas of his skill set that he believes weren&rsquo;t on display in college: shooting the basketball and defending 1-through-5.
&ldquo;I feel like a part of my game was definitely kinda swept under the rug a little bit 'cause of what I had to adapt to when I was at Clemson, and I wasn't able to showcase as much,&rdquo; Simms told BasketballNews.com in an exclusive phone interview. &ldquo;There was a lot asked of me while I was there, so I had to kinda sacrifice that part. Not that it was a bad thing, but I'm definitely ready to showcase [those skills].
&ldquo;I'm still trying to improve in [my] consistent shooting. At times, throughout my two years as a junior and senior, I had some streaky shooting times, especially at the beginning of the year. As the season went on and progressed, I definitely shot the ball better to raise my percentages... I didn't shoot it as much at school as I wanted, but just being out here and working with Joe, I have more confidence than I ever have [had] in my shot. And going into these workouts, being able to show that and just being able to defend. That's my biggest area of improvement, to show people that I can guard guys that [are] quicker or maybe the same size and faster, so those two areas are just something we've emphasized while I've been here. Guarding guys that's a lot quicker, smaller than me, it's just been really helpful for my hips and my lateral movement.&rdquo;
Simms has been in this position before. In March of last year, he declared for the 2020 NBA Draft, but withdrew his name within a couple of months to return for his senior season with the Tigers -- a decision that he feels good about now looking back.
&ldquo;Last year was tough,&rdquo; Simms said of the pre-draft process. &ldquo;I felt as though, at least in the draft, it came down to picking names out of a hat. They didn't really have guys come work out, they didn't have guys they really interviewed or anything like that. It was over Zoom and whatnot, and it's not the same when it's [not] in person.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was projected [as a] late-round [pick] in the second, so being able to come back to school and showcase a little bit more of what they'd asked me in my interviews, I think it definitely helped, and I had a good feeling going back to school. I thought I improved in the areas they asked, and just coming out now, I definitely see a difference and it's definitely given me a step ahead of other guys who are coming out for the first time."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
This weekend, Simms is set to be one of 40 participants at the G League Elite Camp in Chicago, which will allow him the chance to prove himself in front of executives, scouts, coaches and notable personnel in the NBA and G League. Standouts from the event will be awarded an opportunity to participate in next week&rsquo;s NBA Draft Combine.
The version we see of Simms today is not the same version of Simms from 2020, nor the same as the Virginia native that took one visit to Clemson and decided to make the university his home for the next four years.&nbsp;
Every season, Simms got better, and molded his craft with his experiences. It&rsquo;s that amount of experience that he claims gives him an edge on inexperienced prospects who need polishing, and will allow him to come in on day one and help a team right away.
&ldquo;A lot of teams don't value a four-year veteran in college as much. That's not really the sexy thing nowadays. But for the teams that do, I definitely think I'll be better at making an impact early 'cause I understand the game a lot better,&rdquo; Simms said. &ldquo;Being at Clemson, we kinda transitioned to an NBA-type offense where there was a lot of motion and you've got to make a read instead of having a set play. We had our plays, but the majority of our offense was motion offense and playing out of the high post and down screens and away screens and curls and everything.&nbsp;
&ldquo;So I think I do have that advantage on the young guys. A lot of guys that go into [the draft] young have got the potential 'cause of their skill set and being able to score, but when it comes to thinking games and the mental game, I think I've got the upperhand on that.&rdquo;
Experience is something you can&rsquo;t teach, but Simms also possesses another unteachable quality, and that&rsquo;s a professional physique. In addition to his lengthy wingspan, he stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 245 pounds, sporting a frame that most rookie players don&rsquo;t have.
&ldquo;There's a lot of switching in the league, and a lot of guys get stuck on bigger opponents, and they just kinda crab dribble down to the rim and dunk the ball. In my workouts that I've been going through, I've been guarding guys two inches, three inches taller than me [and] probably 10 or 20 pounds heavier or just around the same weight, and I think I do a pretty good job of standing 'em up,&rdquo; Simms said. &ldquo;So obviously, someone like Joel Embiid who's got 40 pounds on me, I'm definitely gonna have to try a little harder. But for the most [part], I think I can hold my own against anybody that's in my same weight class or a little bit heavier.&nbsp;
&ldquo;At the end of the day, it's a mental thing. As long as you put your mind to it, you can do it, so I definitely think I can make an immediate impact."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_15461500_lg.jpg" alt="" width="713" height="475" />
Simms anticipates going up against more NBA talents when the draft approaches nearer in July. He&rsquo;s looking forward to gaining knowledge and taking tips from whoever comes through Impact and other workouts he&rsquo;s planning on having. At the moment, he&rsquo;s not close with many guys at the next level, meaning this whole college-to-pro ordeal is an adventure.
