Donatas Motiejunas is being ridiculous

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

MORE LIKE NO-NATAS NO-TIEJUNAS: In the bizarre saga of Donatas Motiejunas, our protagonist signed an offer sheet with the Nets, which was matched by the Rockets on Monday. This means that Motiejunas is back with the Rockets. Except he refused to show up to his Tuesday physical. His agent (B.J. Armstrong) said that Motiejunas is expressing his rights. This makes no sense. Armstrong and D-Mo knew what signing that offer sheet meant. Restricted free agency isn’t a mystery. Y’all really should have signed that qualifying offer in the summer so you’d be unrestricted in 2017. Now D-Mo faces being held in violation of his contract (which he is now under, once the Rockets matched), and he could still be restricted in 2017. Larry Coon has more.

FITTY: John Wall scored 52. The Wizards still lost.

A-YEP: Zito Madu writes that Klay Thompson will embarrass your team when you least expect it. The little trivia notes about Klay’s game will blow your mind, by the way. Here’s Adrian Wojnarowski on the Warriors’ belief in Klay, including some interesting notes about the Warriors and Spurs’ battle to draft him in 2011. (San Antonio got Kawhi Leonard instead. And both teams’ plans were enabled by the Kings picking Jimmer Fredette one pick ahead of Klay. Ugh.)

SCORES GALORE ...

Magic 124, Wizards 116
Knicks 114, Heat 103
Bulls 91, Pistons 102
Sixers 91, Grizzlies 96
Spurs 105, Wolves 91
Suns 105, Jazz 112

LOVE: Zach Randolph receives a standing ovation in his first game back since the death of his mother. Memphis has won four straight.

THE LEGEND, ABBREVIATED: Larry Bird tells Baxter Holmes he knew he’d have a short career.

THEY LOVE BASKETBALL: Friend of GMIB John Gonzalez on the joie de vivre that exists in Lakerland right now.

SPEAKING OF ... Gonz and Paul Flannery tackle LeBron and more in this week’s Drive & Kick.

SPEAKING OF PART II ... Flanns and I discuss the ramifications of Steve Kerr’s marijuana comments and what the league needs to do to transition going forward.

IS HARRISON BARNES THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYER?

THE WARRIORS, BUT NOT: Nice Ben Cohen piece on the Santa Cruz Warriors, who play with much less fanfare and a little less pizzazz just down the way from the best team in the league.

CYCLONE FOR REAL: Ricky O’Donnell on Iowa State’s Deonte Burton, who got famous for doing windmills in Tims but is now coming into his own.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Kevin Garnett wanted to attend college and live in the dorms at age 36, with a Showtime reality show documenting it all.

SABBATICAL: Scott Cacciola on Tom Thibodeau’s year away from coaching. You’ll be unsurprised to learn he spent it ghost coaching.

GIVE IT UP, MIAMI HEAT.

UGH: Steve Kerr is still dealing with significant pain from his spinal leak issues.

ALMOST LIKE REAL BASKETBALL: Watching the NBA in virtual reality gets a rave review. Via REDEF.

NEXT UP: There’s an excellent night of basketball ahead. ESPN has Cavaliers-Knicks at 8 p.m. ET followed by Warriors-Clippers at 10:30. (Take a nap today, alright?) League Pass has Pistons-Hornets (7), Celtics-Magic (7), Blazers-Bucks (8), and Lakers-Rockets (8). I love basketball!

Be excellent to each other.