“Super excited to be back and gearing up for an epic season of playoffs with my teammates and all of you,” Cousins said in a video released on the team’s Facebook page. “Your support means the world, let’s lock it in and go all the way for this championship run.”
While he hasn’t officially announced his retirement from the NBA, the 33-year-old said in an interview last month that he doesn’t really expect to be back in the league. Since playing for the Nuggets in 2021/22, the four-time All-Star has been out of the NBA, competing professionally in Puerto Rico and Taiwan.
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According to fellow college insider Jeff Goodman (Twitter link), Stackhouse’s buyout for Vanderbilt was “extremely high.” As Goodman points out, Vanderbilt signed Stackhouse to a contract extension after the team played its way to the NIT quarterfinals last season.
Stackhouse finishes his coaching career at Vanderbilt with a 70-92 record in five seasons with zero NCAA Tournament appearances. Before being hired Vanderbilt, Stackhouse was an assistant coach for the Raptors in the 2015/16 season and the Raptors 905’s head coach from 2016-18. He was also an assistant for the Grizzlies in the ’18/19 season. He has been linked to NBA head coaching jobs in the past.
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The former No. 1 overall pick is expected to make a full recovery ahead of training camp in the fall, the club added.
This is the second time Simmons has undergone back surgery in the past two years. His first surgery, a microdiscectomy back in May 2022, was to alleviate the pain and symptoms from a herniated disc on the right side of his spine.
A former three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive team member who also made the All-NBA Third Team in 2019/20, Simmons’ career has been derailed by injuries the past few seasons. After a lengthy holdout with Philadelphia, he was traded to Brooklyn in February 2022, but never played for the Nets in 2021/22.
Last season, Simmons averaged 6.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.1 APG and 1.3 SPG in 42 games (26.3 MPG), later admitting he hadn’t fully recovered from his first back surgery. Entering the ’23/24 campaign, the 27-year-old was far more optimistic, but was limited to just 15 games (23.9 MPG) after sustaining the nerve impingement in early November. He averaged 6.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 5.7 APG in those appearances.
Simmons was officially shut down for the season a week ago, as he was consulting with specialists and considering treatment options for the nerve impingement in his lower back. Obviously, it was decided that undergoing another surgery was the best course of action.
Simmons will be entering the final year of his current maximum-salary contract in ’24/25. He’s on track to earn $40,338,144 before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency.
]]>“I want [Claxton] to be unlocked, I don’t want him to be in a box offensively,” Ollie said. “I want him to do all kinds of things on the court because he’s doing everything on the defensive end for us — blocking shots, rebounding. We need to throw him the ball, but he needs to demand the ball as well. I’m telling our guards, ‘We gotta reward the big fella, because he’s doing a lot of cleaning up for us on the defensive end.’ When he does have two feet in the paint and he’s established, he should be getting the ball.”
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“I don’t know if it’s going to be permanent or not, but sometimes change is good,” Hield said. “… All these guys have started or come off the bench, so it’s not like a big problem. … We’re NBA players, and we figure out how to adjust.”
As Hield alluded to, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse has been experimenting with different starting lineups for much of the season. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris are the only three players on the roster who have started every game they’ve appeared in this season, and Embiid is currently on the shelf with a knee injury. In total, 18 different Philadelphia players – including 13 who are currently on the roster – have started at least one game in 2023/24.
Hield has averaged over 25 minutes per contest in his first two games off the bench, playing well in a 16-point outing on Sunday and struggling a little with his shot in a 4-of-11 performance on Tuesday. He expressed confidence on Sunday that he’ll continue to be productive even if he’s part of the second unit.
“It’s not about starting all the time,” Hield said. “As long as I go out there and get quality minutes to help this team win, that’s all that matters. I’m going to play my role.”
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Thomas had 29 points and five assists in a win over Cleveland on Sunday, while Bridges had his best offensive output in five games, supplying 25 points and five assists. Bridges shot 9-for-14 from the field.
“It was good for Mikal, too, to see some shots go in, and coming off the curl, playing off [Thomas], just taking the pressure off himself and stepping up,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “He puts so much work in, so I know those seeds that he’s planted are going to bloom and blossom at some point.”
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The Knicks play a home game against Philadelphia on Tuesday before embarking on a West Coast swing. He’s listed as questionable to play against the Sixers, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.
Anunoby, who hasn’t played since January 27 after undergoing elbow surgery, had been trending in the right direction in recent days, scrimmaging five-on-five and taking contact. The Knicks are 12-2 with Anunoby in the lineup this season after acquiring him from Toronto and have gone just 8-10 since he was sidelined.
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According to Lewis, Ryan Gisriel is expected to leave his position as the Nets’ executive director of basketball and business operations to take a job in the Hornets’ front office under Peterson. His title in Charlotte isn’t yet known.
Gisriel was hired by Brooklyn as an intern in 2013 and has steadily risen through the organization since then, having held roles such as special projects coordinator, assistant to the GM, and director of basketball administration before being promoted to his current position.
As NetsDaily notes, Gisriel’s most recent title with the Nets reflected his longtime role as a “middleman” between the basketball and business sides of the organization.