&ldquo;I'm definitely a lone wolf out here,&rdquo; Simms said.
One of the guys he has a great relationship with is Milwaukee Bucks big man Mamadi Diakite, a high-school teammate of his at Blue Ridge whom Simms battled with for a number of seasons when Clemson faced off against the Virginia Cavaliers. Those matchups helped Simms mature as a player over the years, as did the lessons he took from his elder Tigers.
Donte Grantham, Gabe DeVoe, Elijah Thomas, Marcquise Reed, Shelton Mitchell and David Skara all taught him what it meant to play in the vaunted ACC. Though coaches knew he had the chops to do a little bit of everything, Simms primarily set screens and pick-and-popped, while his teammates did the facilitating and distributing during his freshman year.&nbsp;
Clemson&rsquo;s staff knew that he had a knack for backdoor finds and a high-basketball acumen, the team just didn&rsquo;t require him to bring that to the table in his early seasons. However, with each season, his responsibilities increased, as did his statistical output. Once he was given free reign to expand his game in his junior and senior years, he was able to produce the numbers to confirm his contributions. Simms averaged 13.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a steal in over 30 minutes per game in his upperclassmen seasons.
Ask him what he got better at from year one to year four, and Simms will tell you: everything.
&ldquo;Whether it was putting the ball on the floor, half-court or full-court, shooting the ball in many different actions (pick-and-pop, catch-and-shoot or off down screens), and just my toughness,&rdquo; Simms said. &ldquo;I came in as a pretty tough kid [and] I'm pretty competitive naturally, but going against Eli and other greats of the ACC at the 5 and 4, that time I was there, it improved my toughness and the physical component that I think other people lack at times.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And just being able to bring it every night. I just thought I saw a huge improvement in that. My defense improved every year, being able to guard different guys, [as well as] being able to shoot and kinda make plays from the top of the key or the elbow was just a huge improvement I saw... Just from the first day I was there, to my last, the environment, the atmosphere did nothing but [help me] grow and progress in my four years. It taught me a lot of life lessons, and the doors that opened in my four years was just unbelievable and definitely unexpected. That's a place, if you really buy into [it] and trust and give it your all, it's gonna set you up for future endeavors for the rest of your life... I would definitely say my four years at Clemson was nothing short of amazing.&rdquo;
There wasn&rsquo;t a single summer where Simms took a vacation in the offseason. He&rsquo;d stay in the gym, relentlessly working on his perimeter shooting with Clemson assistants Steve Smith, Antonio Reynolds Dean and Dick Bender. He got as many reps up as possible, until his "arms fell off&rdquo; to get his muscle memory down on his jumpers.&nbsp;
While Simms had a fair share of outstanding performances with the school, none compare to what happened in his third season at Clemson. In mid-January 2020, the Tigers knocked off the North Carolina Tar Heels in Raleigh for the first time in program history in 60 meetings. The following game three days later, Clemson returned home and took down the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils in front of a raucous crowd for&nbsp; Brad Brownell's record-setting 178th win as head coach. It was the first time the men&rsquo;s basketball team defeated both schools since 1995-96.&nbsp;
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Simms scored 20-plus points and nabbed 8-plus rebounds in back-to-back games as a major part of that, among the stat-sheet filling he did in those consecutive wins.
&ldquo;I just felt like I was just on another level in that time frame,&rdquo; Simms said. &ldquo;Performing the way that I did for my team and my school is just something I won't forget, being able to do what we did at UNC and knocking them off at home for the first time, and then turn [it] around beating Duke, who at the time was ranked third in the country. Beating those schools for the first time back-to-back in almost 20 years was just unbelievable... I felt as though I always had the upper hand. Those two games alone, I think, stand out for themselves."
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The body of work Simms had at Clemson speaks for itself. He leaves behind a decorated career that saw him make two All-ACC teams, win the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award as the top scholar-athlete in the conference and become just the fourth player in the program&rsquo;s history to record over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 150 assists, 75 steals and 75 blocks.&nbsp;
What Simms accomplished, he admits he won&rsquo;t appreciate fully until down the road. He&rsquo;s had conversations with his parents about the success he had as a Tiger, and everybody is proud. But right now is a time to focus on the next chapter, and that&rsquo;s all he&rsquo;s zoned in on.
