Western Notes: Lee, Billups, Wembanyama, Paul

After being sidelined all of final season because of a proper knee harm, Suns guard Damion Lee expects to play a restricted position within the early going, in response to the Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin. “I don’t anticipate or count on myself to come back out early within the season and play half-hour a sport,” Lee mentioned. “I do know what I do. I do know what my position is and when the time comes for me to on the market and contribute, then I’ll and I’ll attempt to do it to one of the best of my talents.” Lee appeared in 74 video games for Phoenix in 2022/23, averaging 8.2 factors in 20.4 minutes.

Now we have extra from the Western Convention:

• Path Blazers coach Chauncey Billups can be inducted into the Naismith Corridor of Fame subsequent weekend. Billups, the Ultimate MVP with the Pistons in 2004, was in a state of disbelief when he obtained the decision that he had been elected, partially due to the timing. “(When the Corridor) truly known as, they picked a (heck) of a day. It was April Idiot’s. It was on April 1,” Billups advised the Denver Submit’s Sean Keeler. “So once they known as, I simply saved saying, ‘If y’all are enjoying this sick joke on me, man, I’m by no means chatting with any of y’all once more. That’s the worst.’”
• Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul are among the many Spurs who received’t go well with up for his or her preseason sport towards Oklahoma Metropolis on Monday, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Specific Information writes. There are not any harm considerations — San Antonio is solely easing its stars into the preseason schedule. Each participated in all 5 practices final week, Orsborn notes.
• Wembanyama labored on his ballhanding and strikes with longtime NBA guard Jamal Crawford this offseason, Orsborn experiences in a separate story. The Spurs huge man believes that work will repay this season. “It was my first time working for an extended time period with an precise retired NBA participant,” Wembanyama mentioned. “I realized loads as a result of the view he has of the sport is totally different from a coach’s as a result of he understands the participant possibly greater than any coaches I’ve labored with earlier than. It was a terrific expertise. I’d do it once more.”