Gisriel is the second executive reported to be joining Peterson in Charlotte. The Hornets are also said to be hiring Hawks executive Dotun Akinwale Jr. as an assistant GM.
]]>“You know it hurts when you don’t have [Cam Thomas] or [Cameron Johnson] where they’re double-teaming [him], and you expect him to be Superman. But he’s just not Superman,” interim head coach Kevin Ollie said. “All the game plan is to [stop] him, to take him out of the game. And in this opportunity, he can learn through this. Even through struggle, you have an opportunity to find a lesson in it, and I think he’ll find a lesson in it. When he gets in this situation again, he’ll be better equipped.”
Bridges is still having a career year, averaging bests in points, rebounds and assists. However, he hasn’t yet regained his post-2023 deadline self, when he averaged 26.1 points per game after being moved to Brooklyn. The recent slump isn’t helping, but the forward, who hasn’t missed a game since entering the NBA, insists it isn’t because he needs a break.
“No, it’s just between missing shots and schemes on other teams. It’s just a mix of that,” Bridges said. “It’s not too many times where I come off and it’s easy looks now. And it’s just part of growth, and some are just gonna make me better [and] make the team better when it’s all said and done. But just get through that hump. But no, it’s just between making and missing shots.”
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Thibodeau said forward OG Anunoby, who is recovering from right elbow surgery, has been doing contract drills and is playing five-on-five, which indicates he’s getting close to returning. He’ll be day-to-day moving forward, though he hasn’t yet been fully cleared to play. Anunoby last suited up on January 27.
According to Katz, Thibodeau gave a brief update on Mitchell Robinson, who has been sidelined since December 8 following foot surgery, saying, “Mitch looks good. He told me to tell everyone that.”
Thibodeau also said star guard Jalen Brunson was able to participate in most of Thursday’s practice, but he wasn’t sure what his status would be for the injury report ahead of Friday’s game vs. Orlando, Katz adds.
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“Simmons, along with his representatives and Nets medical personnel, are currently in discussions with numerous experts to determine the course of action that will provide him with the best opportunity for long-term sustainable health,” the team said in its statement.
Simmons will finish the 2023/24 season having appeared in just 15 games. He averaged 6.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 7.9 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per contest.
It’s the third straight season in which Simmons’ availability and production has been extremely limited due to his back issues.
Following his holdout in 2021/22 and the trade that sent from Philadelphia to Brooklyn, the former No. 1 overall pick was unable to suit up for the Nets that season due to back pain and eventually underwent a microdiscectomy in the spring of 2022 in order to relieve the pain from a herniated disc.
Simmons returned in 2022/23 and appeared in 42 games for Brooklyn, but admitted later that he hadn’t fully recovered from the procedure on his back and was in pain for much of the season. Coming into ’23/24, he was optimistic about his health, indicating last August that he was eager to “come back and dominate.”
However, the nerve impingement in his back cost Simmons nearly three months early in the season and remained a problem even after he returned in January. Agent Bernie Lee spoke earlier this week about his efforts to find the right treatment to get his client past this lingering injury.
“We continue to try and find non-surgical options to allow Ben to move forward on a permanent basis and that is where this is my responsibility and I am (the) one to blame,” Lee said. “When I began working with Ben I made a commitment to him that I would do everything I could to find the right answers and specialists for him to work with (in order) to move forward from the issues he has been having. Clearly it hasn’t happened, and that’s my responsibility.
“… Come the offseason, we’re going to implement some processes and outside input that’ll allow him to finally move forward from this ongoing issue and resume his career at the levels he’s established prior to being injured.”
A three-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, Simmons is still just 27 years old, so if he can get healthy, he still has the potential to be one of the NBA’s better play-makers and defenders. However, physical and mental health issues have derailed his career since 2020/21 and have made his maximum-salary contract a cumbersome asset on Brooklyn’s books.
Simmons will be entering the final year of his current deal in 2024/25. He’s on track to earn $40,338,144 before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency.
]]>While Lawson’s 2023/24 salary of $1MM – which is well above his prorated minimum – is guaranteed, he’s not necessarily assured of any money beyond this season. His minimum salaries for the following three years are fully non-guaranteed. If he plays out the full contract, the Mavericks wing would earn approximately $7.91MM.
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Simmons’ agent Bernie Lee, referring to his client as day-to-day, said he continues to seek answers on how to get Simmons past this health issue, which has affected the former No. 1 overall pick for multiple seasons.
“We continue to try and find non-surgical options to allow Ben to move forward on a permanent basis and that is where this is my responsibility and I am (the) one to blame,” Lee said. “When I began working with Ben I made a commitment to him that I would do everything I could to find the right answers and specialists for him to work with (in order) to move forward from the issues he has been having. Clearly it hasn’t happened, and that’s my responsibility.
“… Come the offseason, we’re going to implement some processes and outside input that’ll allow him to finally move forward from this ongoing issue and resume his career at the levels he’s established prior to being injured.”
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Omoryui’s 2024/25 salary is worth the minimum and is non-guaranteed for the time being. If he remains under contract until the start of the ’24/25 regular season in the fall, he’ll earn a partial guarantee of $1MM. He’d receive his full guarantee for next season if he’s not cut on or before January 7, 2025.
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