Though he had to adapt in college to what the team asked of him, Simms considers himself a tweener 4 with an ability to play as an undersized 5. He does feel that he&rsquo;ll be able to play the 3 as he sharpens his skill set further in the pros. He models his game after four NBA guys: Jae Crowder, Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Tobias Harris. Simms likens their physique and capabilities to his: scoring at all three levels and providing versatility. They can put it on the floor, face-up, play from the block and catch-and-shoot.
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Along with that set of skills, Simms has the determination to prove his worth in the pros.
&ldquo;Since I've been at Clemson or since I've come out of school, I've been ranked in all these other things, but I've always felt as though my game was underappreciated,&rdquo; Simms said. &ldquo;So I think going into it, being able to be an older guy both still with a great skill set and understanding the game or being able to adapt to it, it's kinda the thing that separates me from a lot of guys.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I'm not just a shooter on the perimeter. I'm not just a good passer. I'm an all-around player, I think, and that's something I think that separates me. I'm not a one-dimensional guy. I think there are many attributes to my game that people have yet to see because of my [adaptation] at Clemson. But I think coming out, once I get into this Combine, I'll really get myself going. A lot of people are gonna see why I say what I say, and that's just something I think that separates myself is being able to adapt to the game while being an older guy who's still kinda young and affecting the game in many ways that most people don't really see."
His motivation isn&rsquo;t just that, either. It&rsquo;s about his future, his family&rsquo;s future and others. Minoring in Nonprofit Leadership, Simms understands that there are bigger things than the game of basketball, and those philanthropic moments he desires to create will ultimately stem from the career path he&rsquo;s chosen.
&ldquo;Basketball is not the only thing that inspires me in life. Helping others is a huge thing, and I know a great way to do that is by playing basketball, making the most out of what I can with my time there and then being set up to be able to help others -- whether it's in this country or others, being able to help people who need it more than I do,&rdquo; Simms said.
&ldquo;Looking at guys like Harrison Barnes and Jimmy Butler and other guys who are deeply involved in their community, that's something that pushes me. They just kinda go hand-in-hand with basketball and that's a huge passion and motivation for me. So I can work my butt off on the court, so when I'm off the court, I can help people who need it more than I do."

Spencer Davies speaks with Aamir Simms about his time at Clemson, the skills he's looking to showcase in the pros and more.

Aamir Simms eager to exhibit more of his game at the next level

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; No team in the NBA has a longer active streak of postseason appearances than the Portland Trail Blazers, who have gotten there in each of the last eight seasons.
That wasn&rsquo;t enough to save Terry Stotts, and Portland will have a new coach next season.
The Trail Blazers and Stotts parted ways Friday, ending a nine-year run that saw the team good enough to get to the playoffs &mdash; but not good enough to get past the first round in four of the last five seasons.
&ldquo;I have the utmost respect for Terry and what he has accomplished these past nine seasons,&rdquo; Blazers President Neil Olshey said. &ldquo;This was a difficult decision on both a personal and professional level but it&rsquo;s in the best interest of the franchise to move in another direction.
&ldquo;Terry will always hold a special place in the Trail Blazer family and the Portland community. We relied on the integrity, professionalism and consistency he brought to the job every day and we wish he and Jan nothing but the best.&rdquo;
It was being termed as a mutual decision. The move was made one day after Portland&rsquo;s season ended with a six-game, first-round ouster at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, a defeat that had Blazers guard Damian Lillard taking to social media after the game to indicate his frustration.
&ldquo;Just like at the end of every year, we are all evaluated,&rdquo; Stotts said after the season finale against Denver and as speculation about his status immediately started to grow. &ldquo;We will see what happens.&rdquo;
It didn't take long to get an answer.
Stotts, 63, was the NBA's fourth longest-tenured coach in his current job behind only San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Miami's Erik Spoelstra and Dallas' Rick Carlisle. He went 402-318 in his nine regular seasons in Portland, with the eight playoff berths, and led the team to the Western Conference finals in 2019 &mdash; where the Blazers were swept by Golden State.
Well-liked throughout the league, Stotts was an assistant under Carlisle with the Mavericks for four years before taking over the Blazers. One of his most memorable seasons in Portland came in 2015-16, when the Blazers overachieved and went to the conference semifinals &mdash; despite losing starters LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez in the offseason.
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Rumors about Stotts' future with the Blazers began swirling last month, but the team's elimination by Denver sealed his fate. He had one year left on his contract in Portland.
Among the possible candidates that Portland may consider: Los Angeles Lakers assistant (and former Brooklyn and Milwaukee head coach) Jason Kidd, and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy &mdash; whose last NBA coaching gig was with Houston in 2007.
&ldquo;He should (be at) the top of everybody&rsquo;s list who has an opening in the NBA," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of Kidd earlier Friday, hours before Stotts' fate became known.
The new coach, whoever it is, will certainly be lured by the chance to work with one of the game's dynamic scorers in Lillard.
But Lillard fueled speculation about his own future in Portland following the elimination loss to the Nuggets. He posted a photo of himself in street clothes at the Moda Center. The caption that he added quoted the late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle.
&ldquo;How long should I stay dedicated?&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;How long til opportunity meet preparation?&rdquo;
If he stays, Lillard will no doubt have input into who the Blazers choose to be their new coach.
Portland finished the regular season 42-30 and earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The team was riding momentum, having won 10 of its final 12 regular-season games.
The Blazers were also healthy, with both big man Jusuf Nurkic and guard CJ McCollum back from extended absences because of injuries.
But once again, the playoff trip was brief.
Lillard averaged a league-best 34.3 points and 10.2 assists in the playoffs, after averaging 28.8 points and 7.5 assists during the regular season.
He had 55 points, including a playoff record 12 3-pointers and 10 assists in Game 5 against the Nuggets, but Portland still lost, 147-140 in double overtime.
&ldquo;We've got to keep fighting, keep working and keep coming back to battle,&rdquo; Lillard said. "Regardless of how it ended, we are always going to have our heads held high, have class. They won, congratulations to them, but it&rsquo;s back to the drawing board to us."
A four-time All-Star, Lillard just wrapped up his ninth NBA season. The closest he's come to a title was that quick trip to the West finals in 2019.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t win a championship, so obviously where we are now isn&rsquo;t good enough,&rdquo; he said.
Nurkic, who averaged 11.5 points and nine rebounds but missed time with a fractured right wrist, has one year left on his contract &mdash; but only $4 million is guaranteed. He didn't sound committed to returning next season, explaining it had to be the &ldquo;right situation.&rdquo;
But when asked what the right situation would be, Nurkic replied: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. But it&rsquo;s not this.&rdquo;
McCollum, Lillard's backcourt teammate, averaged 21.3 points this season, his best since joining the league in 2013. But he missed games with a fractured foot.
Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who filled a key role off the bench for Portland this season, will be an unrestricted free agent, along with Enes Kanter. Norman Powell has a player option for next season.
Stotts said he was proud of what Portland was able to accomplish, given the injuries and disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
&ldquo;What we did with CJ and Nurk missing games, I was proud of that,&rdquo; Stotts said. &ldquo;At the end of the season, to do what we did was pretty impressive."
In the end, it just wasn't impressive enough.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers and Terry Stotts parted ways on Friday, ending a nine-year run.

Neil Olshey discusses 'difficult decision' to part ways with Terry Stotts

It's the NBA All-Star Game almost no one seemed to want.
Certainly not the players, who scoffed at the notion of playing an exhibition game in the midst of a pandemic.
The city of Atlanta, picked as a replacement for original host Indianapolis, didn't seem so thrilled with the idea, either.
<a href="https://twitter.com/KeishaBottoms/status/1361792881493688324" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The mayor urged fans to stay away</a> from an event renowned for wild parties and packed streets. Police scheduled 12-hour shifts and canceled off days in an attempt to <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/entertainment-news/atlanta-concern-nba-all-star-weekend-parties-covid-violence/85-4cf1545f-7532-4e2c-9dce-f92840ab8057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crack down on any events</a> that could lead to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
But the league pressed forward, eager to improve its bottom line and its brand by televising the popular midseason showcase around the world.
The NBA's best will take the court Sunday in a one-night-only, hastily arranged event at a mostly empty State Farm Arena, where only a limited number of invited guests will be allowed to watch in person.
&ldquo;All-Star is part of our league. It's no different than all the other games we play,&rdquo; Commissioner Adam Silver said. "It begins and ends with the fans. This is an event the fans love to see. They love to see the players come together.
&ldquo;But,&rdquo; he quickly added, &ldquo;nothing comes without controversy in a pandemic.&rdquo;
The league's biggest stars, led by LeBron James, would have preferred getting some much-needed time off during the six-day break.
<a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-02-04/lebron-james-criticizes-plan-to-hold-nba-all-star-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James even went so far</a> as to call it &ldquo;a slap in the face&rdquo; to players who had little time to recover from last year's interrupted season, which was completed in a central Florida bubble, and are still dealing with burdensome protocols intended to stifle the coronavirus as much as possible (but still weren't enough to prevent the postponement of 31 games in the first half).
Now that it's game on, James is trying to make the best of the situation, using the All-Star platform to carry on with his efforts to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-georgia-los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-nba-all-star-game-5418024f78cfa17acd3aa175fceda916" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expand voting rights &mdash;</a> a fitting gesture with the game being held in a state that was one of the focal points of the 2020 election.
&ldquo;Look what we made happen, what our voices made possible,&rdquo; the Los Angeles Lakers star says in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUW4-WiHUB4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 51-second ad</a> that was set to air for the first time during the game. &ldquo;And now, look what they&rsquo;re trying to do to silence us, using every trick in the book and attacking democracy itself. Because they saw what we&rsquo;re capable of, and they fear it.&rdquo;
Some things to watch for in Sunday's All-Star Game:
TEAM LEBRON VS. TEAM DURANT
This will be the fourth straight year to feature a format where the two top vote-getters served as captains and drafted their teams from the All-Star selections.
James has handled the duties all four times, going 3-0 in his previous stints &mdash; including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/f795a785b30cc9708ba0cca0d063f452" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last year's 157-155 thriller</a> in Chicago. Brooklyn's Kevin Durant got the nod for the first time, though he won't be able to play in the game because of an ailing hamstring.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-joel-embiid-los-angeles-lakers-giannis-antetokounmpo-jayson-tatum-78738d16628d75e212e4356ec687d93a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James used the top draft pick</a> on two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captained the squad that went against Team LeBron the last two years. They are joined in the starting lineup by Stephen Curry of Golden State, Luka Doncic of Dallas and Nikola Jokic of Denver.
Durant selected Nets teammate Kyrie Irving with his first choice, rounding out the starting lineup with Joel Embiid of the 76ers (now ruled out due to COVID contact tracing), 2020 All-Star MVP Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, Bradley Beal of Washington and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics.
&ldquo;I just try to pick players that can complement one another,&rdquo; James said. "It&rsquo;s the All-Star Game, so there&rsquo;s going to be some shenanigans out there. But for the majority of the game, we&rsquo;re going to try to play the right way and come out with a win.&rdquo;
MAD SKILLZ
With only one night to get in all the events, two competitions will be held shortly before the All-Star Game tipoff.
The Skills Challenge, a test of ball-handling, passing and shooting ability, will feature Doncic, Portland's Robert Covington, Chris Paul of the Suns, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Indiana's Domantas Sabonis, and Nikola Vucevic of the Magic.
Taking part in the 3-point shooting contest are Curry, Tatum, Boston's Jaylen Brown, Zach LaVine of the Bulls, and a pair of Utah guards, Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
Conley was a replacement for Phoenix star Devin Booker, who can't participate because of an injury.
HIGH FLYERS
The Slam Dunk showdown will take place at halftime between Portland's Anfernee Simons and a pair of rookies: New York's Obi Toppin and Indiana's Cassius Stanley.
"I've been watching a lot of dunks the past couple of days," Toppin said. &ldquo;I'm going to try to do some stuff that hasn't been done yet in the dunk contest.&rdquo;
He got a few tips from his father, who was a well-known streetball player in Brooklyn.
&ldquo;I talked to him about some of the dunks," Toppin said. &ldquo;He's basically telling me which ones are a little crazy.&rdquo;
GOOD CAUSE
The NBA and the players union are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-race-and-ethnicity-nba-all-star-game-6193a11b376d1b2a700079d35dc07260" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donating more than $3 million</a> to aid historically Black colleges and universities, much of it decided by the outcome of the game.
Team LeBron will play on behalf of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, while Team Durant represents the United Negro College Fund.
Both organizations will receive $500,000 to start. Another $450,000 will divvied up based on the winners of the first, second and third quarters. Finally, the team that reaches the target score to win the game will ensure $300,000 for its cause.
LEFT OUT
The Atlanta Hawks, who are hosting the game for the third time and first since 2003, were shut out of festivities in their home arena.
Trae Young, a starter in 2020, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-atlanta-hawks-guard-trae-young-biggest-2021-all-star-snub-coach-votes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was snubbed this season</a> despite averaging 26.4 points &mdash; the most of any player not selected for the All-Star Game.
The Hawks also were left out of the skills, 3-point and dunking competitions. Their only All-Star selection was DeAndre Hunter to the Rising Stars, but that was merely symbolic since the game won't be played and Hunter is recovering from knee surgery.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The NBA's best will take the court Sunday in a one-night-only, hastily arranged event at a mostly empty State Farm Arena

NBA All-Star 2021: The game no one seemed to want

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for February 12, 2021.
What Holiday Is This Again? 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Me helping my friends plan our their Valentine's Days <a href="https://t.co/wD5UziWlOv">pic.twitter.com/wD5UziWlOv</a>
&mdash; NBA Girl (@NiceSheehan) <a href="https://twitter.com/NiceSheehan/status/1359917672985743366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2021</a></blockquote>
You know what my big plans are for this weekend? Watching a 10-game slate of NBA hoops on the first Sunday without football, and I'm just fine with it!
You Make Me Smile 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
all i want for valentines day is for someone to look at me the way stanley looks at pascal. <a href="https://t.co/KCMjVc6AfQ">pic.twitter.com/KCMjVc6AfQ</a>
&mdash; din (@klooowry) <a href="https://twitter.com/klooowry/status/1360039027768983553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Stanley Johnson's expression towards an unassuming Pascal Siakam is reminiscent of all the girls in Ms. Vaughn's third-grade class <a href="https://youtu.be/RI4ptg7BlvU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being smitten over Billy Madison</a>. Alright, got that reference in there -- enough of this V-Day stuff...
Chilly Lilly 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
It stopped snowing in Portland but....Dame must not have gotten the memo because....he&rsquo;s....ice cold? Or no because the Sixers are facing some....inclement weather? Or no like...it stopped snowing in Portland but it&rsquo;s still raining 3s in Moda!!!!! Right guys hahahahhaha
&mdash; Blazers Legend Ashtyn Butuso (@lil_buts) <a href="https://twitter.com/lil_buts/status/1360073397992968192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Damian Lillard started last night's game with 19 points in the first quarter, then all of a sudden couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. Luckily, Carmelo Anthony went vintage against Philly and carried the load in the fourth quarter.
White Are You Asking? 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Houston reporter asked Jimmy Butler what it's like to be surrounded by players like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus. "You basically just named all the white guys on our team, which I love you for that," Butler said. "We've got some good players, man. I'm telling you."
&mdash; Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1360077959458140160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Really gritty guys, man. First ones in, last ones out. Gym rats, I'll tell ya. Not too athletic, but a lot of skill.
MVEmbiid?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://t.co/WauJoJJefq">https://t.co/WauJoJJefq</a> <a href="https://t.co/w9Ol64S2dJ">pic.twitter.com/w9Ol64S2dJ</a>
&mdash; Jimmy (@_JimmyMcCormick) <a href="https://twitter.com/_JimmyMcCormick/status/1360036183288537089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Sure, we'll go with "politics." Although, the race is <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1359990563366440965?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extremely close right now</a> because LeBron continues to age backwards.
Put Some Respect on JTA 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Hi, I&rsquo;m Steph&rsquo;s teammate 🙋🏽&zwj;♂️, my names Juan. <a href="https://t.co/Rmjv7rsI6E">https://t.co/Rmjv7rsI6E</a>
&mdash; Juan Toscano Anderson (@juanonjuan10) <a href="https://twitter.com/juanonjuan10/status/1360117559392051201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Blatantly disrespecting a player who's started the last five games for the Warriors for some cheap humor? Nah. Like Draymond Green said a couple weekends ago, "I'm rockin' with Juan T."
Aussie Rules 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Ben Simmons kept Damian Lillard scoreless for over 20 minutes tonight. 20 minutes. DPOY goes to Ben Simmons.
&mdash; The Phifth Quarter (@The_PhifthQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_PhifthQ/status/1360104989801259014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
Simmons invaded Dame's space and dared him to get past him. He really couldn't do it.
Not So Fast, Big Baller 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
If I say Melo I&rsquo;m ALWAYS talking about Carmelo Anthony... ALWAYS
&mdash; Morgann Mitchell (@THE_Morgann) <a href="https://twitter.com/THE_Morgann/status/1360104337725390848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
You've got to earn your stripes in this league, LaMelo -- there's only one and will only ever be one Me7o.
"Steffortless"
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Steph Curry has 38 points and hasnt attempted a FT
&mdash; Grant Liffmann (@GrantLiffmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrantLiffmann/status/1360093771354939394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
...How? Really, just how? Is this dude really gonna Golden State to the playoffs?
See a tweet that should be featured in Monday's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our staff scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Feb. 12, 2021.

Noah